"Who's Who" is primarily known as a reference work or biographical dictionary that lists notable or prominent people in a particular field or region. The concept originated with the publication of Who's Who in Britain, first issued annually since 1849, which profiles contemporary influential individuals
. The term "Who's Who" is also used metaphorically to describe a group of important or leading figures in a certain area, such as a conference or professional field
. Various countries and fields have their own versions, such as Who's Who in America , Canadian Who's Who , or specialized editions like Who's Who in the Theatre or Who's Who in American Art
. There are many publications using the "Who's Who" title, but not all are equally reputable. The original Who's Who by A&C Black (now Bloomsbury Publishing) is considered authoritative, while some others have been criticized as vanity publications or scams that list people without genuine notability
. In other contexts, "Who's Who" can refer to a game or fictional characters, but its primary and most recognized meaning is as a biographical directory of notable people
. In summary, "Who's Who" is a well-established title for biographical listings of notable individuals, originally from Britain but now used worldwide in various forms and fields
