Whatever may be thought of it in other respects, WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA can with confidence claim for itself the distinction of being something new in American book-making, for while, in its basic idea, it counterparts some wellknown foreign publications, it has no American predecessor by which its merits may be judged or its faults condemned.

The title of the book sufficiently suggests that its compilation was mainly inspired by the well-known English annual, "Who's Who" (now in its fifty-second year); but comparison will reveal many modifications and changes of arrangement and treatment, adopted in order to make WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA more perfectly suited to American conditions and requirements.

The need of some such volume has long been apparent. Biographical compilations are by no means rare, and there are some excellent cyclopædias of that kind in which the notable lives of Americans, from Columbus to the man of a decade or so ago, are narrated. Mingled with them may be found a few sketches of the men of yesterday, and an occasional man or woman of to-day, surrounded by the obituary notices of dead and gone compatriots; but the nature of such large compilations precludes any attempt to keep up with the times so far as presenting daily sought for information regarding living men and women. Yet the latter are precisely the persons whose careers are of the greatest interest to the largest number of people. The men who are making the history of the Nation, its States and its municipalities, who are creating American literature, educating the youth of the country, leading in its religious, scientific, commercial, social, military, naval, productive and artistic activities, and who are in the innumerable departments of useful and reputable effort most representative of American progress: these are unquestionably the people of whom average American men and women desire to know most.

The recognition of this fact has been the incentive to the compilation of this book of the living, the first of its kind to be made upon an American basis of American material. It has garnered in a new and fertile field, and if it has not gathered and brought in every sheaf, it can at least point to a well-filled granary of good American grain.

The book is autobiographical, the data having been obtained from first hands in all save a very few cases, where, persistent effort having failed to elicit personally furnished facts, other sources of information have been used. Even where this has been done the sketch has been submitted for correction and has, in nearly every case, been revised or approved.

To gather, in this authoritative way, the vast amount of material which has been condensed and compressed into these pages has been both difficult and

laborious.

The task has, however, been lightened and brightened by many friendly words and much appreciative aid from those who have recognized the value of such a compilation. "That's the best book now being made in America,' was the comment of a well-known and successful litterateur. "No book is more needed," said several, and hundreds more gave the same opinion in many and varied forms of statement.

Not every person approached for data exhibited a friendly spirit. A few complained that they had been victimized by various biographical schemes, which, beginning with an innocent demand for data, usually culminated in a bill for the insertion of the biography and perhaps for a portrait which accompanied it. These, however, were soon convinced of the entire absence of any commercial purpose, either in the selection of names or the insertion of the personal sketches in the present volume. Some objected that the title chosen for the book was too flippant, but a far larger number commended its preëminent fitness; some were afraid that the book would be too exclusive-others that it would place them in a too heterogeneous company. Some sent printed sketches in which their genealogy was traced through pages of small print, and insisted that notices of great length should be reproduced verbatim; others gave the briefest and most unsatisfactory responses. "I am really of no importance—your dictionary will be better for not including my name," wrote one of the foremost scientists, educators and authors of the country. "Do you really invite women to publicly confess their age-and then expect them to commend your book?" queried one distinguished authoress. "Wait until I am dead before you embalm me!” said a noted poetess. "Leave me out," curtly wrote a score or two of folk whose names were deemed requisite to the completeness of the work, and who were subsequently induced to furnish the desired information. The people who, from an excess of modesty or exclusiveness, tried to keep out of the book, were quite numerous; many supplied material with evident reluctance, and a few futilely offered to buy numerous copies of the book on condition that mention of them be omitted. Great persistence was often required to secure autobiographical data. A well-known Western journalist was written to several times without avail. Finally such facts as could be learned about him were compiled into as complete a sketch as possible, which was sent to him for revision. This brought a reply to the effect that he had received the various requests for biographical data and had avoided making any response to them because, while he was in the business of gathering information about others, he desired to escape public attention himself. He had, however, arrived at the conclusion that such persistent pursuers could not be evaded, and he therefore enclosed a correct sketch for fear that one would be printed in any event, and, if that must be, he wanted it accurate. Another wrote, "Such persistence as yours deserves to succeed." There were many similar cases, and there were also others who, having several times declined, subsequently wrote, voluntarily inclosing the requested information, with the statement that they had changed their minds and hoped they were not too late.

A still more numerous class, largely made up of those who had no claim whatever to be mentioned, tried to get into the work, frequently accompanying their

requests by the offer of pecuniary inducements. It is needless to say that no attention was paid to these, and that not one line in this volume (outside of the legitimate advertising pages) has been paid for. Whatever may be its merits or demerits, WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA can confidently claim the virtue of being honestly and conscientiously compiled.

Some of those legitimately in the book showed an amiable disposition to secure like distinction for their friends. To this we owe mention of many people of worth who might otherwise have been overlooked But the solicitation also took wider scope. "I think you would do well to include my son, who will graduate from- -College this year. He is a bright boy, and is sure to make his mark in the world," wrote one, with parental pride. "I think you make a mistake in confining your book to the living," wrote one lady, "my husband was one of the most distinguished men of his profession, and should be included." Many other letters might be cited to show how varied were the demands and suggestions that were made. Most of the recipients of letters of inquiry gave prompt and appreciative response, hundreds adding words of commendation of the undertaking. Out of the many thousands of communications received, not more than a score were discourteous, and only one was insulting.

In at least one case there was an effort to cast a glamour of romance over these veracious pages. A gifted space-writer, who has also been a writer of books of a mathematical cast, and should have known better, endeavored to secure the insertion of a statement that his ancestors in England had been attainted (in the eighteenth century under the house of Brunswick) for treason to the Plantagenets, and that his later and immediate family had, in 1876, recovered $30,000,000 from the United States Government for services in behalf of the American Revolution. These interesting statements, for which he was willing to become autobiographically responsible, show what an American man of 42 or so can do toward dimming the laurels of the late Baron Munchausen.

