Biography Today, Annual Cumulation 1996

The 1996 Annual Cumulation is notable not just for its profiles but because this was the year Omnigraphics expanded Biography Today into five subject-specific series covering Authors, Artists, Scientists and Inventors, Sports Figures, and World Leaders — a sign of how well the franchise had taken hold in school and library markets. The main volume follows the trusted format: accessible, photograph-accompanied profiles of notable contemporary figures written for readers nine and older, covering careers, backgrounds, and achievements. Editorial standards are consistent and appropriate for school settings. As with all the annual volumes, the honest limitation is age — 1996 is now three decades past, and some profiles will feel like history rather than biography. For libraries completing a reference run of the series or students studying that decade, it holds its place.