The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Biography includes more than 18,000 people from around the globe and from all periods of history. All continents, fields of endeavor, and historical eras are richly represented: the likes of Plato, Aristotle, and Michelangelo rub shoulders with Sir V. S. Naipaul, Jesse Jackson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Each entry begins with the person’s full name, birth and death dates, nationality, and occupation, allowing the reader to locate this most basic information at a glance. The person’s life, education, and achievements are detailed, as is information on the historical milieu in which he or she was active.
The book also includes 300 special feature boxes, which provide detailed information about a variety of noteworthy people, such as the Ottoman emperor Suleyman the Magnificent, the singer Ella Fitzgerald, the sculptor Henry Moore, and the poet Robert Burns. Quotations often impart some of the spirit of these impressive people. Readers learn that the last words of Ludwig van Beethoven, the deaf composer, were “I shall hear in heaven,” and that Bruce Springsteen said of Bob Dylan, “He had the freedom and the talent to make a pop record that contained the whole world.” This is an indispensable resource for schools, libraries, and individuals who need an up-to-date and authoritative biographical reference.