Nearly every person who has commented upon the outlined design of the book has recognized the obvious fact that the chief difficulty would be found in the selection of names: and it will doubtless be on the score of errors of inclusion or exclusion in this respect that the opportunities for criticism will be found most

numerous.

As to names that will be missed it may be said that there were many persons who, though repeatedly requested to furnish information, persistently refused or remained silent. In a number of these cases data, believed to be entirely reliable, has been obtained from other sources, but in a few instances no facts regarded as trustworthy could be procured, and such names are, perforce, omitted altogether.

On the other hand it may be that errors of judgment have been made in using some names not fairly entitled to hobnob with such a goodly company. Yet standards differ. One very practical newspaper-man, in a letter on this question of selection, hoped that the book would not be too exclusive. It would, he said, be invaluable to the newspaper profession if the standard of admission was not placed too high. It is easy to get material about the few people of the very highest distinction, he argued, but not so easy in regard to people who, while less prominent, are likely to become subjects of newspaper comment.

To all criticisms of this kind, one way or the other, it can only be pleaded that the work has been thoughtfully done; that the most careful judgment has been exercised; that the friendly aid of men with specially excellent means of judging has been called into coöperation, and that no name has been purposely included or excluded for any other reason than the desire to make the book as complete and as useful as possible. It may, however, be well to state that there has been no effort to make of it a "blue book." It is not wealth or social standing, but rather achievement or public position which have been the criteria in choosing or discarding names.

It is likely that many will be inclined to criticise the inequality, in relative length, which the sketches present. Some of the most important people have been noticed in a few words, and others of much less prominence are treated at length. This is a matter, however, which cannot be regulated by the eminence or otherwise of the person discussed, but must in large measure depend upon the willingness of the autobiographer to supply details, and the character of his career, whether it has pursued an even course in a single vocation, or, as is frequently the case with Americans, has been varied by active participation in numerous divergent occupations, such as war, law, politics and literature. It has not been found possible to use every item supplied. Space requirements have often compelled condensation, while, on the other hand, numerous sketches would be improved by fuller details. The data furnished in individual cases has varied from a dozen words to fifty thousand.

The need of condensed statement has led to a free use of abbreviations, but this word-shortening has been done upon the simplest possible system, and a list of the abbreviations adopted has been given elsewhere to obviate any difficulty which may be experienced from their use.

One of the most valuable features of the book will be found in the appended addresses. No other work has attempted the laborious task of finding and furnishing the addresses of leading Americans in all parts of the world. This has been successfully accomplished in the present volume, making it not only a biographical dictionary, but also a handy directory of the best-known contemporary Americans. The difficulties overcome in the pursuit of accuracy in this respect will be better appreciated when it is stated that letters sent to the last address indicated by the most recent biographical publications, were returned by hundreds, and that, in many cases, from ten to fifteen letters were required before the right address could be found. One distinguished author wrote to say that he had lived several years in France, and that the letter of inquiry had been forwarded from a place where he had not been for twelve years. This, he justly said, furnished strong proof of the necessity of such a book as WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA.

While pursuing these inquiries many persons were found to be dead whose names were not listed in any accessible necrology. For this reason, while the book is intended as a record of the living, a death-roll has been compiled of Americans who have died since January 1, 1895, for the purpose of explaining the absence of many names which will be missed in the main body of the work.

In all, WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA contains concise biographical sketches of over

eight thousand living men and women. It is a distinctively American array, although many of those mentioned were born abroad and some are foreign subjects. All live or have lived in the United States, or are so closely identified with American affairs or interests as to be subjects of American inquiry or discussion. Not all now live in this country, for nearly every land is represented in the addresses given, but those located abroad are either native Americans, or are in direct touch with some interest in the United States.

The exact number of persons biographically sketched is 8,602, but occasional names have only a few identifying words. These are people from whom reliable data could not be obtained, but who belong to some class arbitrarily included in the category of Who's Who folk. Thus the volume aims to embrace, ex-officio, all members of the Fifty-sixth Congress; all governors of the States and Territories now in office; all United States judges; all judges of State and Territorial courts of highest jurisdiction; also persons of other prominent official classifications; all National Academicians; all members of the National Academy of Sciences; all heads of the larger universities and colleges, and a few others chosen upon similarly arbitrary lines. Special effort has been made to include all living American authors of books of more than ephemeral value. Yet it is well to state that a few literary people have been omitted because it was found impossible to secure their present addresses.

view.

It was at first intended to cover the Canadian as well as the American field. and data was secured from several notables of the Dominion with that end in But it was finally decided to confine the undertaking within strictly “American” Emits, and therefore only Canadians who have been identified with the United States in some way have been retained.

It is the present purpose to make such periodical revisions of WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA as seem to be called for by the demands of those who find it useful. For this reason it is requested that suggestions of improvement, revisions of biographical data, notices of changes of address, deaths, etc., be sent in as they

Without claiming infallibility or inerrancy, it is believed that this publication w be a welcome addition to the list of handy helps that make up the library of indispensable books. Certainly nothing has been omitted that painstaking care. persistent effort, or expenditure of money could supply toward making the volume fully fill the purposes of its compilation.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The valuable helps and suggestions which have been extended to the publishers of WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA, have been so numerous that it has not always been found possible to give current acknowledgment of these courtesies. Occasion is here taken, therefore, to express grateful recognition of these favors. Especially valuable aid was given by Dr. W J McGee, of the Bureau of American Ethnology, whose painstaking and judicious selection of about one thousand Dames of scientific people has made that feature of the book exceptionally streng