The American National Biography (ANB) is a 24-volume biographical encyclopedia set that contains about 17,400 entries[1] and 20 million words,[2] first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies.

[4] The ANB bills itself as the successor of the Dictionary of American Biography, which was first published between 1926 and 1937.

It is not, however, a strict superset of this older publication; the selection of topics was made anew.

The American Historical Association's Waldo G. Leland Prize was awarded for 2001.

[9] It has been criticized for missing cross references and occasional errors,[10] and for its cost, which is said to limit availability in poor countries.