Biographical reference works

  • An Account of the Lives and Writings of Living Authors of Great Britain (London MDCCLXII/1762), by William Rider. This work is antecedent to Marshall of Epsom who, in the Preface of his Catalogue of 500 Authors, etc., claims that his ‘is a new design’. See Booklover, Maurice Craig’s remarks on annotations by Edward Berwick. Rider’s account includes mention of the following Irish writers, etc: Dodsley, Pilkington, Sterne, Murphy, Sheridan, Bickerstaffe, Goldsmith. [Also called Biog. Dict. of Worthies of Ireland (1819); see British Biographical Archive.]
  • Anderson, Christopher, Native Irish and Their Descendants (1846) MOR.
  • Bale, John, Catalogue of writer over 1400 years.
  • Boylan, Harry, Dictionary of Irish Biography (2nd edn. 1988).
  • Boase Frederic, Modern English Biography, containing [...] memoirs of persons who have died since [...] 1850 [1851-1900], with an index of the most interesting matter. 6 vol. (Netherton & Worth: Truro 1892-1921), 8o.; rep. London: Cassell 1965).
  • Felice Levy Obituaries on File (NY: Facts on File 1979).
  • Brady, Anne, and Brian Cleeve, eds., A Biographical Dictionary of Irish Writers (Cork: Mercier 1985) [1st issued as Cleeve, Dictionary of Irish Writers, 3 vols, Mercier 1965] otherwise listed as series of 3, being 1] Fiction (Cork:Mercier 1967), 2] Non Fiction (Cork:Mercier 1969), 3] Irish Language (Cork:Mercier 1971); revised and enlarged, with Anne M Brady (Lilliput 1985) [0 946640 11 4 pb].
  • Catalogue of [500] Celebrated Authors of Great Britain, Now Living, 8 vols (London 1788).
  • Contemporary Authors, A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers [[...] &c.], New Revised Series [Vol. 33 et seq.] ed. James G. Leonick (Detroit & London: Gael Research), [ISSN] 0275-7176; this series, commenced 1947 by Amory; continued by Metzger with assistance of Straub, and later by Straub alone, then joined by Leonack, followed by Trosky to date [1996].
  • Colman, Anne Ulry, A Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century Irish Women Poets (Galway: Kenny’s Bookshop 1996), 245pp.
  • Contemporary Artists (St James’s Press 1993).
  • Browning, Dictionary of Literary Biography (Pan Books 1958, 1962, 1969).
  • Burke’s Ir. Family Records: ed. Hugh Montgomery Massingberd [Lon. 1976].
  • Byrne, Art, and Sean McMahon, Great Northerners (Poolbeg ?1992), 240pp.
  • Byrne, Art, and Sean MacMahon, eds., Lives: 113 Great Irishmen and Irishwomen (Swords:Poolbeg 1990).
  • Cahill, Susan and Thomas, A Literary Guide to Ireland (Dublin 1973).
  • Carr, Sir John, Stranger in Ireland (1803). [Contains a list of Irish poets which D. J. O’Donoghue used as a basis for his collation in Poets of Ireland.].
  • Daiches, David: The Present Age after 1920 (Intro to Irish lit., Vol 5) [Lon. 1958].
  • Dictionary of National Biography; Since a supplement to the DNB appeared in 1901, nine further supplements have appeared, bringing it up to 1985. A Concise Dictionary appeared in 1903, up to 1900, and another in 1982 covering 1901-70. A third has now appeared bringing the Concise series up to 1985. [Concise Dictionary of National Biography [to 1985] (1992?)].
  • Donovan, Brendan and Katie, with AN Jeffares, Ireland’s Women: writings past and Present [pending].
  • DNB: Missing Persons [includes additional 1,086] ed. CS Nicolls, [Patrick Pearse, John MacBride, James Connolly, Constance Gore-Booth, Countess Markievicz, and her sister Eva Gore Booth, as well as Maud Gonne. William Joyce is also there.].
  • Eagle, Dorothy, and Hilary Cornell, eds., The Oxford Guide to Great Britain and Ireland (Peerage Books, rev. ed. 1985).
  • Encyclopaedia of Ireland [Dublin 1968].
  • O’Brien, G., and P. Roebuck, Nine Ulster Lives (Ulster Historical Foundation 1992) [Waddell, Walton, Auchinleck, Lavery, Gavan Duffy, John Dunlap, Abernethy, Owen Roe O’Neill].
  • O’Farrell, Padriac: Who’s Who in the Irish War of Independence [Mercier Press, 1980].
  • Fitzgerald, Brian R., The Anglo-Irish, 3 Representative Studies, 1169-1901 (1951): Cork, Ormonde, Swift.
  • Graves, A. P., Irish Literary and Musical Studies (London: Elkin Mathews, 1913).
  • Gwynn, Stephen, Irish Books and People (Talbot Press, n.d. [1919 or 20]).
  • Handbook of British Chronology [Royal Historical Soc. 1961], 565pp.
  • Harris, Walter, History, incl. every Irish writer to 1700 [after Sir James Ware].
  • Harrison, Richard S., A Biographical Dictionary of Irish Quakers (Dublin: Four Courts 1997), 160pp.
  • Hayden’s Book of Dignities 1894 [Geneal. Publ. Co., Baltimore, 1970].
  • Hayes, Richard, Biographical dictionary of Irishmen in France (Dublin 1949).
  • Hickey, D. J., and J. E. Doherty, eds., Companion to Irish History 1603-1921, from the submission of Tyrone to Partition [Peter R. Newman] (Oxf:Facts on File 1991).
  • Hogan, Robert, ed., Dictionary of Irish Literature (Conn: Greenwood Press; London: Macmillan 1979).
  • Hyamson: A Dictionary of Universal Biography [R&KP, 1916/1976].
