This biennial conforms to other Marquis biographical dictionaries in that the information is supplied by the biographees themselves. This biographical dictionary contains not only long articles about its subjects but also a significant number of portraits and facsimiles of autographs. This is the leading biographical dictionary for Americans and is noted for its scholarly articles and bibliographies. Indexes include arrangement by subject, contributor, birthplace, and occupation. This biographical dictionary on American blacks includes black men and women who achieved prominence in the history of the United States.
Articles generally are scholarly, and brief bibliographies are included.
This biographical dictionary of Americans is more comprehensive than the Dictionary of American Biography but lacks the scholarly approach and the bibliographies characteristic of the latter work. The entries in the National Cyclopaedia are unsigned and are largely based upon questionnaires and other information supplied by families of the biographees. Since this dictionary is not alphabetically arranged, access to the entries is through the general index. Portraits are supplied throughout the set. Indexes are arranged by personal name and organization.