Karen Abbott is a journalist who has been a staff member of Philadelphia magazine and Philadelphia Weekly.

Megan Abbott has taught literature, writing, and film at New York University and at the State University of New York at Oswego.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is recognized by Sports Illustrated and Time magazine as history’s greatest basketball player.

Joe Abercrombie is a British fantasy writer best known for his acclaimed First Law Trilogy: The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings.

Diane Ackerman is a bestselling author and poet whose many books include A Natural History of the Senses, A Natural History of Love, and The Zookeeper's Wife, winner of the 2008 Orion Book Award.

Novelist, biographer, and poet Peter Ackroyd is the chief book reviewer for The Times (London) and a regular broadcaster on radio.

Amir D. Aczel is the author of fourteen books, including the international bestseller Fermat's Last Theorem and The Mystery of the Aleph.

Scott Adams launched Dilbert in 1989, and it now appears daily in more than 2,000 newspapers in sixty-five countries, making it one of the most successful comic strips in history.

Aravind Adiga is a former correspondent for Time magazine and has also been published in the Financial Times.

Lesley Adkins, a historian and an archaeologist, is the author of Empires of the Plain.

Roy Adkins, a historian and an archaeologist, is the author of the bestselling Nelson’s Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World.

Trace Adkins learned to play guitar at an early age and, after signing with Capitol Records, released seven solo albums.

Aesop (620–560 BC) was a slave in ancient Greece who is known only for the genre of fables that are ascribed to him.

Liaquat Ahamed has been a professional investment manager for twenty-five years and is currently an adviser to several hedge fund groups, including the Rock Creek Group and the Rohatyn Group.

Laila Al-Arian is a freelance journalist who has written for the Dupont Current newspaper and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.

Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) published over thirty books and collections of stories, most notably the groundbreaking coming-of-age novel Little Women.

Larry Alexander is a journalist and columnist for the Intelligencer Journal in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the author of the national bestseller Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers.

Robert Alexander is the author of the bestselling novel The Kitchen Boy.

Daniel Altman has written for The Economist and the New York Times and is now a columnist for the International Herald Tribune.

Daniel G. Amen, M.D., is a clinical neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and brain-imaging expert who heads the world-renowned Amen Clinics.

Christopher Andersen is the critically acclaimed author of twenty-five books, which have been translated into twenty-six languages worldwide.

Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was a Danish writer who gained fame with his fairy tales, such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Mermaid," which were cleverly written to disguise the tales' sophisticated moral teachings.

Douglas A. Anderson, a leading American Tolkien scholar, is acknowledged as the worldwide expert on the textual history of The Hobbit.

Fred Anderson is a professor of history at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the author of Crucible of War.

Joan Anderson is the New York Times bestselling author of A Year by the Sea, A Walk on the Beach, and The Second Journey.

John Anderson is the author of Burning Down the House and Art Held Hostage.

Kevin J. Anderson, one of the most popular writers currently working in the science fiction genre, is the author of more than ninety novels, forty-one of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists.

Taylor Anderson teaches at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, and is the author of The Life and Tools of the Rocky Mountain Free Trapper.

Edmund L. Andrews has been a reporter for the New York Times for sixteen years.

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team who live in Georgia, where they are currently working on Kate Daniels's next adventure.

As the webmistress of the Leaky Cauldron (leakynews.com), former New York City features writer Melissa Anelli has been reporting on the Harry Potter phenomenon since 2001.

Frank Antenori, a member of the Special Forces since 1988, has participated in numerous peacetime and wartime operations in support of American interests throughout the world.

Journalist Gustavo Arellano is the creator and writer of the popular Ask a Mexican! column for the OC Weekly in Orange County, California.

Kelley Armstrong is the bestselling author of a growing series of novels and novellas in the Women of the Otherworld series, the first two of which are Bitten and Stolen.

Karen Armstrong is the author of numerous books on religious affairs, including Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions and The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism.

Lou Aronica is the author of several works of fiction and nonfiction, and he has collaborated on a number of books, including the national bestseller The Culture Code.

Raymond Arroyo is the news director and lead anchor at the Eternal Word Television Network and the author of the New York Times bestselling biography Mother Angelica.

Keri Arthur is the prize-winning author of twenty novels, including the Ripple Creek Werewolf series, the Spook Squad series, the Damask Circle series, and the Riley Jenson Guardian series.

Robert Asahina, a former editor at George, Harper's, the New York Times Book Review, and The Public Interest, is currently a visiting scholar at the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program at New York University.

Isaac Asimov, who was named "Grand Master of Science Fiction" by the Science Fiction Writers of America, entertained and educated readers of all ages for close to five decades.

