In addition to biographies of the 345 people selected, the volume contains cumulative name and occupation indexes for all the 1,964 people in the entire series. To winnow the names into so few, the editors compiled a list of several thousand candidates, classified them by profession or occupation, submitted the lists to specialists or groups to rank, then selected from the returned lists. The subjects include athletes, politicians, artists, religious figures, soldiers, scientists, lawyers and judges, writers, actors, business figures, and others. Photographs are included for most. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)