Who's Who

Who's Who (or "Who is Who") is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biographical information on a particular group of people. The title is also used as an expression meaning a collection or group of noted persons; as in the sentence, "The actors in the film were a Who's Who of the great American comedians of the time".

The title "Who's Who" is in the public domain, and thousands of Who's Who compilations of varying scope and quality have been published by various authors and publishers. The oldest and best known is the annual British publication Who's Who, a reference work on contemporary prominent people.

Many publications using the title are vanity publications, where the inclusion criterion is the biographee's willingness to buy the book, with the business model consisting of selling books directly to the biographees.

Notable examples

  • Who's Who, a listing of prominent British people since 1849; people who have died since 1897 are listed in Who Was Who
  • Who's Who (UK)

    Who's Who is a leading source of biographical data on more than 33,000 influential people from around the world. Published annually since 1849, and as of 2015 in its 168th edition, it lists people who have an impact on British life, according to its editors. Entries include judges, civil servants, politicians and notable figures from academia, sport and the arts.

    Each entry in Who's Who is authored by the subject who is invited by the editors to fill in a questionnaire. Entries typically include full names, dates of birth, career details, club memberships, education, professional qualifications, publications, recreations and contact details.

    Biographies in Who's Who

    Subjects include peers, MPs, judges, very senior civil servants, and distinguished writers, actors, lawyers, scientists, researchers, athletes and artists. Some (such as those holding a Professorial Chair at Oxbridge) are included automatically by virtue of their office; those in less hierarchical occupations are included at the discretion of the editors.

    Who's Who in the DC Universe

    Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe (usually referred to as Who's Who) is the umbrella title for a number of comic book series which DC Comics published to catalogue the wide variety of fictional characters in their imaginary universe, the DC Universe.

    History

    Who's Who was the creation of Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Robert Greenberger, and its first incarnation (Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe) debuted in the last month of 1984 (cover dated March 1985) and ran 26 issues until 1987 (cover dated April 1987). It was essentially an encyclopedia in comic book form, listing the characters, places, and things in the DC Universe. It began one month before the 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths began, and therefore it is of interest to note that the earlier issues discuss pre-Crisis versions of the characters, whereas issues released subsequent to the conclusion of the limited series discuss the post-Crisis universe. For example, while both the Flash (Barry Allen) and Supergirl died during the Crisis, the Flash's death is not mentioned as issue #8 predates his death, but Supergirl's death is recounted 14 months later in issue #22. Also, entries for characters such as the Silver Age Superman and Wonder Woman recounted their post-Crisis histories only, which at the time were only a few months old, while their entire Silver Age histories (and all the unique elements of those characters during that time, such as Superman's Fortress of Solitude and Wonder Woman's powerless period) were ignored.

    Podcasts:

    PLAYLIST TIME:

    Who's Who

    by: Pretenders

    When we meet again just refer to me as 'Back Then'
    Or pretend not to recall ever knowing me at all
    Or hanging round my door begging for more
    When you begin playing to win
    That's when the losers rush in
    And I, I got better than you
    At jumping the queue
    To get closer to seeing who's who
    A man without a home is never alone
    Well just look at what he's got the whole parking lot
    In those unsheltered places there's always other faces
    Take mine for a start
    It's like a modern work of art
    Disturbing and lacking in heart
    And I, I got better than you
    At jumping the queue
    To get closer to seeing who's who
    It must be so wonderful being you everyday
    Oh it must be so wonderful always gettin' your way
    A common dialogue is the best thing that you'll get
    From the woman you call your wife so try not to forget
    To tear out and burn the things you unlearn
    Your future exists in her shopping lists
    Please call your office
    And I, I got better than you
    At jumping the queue
    To get closer to seeing who's who
    I got better than you




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