Ace Atkins is the author of four Nick Travers novels: Crossroad Blues, Leavin' Trunk Blues, Dark End of the Street, and Dirty South.

Oliver August was the youngest-ever New York correspondent for the Times of London.

Sandi Ault, a former musician, composer, journalist, and newspaper editor, is the author of the Wild mystery series, including Wild Inferno, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2008.

Jane Austen's delightful, carefully wrought novels of manners---Pride and Prejudice and Emma among them---are those rare books that offer us a glimpse at the mores of a specific period while addressing the complexities of love, honor, and responsibility that still intrigue us today.

Paul Auster is the author of numerous novels, screenplays, and works of nonfiction, as well as a poet, translator, and film director. His many critically acclaimed novels include The Book of Illusions and Oracle Night.

Richard Baer is the medical director of Medicare in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Nicholson Baker has published seven novels and three works of nonfiction, including Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper.

Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) was a French journalist and writer and is considered one of the creators of realism in literature. Balzac's huge production of novels and short stories are collected under the name La Comédie Humaine.

Susan Shapiro Barash is the author of nine books, including A Passion for More: Wives Reveal the Affairs That Make or Break Their Marriages and Mothers-in-Law and Daughters-in-Law: Love, Hate, Rivalry and Reconciliation.

Steven Barnes has been a novelist and television writer for the last twenty-five years.

Kim Barnouin is a former model.

Michael Barone is a senior writer at U.S. News and World Report.

Allen Barra is the bestselling author of The Last Coach: A Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Jennifer Barrett has written about financial issues for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Newsweek.

J. M. Barrie (1860–1928) was a playwright and novelist who is best known for his Peter Pan stories.

Max Barry is the author of Syrup and the bestselling novel Jennifer Government, which was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book.

Allison Hoover Bartlett works as a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Salon, the San Francisco Magazine, and other publications.

L. Frank Baum (1856–1919) was an American journalist and writer whose best-known book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, is one of fourteen books in the author's acclaimed Oz series.

Richard Bausch is the award-winning author of eleven novels and seven volumes of short stories. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, the Atlantic Monthly, Playboy, and other publications.

Pierre Bayard is a professor of French literature at the University of Paris VIII and the author of many books, including How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.

Max H. Bazerman is the Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School.

Melody Beattie, one of the seminal figures in the recovery movement, is the author of the international bestseller Codependent No More.

Mario Beauregard is an associate professor in the Departments of Radiology and Psychology at the Université de Montréal (Canada).

Laurie Becklund is a writer and editor whose books include Swoosh: The Story of Nike and the Men Who Played There, coauthored with J. B. Strasser.

Professor of history Richard Beeman, a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania for thirty-six years, is the author of six books and several dozen articles on aspects of America's political and constitutional history, including The Varieties of Political Experience in Eighteenth Century America.

Joy Behar, currently a cohost of ABC's The View, is among today's leading comic talents.

Michael J. Behe is a professor of biological sciences at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and the author of Darwin's Black Box, which was named by the National Review and World magazine as one of the 100 most important books of the twentieth century.

Jennifer Belle is the author of two critically acclaimed, widely translated novels: Going Down and High Maintenance.

Aimee Bender is the author of The Girl in the Flammable Skirt, which was a New York Times Notable Book, and Willful Creatures, which was nominated by the Believer as one of the best books of the year.

Vanora Bennett is an award-winning journalist who writes a weekly column for The Times (London) Web site, TimesOnline.

E. C. Bentley was a popular English novelist and humorist of the early twentieth century.

Ronen Bergman is one of Israel's leading investigative reporters, and he writes a regular column in Israel's largest daily newspaper, Yedioth Arhonoth.

Mischa Berlinski studied classics at the University of California at Berkeley and at Columbia University and has worked as a journalist in Thailand.

The Reverend A. R. Bernard is the founder and CEO of the Christian Cultural Center and founder of the Brooklyn Preparatory School in New York City.

David Bernstein is executive creative director at The Gate Worldwide, the second-oldest ad agency in the United States.

Josh Bernstein is president and CEO of the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS), an active member of the Explorers Club, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a patron of the American Museum of Natural History.

Margaret Bernstein is an award-winning journalist at the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio.

William J. Bernstein, an American financial theorist, is the author of The Intelligent Asset Allocator and The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio.

Stephen Berry is an assistant professor of history at the University of Georgia and the author of All That Makes a Man: Love and Ambition in the Civil War South.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) was one of nineteenth-century America's most renowned satirists, a journalist for forty years, and the author of the Devil's Dictionary and Tales of Soldiers and Civilians.

Mark Billingham is the author of the bestsellers The Burning Girl, Sleepyhead, and Scaredy Cat.

Stanley Bing is a columnist for Fortune magazine and the bestselling author of Sun Tzu Was a Sissy.

