This greatly expanded (over 18,500 entries versus 9,000 in the earlier edition) and updated edition includes everyone from John Aasen, an 8-foot, 9-inch circus star who appeared in silent film comedies, to Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, who invented the iconoscope and kinescope that together constituted the first all-electronic television system. This is the most complete necrology available on people from the silent era.

The entries are arranged alphabetically by professional name, and include birth and death dates, the place of birth and death, real name when it differs from the professional name, married name for women, birth certificate date when available, age at death, and bibliographic data of any autobiography or biography. When available the cause of death is also provided. Following these data, there is a reference to any obituary printed in The New York Times, Variety or, occasionally, another publication, including the obituary's headline.