  • Judd, Gerrit P.: Members of Parliament 1734-1832 [Archon Press, 1972].
  • Kirkpatrick. D.L., ed., Contemporary Novelists, ed. (NY ST. Martin’s Press, 1986).
  • Kunitz & Haycraft: 20th Century Authors - A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Literature.
  • MacCarthy, Denis Florence, The Poets and Dramatists of Ireland (1846).
  • M’Gee, Thomas D’Arcy: [A Gallery of] Irish Poets of the 17th century [Duffy, 1846/Lemma 1974].
  • McRedmond, Louis, Modern Irish Lives: Dictionary of 20th Century Biography (Dublin: Gill & Macmillan 1996), 348pp.
  • Millet, Mailey, and Rickert, Contemporary British Literature (1935).
  • Myers, Robin: A Dictionary of Literature in the English Language from Chaucer to 1940 (for the National Book League) [Pergamon Press, 1970].
  • Myers, Robin, A Dictionary of Literature in the English Language from Chaucer to 1940 [for the National Book League] (Pergamon 1970).
  • O’Brien, George, and Peter Roebuck, eds., Nine Ulster Lives (Ulster Hist. Found. 1992), 176pp. [Enest Walton; Claude Auchinleck; Helen Waddell; John Lavery; Charles Gavan Duffy; William Patterson; John Abernethy; Owen Roe O’Neill].
  • Ó Céirin, Kit and Cyril, eds., Women of Ireland: A Biographic Dictionary (Galway: Tír Eolas 1996), 248pp. [300 lives].
  • O’Donoghue, D[avid] J[ames], Poets of Ireland (Dublin:Hodges Figgis & Co. 1912).
  • Oxford Literary Guide to Great Britain and Ireland, eds., Eagle, Dorothy, Meic Stephens and Hilary Carnell [2nd edn.] (OUP 1992), 322pp., ill.
  • Power, John, Irish Literary Enquirer, or Notes on Authors, Books, and Printing in Ireland, Biographical and Bibliographical. conducted by John Power, Nos. 1-4 (London 1865-6) [cited as authority in Cat. of Henry Bradshaw Collection of Irish Books, Univ. Lib., Cambridge, 1916].
  • Read, Charles A., the Cabinet of Irish Literature, 3 vols. (London:Blackie & Son, 1880) [also add. vol. by TP O’Connor; and later ed. by Katherine Tynan, 1904).
  • Rider, William ,An Account of the Lives and Writings of Living Authors of Great Britain (London MDCCLXII/1762, and Aug. Reprint Soc.). This work is antecedent to Marshall of Epsom who, in the Preface of his Catalogue of 500 Authors, etc., claims that his ‘is a new design’. See Booklover, Maurice Craig’s remarks on annotations by Edward Berwick. Rider’s account includes mention of the following Irish writers, et al: [Dodsley], Pilkington, Sterne, Murphy, Sheridan, Bickerstaffe, Goldsmith.
  • Rogal, Samuel J., A Chronological Outline of British Literature (Greenwood Press, 1980).
  • Ryan, Richard, Biographia Hibernica, 2 vols (1819-21) BELF LIN.
  • Share, Bernard, Irish Lives (Dub. 1971).
  • Shielys [or Shields], Robert, chief contributor to Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland to the time of Dean Swift (1753) [ed. Colley, but Shields wrote the Irish dram. entries, and many more].
  • Steinberg, SH, Cassell’s Encyclopaedia of Literature, 3 vols (London 1973).
  • Stenton, Michael: Who’s Who of British MP’s [Harvester].
  • Stockley, F.W.P., Essays in Irish Biography (Cork 1933).
  • Strickland, W. G., Dictionary of Irish Artists, 2 vols (Dub 1913; rep. 1968).
  • Thom’s Irish Who’s Who (Dublin:Alexander Thom & Co.; Lon:Daniel O’Connor 1923).
  • Tynan, Katherine, Cabinet of Irish Literature (1904 ed.).
  • Wallace, Martin, Famous Irish Lives (1983; 1991).
  • Walsh, Caroline: The Homes of Irish Writers [Anvil, Dub 1983].
  • Walsh, Paul, Irish Men of Learning, ed. Colm O’Lochlainn (Three Candles 1947).
  • Ward, AC, rev. ed. Maurcie Hussey, Longman’s Companion to 20th century Literature (1981).
  • Ware, Sir James, Irish Writers and writers in Ireland to 1600 (1639); also Sir James Ware, Writers of Ireland (Dublin 1746) [in Works of Sir james Ware, 3 vols., 1739-46), Fo. [Cited in ‘Authorities’, Bradshaw Cat., 1916].
  • Watkins, John and Frederic Shobert, Biographical Dictionary of authors living in Great Britain and Ireland (London 1816).
  • Noelle Watson, A Reference Guide to Short Fiction [Gale Research Co.] (St James’s Press ?1994) [includes 350 authors].
  • Webb, Alfred: A Compendium of Irish Biography [Dublin 1878/reprint NY 1970].
  • Weekes, Ann Owen, ed., Unveiling Treasures: the Attic Press guide to Irish women writers - dramatists, poets and novelists (Attic 1993), 352pp.
  • Weekes, Ann Owen, Irish Women Literary Writers: An Uncharted Tradition (US 1990); poss. same as supra.
  • Who’s Who, What’s What and Where in Ireland: [Lon/Dub 1973].
  • Who’s Who in Ireland: the influential 1,000, ed. Maureen Cairnduff (Dun Laoghaire:Vesey Pub. 1984), 231pp.
  • Williams, Anthony, Dubliners, rep. from Building, 23 Nov. 1979.
  • See also Denis Florence MacCarthy; James Ware; Richard Ryan.

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