Barsky, R. (1997). Noam Chomsky: a life of dissent. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
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Barsky's is the most recent biography of Chomsky and appears to be widely regarded as the most comprehensive. The author himself admits that the task of compiling Chomsky's biography brought "new meaning to the word 'daunting'," but at just over 200 pages, Barsky's book is concise and eminently readable. Chomsky's life and career are chronicled as completely as in any biography, and readers interested in his development as a public intellectual will find Barsky's coverage satisfying. Also available electronically; refer to the Web Resources section for information about the e-book version of Barsky's biography.
"Chomsky, Noam (Avram Chomsky)". (2002). In F. Marks (Ed.), Who's Who in America (pp. 910). New Providence, New Jersey: Marquis.
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This entry provides, in a short paragraph, information about Chomsky's degrees, positions, affiliations, awards, and monograph publications throughout the length of his career, as well as family and current contact information. Explanations of the many abbreviations used in Who's Who entries are available at the beginning of the volume. This entry may serve as a quick reference point or as a starting point for exploration of a particular aspect of Chomsky's career.
Haarsager, S. L. (2001). "Noam Chomsky." In P. Hansom (Ed.), Dictionary of Literary Biography vol. 246 (pp. 50-63). Detroit: Gale Group.
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An entry for Chomsky appears in 20th Century American Cultural Theorists, volume 246 of the Dictionary of Literary Biography. It contains a list of publications current to early 2001, including interviews, works about Chomsky, and a few uncollected periodical publications. Chomsky's career and political views are outlined, with a particular emphasis on the controversies in which Chomsky has been involved throughout his career. Several photographs of Chomsky and of the covers of first editions of his books appear as well. The DLB's entry for Chomsky contains more information about his formative years and personal life than does his entry in Contemporary Authors.
Johnson, A. J. (1990). "Chomsky, (Avram) Noam 1928- ." In H. May & J. G. Lesniak (Eds.), Contemporary Authors New Revision Series (pp. 100-5). Detroit: Gale Research Inc.
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Chomsky's Contemporary Authors entry lists his awards, publications, positions held, and affiliations, conveniently broken down into categories. The included bibliography lists his monographic works up to 1989, and notes that Chomsky has contributed "numerous articles to scholarly and general periodicals." A biographical sketch runs to several pages, describing Chomsky's life, career, and contributions to the study of language and politics. Critical reactions to Chomsky's work are covered in an even-handed manner.
Winston, M. (2002). On Chomsky. Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
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At just under 100 pages, this short volume fuses the elements of biography, interview, and critical assessment concisely, and is therefore a good choice for readers seeking a brief introduction to Chomsky's life and career, albeit with somewhat more substantial coverage than an entry in a biographical reference work. Explanations of Chomsky's linguistic theories here may be complex, but do avoid an excess of jargon. Chomsky's linguistic, political, and philosophical work are given reasonably equal coverage.