Christina Binkley is a senior special writer with the Wall Street Journal in Los Angeles.

Martin Binks, Ph.D., is the director of behavioral health and the research director at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center.

Matt Birkbeck is an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, Reader's Digest, and other periodicals, and is the author of A Beautiful Child and A Deadly Secret: The Strange Disappearance of Kathie Durst. He lives in Pennsylvania.

Simon Blackburn is a professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge.

Pete Blackshaw is executive vice president of strategic services at Nielsen Online.

EDWIN BLACK is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of IBM and the Holocaust, The Transfer Agreement, and War Against the Weak.

Matthew Blakeslee is a freelance science writer based in Los Angeles.

Sandra Blakeslee is a science correspondent at the New York Times who specializes in the brain sciences.

Chris Blatchford is an investigative reporter and the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller Three Dog Nightmare.

William Bligh (1754–1817) was a British naval officer and colonial governor who is best remembered for the mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty.

R. Howard Bloch is Sterling Professor of French and Director of the Division of the Humanities at Yale University.

Stefan Merrill Block graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2004. The Story of Forgetting is his first novel.

Lary Bloom’s writing spans an array of genres---nonfiction and fiction, plays, magazine pieces, and columns for the New York Times.

Benson Bobrick is the author of several critically acclaimed works, including Wide as the Waters: The Story of the English Bible and the Revolution It Inspired and Testament: A Soldier's Story of the Civil War.

Dave Boling is a veteran columnist for the Tacoma News Tribune and the author of Tales from the Gonzaga Hardwood.

Mark Booth has worked in publishing for over twenty years and is currently in charge of Century, an imprint of Random House UK.

Journalist Fergus M. Bordewich has written on American history as well as human rights and other issues, and he is the author of Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad, America’s First Civil Rights Movement.

Marcus J. Borg is the Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture, Emeritus, at Oregon State University and the author of the bestselling Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time and The Heart of Christianity.

Gabor Boritt is director of the Civil War Institute and the Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Jennifer Finney Boylan is a professor of English at Colby College and the author of the bestseller She’s Not There.

Travis Bradberry, Ph.D., is president and cofounder of TalentSmart, a think tank and consultancy, and coauthor of The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book.

Bill Bradley served three terms as the U.S. senator from New Jersey.

James Brady commanded a rifle platoon during the Korean War and was awarded the Bronze Star for valor.

Rodric Braithwaite is also the author of "Across the Moscow River: The World Turned Upside Down." He was British ambassador to Moscow from 1988 to 1992 and now lives in London.

Marlon Brando appeared in more than forty films, including The Wild One, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Apocalypse Now, and won Academy Awards for his performances in On the Waterfront and The Godfather. His autobiography, Songs My Mother Taught Me, was published in 1994.

Michael Braungart is a chemist and the founder of the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in Hamburg, Germany.

Tom Breitling, cofounder of Travelscape.com, runs an independent film production company in Las Vegas.

Kate Brian is the pen name of Kieran Scott, an American author whose best-known books are The Princess and the Pauper, Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys, Fake Boyfriend, and the bestselling Private series.

Andrew Bridge is a dedicated and vocal advocate for children in foster care.

Pope Brock is the author of Indiana Gothic and a former staff writer at GQ.

Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) was an acclaimed English novelist and poet. She is best know for her masterpiece Jane Eyre, but she is also the author of Shirley and The Professor.

Emily Brontë (1818–1848) authored the eighteenth-century romance Wuthering Heights, her only novel, as well as a volume of poetry together with her sisters Charlotte and Anne.

Richard Brookhiser is the author of What Would the Founders Do? and the writer and host of the critically acclaimed PBS documentary Rediscovering George Washington.

Marcus Brotherton, a former newspaper reporter and a professional writer, is the author or coauthor of seventeen books.

Philip Delves Broughton served as the New York and Paris bureau chief for the Daily Telegraph of London from 1998 to 2004, and his work has also appeared in the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Janet Browne is the author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging and Charles Darwin: The Power of Place, a landmark two-volume biography of Charles Darwin.

Rita Mae Brown is the bestselling author of numerous books, including Rubyfruit Jungle, The Hounds and the Fury, and the Sneaky Pie Brown mystery series.

Zbigniew Brzezinski served as national security adviser to President Carter from 1977 to 1981.

John Buchan (1875–1940) was a Scottish diplomat, barrister, journalist, historian, poet, and novelist who is best known for his thriller The Thirty-Nine Steps and Greenmantle.

Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza has interned in the office of former Clinton adviser James Carville, worked as a polling and targeting analyst for the 2008 presidential election at Campaign to Defend America, and served as deputy press secretary for the Democratic National Committee.