Contemporary Authors

''Contemporary Authors'' is a reference work which has been published by Gale since 1962. It provides short biographies and bibliographies of contemporary and near-contemporary writers. ''Contemporary Authors'' does not have selective inclusion criteria and bases much of its biographical data on information provided by the writer. However, according to Gale, the series does not include writers who publish solely with vanity presses or through other self-publishing methods.

Content

Entries in ''Contemporary Authors'' consist of a biography of the writer and bibliographies of their work and secondary sources covering it. Writing need not be a person's primary occupation for them to be covered in ''Contemporary Authors''; Martin Luther King Jr. and Bear Bryant have entries even though they are not mainly known as writers. The series focuses on people who have published in English, but sometimes includes writers in other languages whose works have been translated. ''Contemporary Authors'' is not selective about whom it includes. However, according to Gale, authors whose works have been published only by vanity presses are generally excluded.

Most biographical data published in ''Contemporary Authors'' comes from questionnaire responses. Its staff may also conduct independent research if an entry's subject does not respond to questions. Some entries contain a "Sidelights" section where writers can offer personal commentary on their life or work.

Publication

The first edition of ''Contemporary Authors'' was released in 1962. As of 1990, it was published twice per year.

''Contemporary Authors'' has been published in five different series, each assigned its own entry in the International Standard Serial Number database: the original series, not otherwise named; first revision; new revision; permanent; and autobiography series. Some of its iterations group multiple volumes into a single printed book. As of 2002, it was published both in print and on CD-ROM.

Reception

In 1985, American Library Association named ''Contemporary Authors'' one of the "most distinguished reference titles" of the preceding 25 years.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Gale: Contemporary Authors (digital edition)

1962 introductions
Biographical dictionaries
Cengage books