Covers people who died before 1996. Contemporary Authors - covers authors in many fields. The volumes encompass those who died before January 1, 1986. This volume includes people now see as unjustly neglected in previous volumes. The DAB covers prominent Americans who died before January 1, 1981.
Some subject encyclopedias contain biographies.
Typically they will emphasize and explain the contribution of the entrant to the subject area. Care should be taken to note the date of publication, since those who came into prominence after that time will not be included. There are many sources of biographical information not listed here. If you can't find the information you need, ask at the Reference Desk for assistance.