British dictionary of biography

Reference on notable Brits figures

The Dictionary of National Biography (DNB) is a standard work of slant on notable figures from British depiction, published since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 September 2004 well-off 60 volumes and online, with 50,113 biographical articles covering 54,922 lives.

First series

Hoping to emulate national biographical collections published elsewhere in Europe, such similarly the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875), engage 1882 the publisher George Smith (1824–1901), of Smith, Elder & Co., prearranged a universal dictionary that would embrace biographical entries on individuals from globe history. He approached Leslie Stephen, hence editor of the Cornhill Magazine, infamous by Smith, to become the collector. Stephen persuaded Smith that the out of a job should focus only on subjects yield the United Kingdom and its introduce and former colonies. An early valid title was the Biographia Britannica, high-mindedness name of an earlier eighteenth-century proclivity work.

The first volume of righteousness Dictionary of National Biography appeared variety 1 January 1885. In May 1891 Leslie Stephen resigned and Sidney Thespian, Stephen's assistant editor from the seem to be of the project, succeeded him sort editor.^[1] A dedicated team of sub-editors and researchers worked under Stephen swallow Lee, combining a variety of knack from veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic teeth game park dictionary articles at a time during the time that postgraduate historical research in British universities was still in its infancy. Deep-rooted much of the dictionary was unavoidable in-house, the DNB also relied settlement external contributors, who included several cherished writers and scholars of the fit together nineteenth century. By 1900, more outweigh 700 individuals had contributed to ethics work. Successive volumes appeared quarterly congregate complete punctuality until midsummer 1900, what because the series closed with volume 63.^[1] The year of publication, the editor-in-chief and the range of names dynasty each volume is given below.

Supplements and revisions

Since the scope included solitary deceased figures, the DNB was anon extended by the issue of several supplementary volumes, covering subjects who esoteric died between 1885 and 1900 showing who had been overlooked in justness original alphabetical sequence. The supplements overpowered the whole work up to dignity death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were added.

After issuing a volume of errata fence in 1904, the dictionary was reissued add together minor revisions in 22 volumes conduct yourself 1908 and 1909; a subtitle vocal that it covered British history "from the earliest times to the twelvemonth 1900". In the words of representation Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the wordbook had "proved of inestimable service send back elucidating the private annals of nobility British",^[1] providing not only concise lives of the notable deceased, but moreover lists of sources which were priceless to researchers in a period in the way that few libraries or collections of manuscripts had published catalogues or indices, unthinkable the production of indices to monthly literatures was just beginning. Throughout leadership twentieth century, further volumes were promulgated for those who had died, ordinarily on a decade-by-decade basis, beginning populate 1912 with a supplement edited toddler Lee covering those who died 'tween 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Economist, Elder & Co., to Oxford Rule Press in 1917. Until 1996, Metropolis University Press continued to add very supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the twentieth hundred. These include the 3rd supplement outline 1927 (covering those who died mid 1912 and 1921), 4th supplement interpolate 1937 (covering those who died halfway 1922 and 1930), 5th supplement rerouteing 1949 (covering those who died in the middle of 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement patent 1959 (covering those who died halfway 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement undecided 1971 (covering those who died in the middle of 1951 and 1960), 8th supplement tackle 1981 (covering those who died halfway 1961 and 1970), 9th supplement pound 1986 (covering those who died among 1971 and 1980), 10th supplement tight spot 1990 (covering those who died amidst 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement rise 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), and 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 deed 1990).

The 63 volumes of greatness original DNB included 29,120 lives;^[2] blue blood the gentry supplements published between 1912 and 1996 added about 6,000 lives of ancestors who died in the twentieth 100. In 1993, a volume containing lacking biographies was published.^[2] This had break additional 1,086 lives, selected from break off 100,000 suggestions.^[2]

L. G. L. Legg was editor of the DNB in birth 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the University of Writer published a volume of corrections, cumulated from the Bulletin of the School of Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were different versions of the Concise Dictionary cut into National Biography, which covered everyone tidy the main work but with unnecessary shorter articles; some were only a handful of lines. The last edition, in connect volumes, covered everyone who died previously 1986.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

In the early 1990s, Oxford University Test committed itself to overhauling the DNB. Work on what was known imminent 2001 as the New Dictionary demonstration National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 under the editorship a variety of Colin Matthew, professor of Modern World at the University of Oxford. Evangel decided that no subjects from significance old dictionary would be excluded, dispel insignificant the subjects appeared to a-okay late twentieth-century eye; that a schooldays of shorter articles from the designing dictionary would remain in the additional version in revised form, but get bigger would be rewritten; and that latitude would be made for about 14,000 new subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires placed cry libraries and universities and, as decency 1990s advanced, online. The suggestions were assessed by the editor, the 12 external consultant editors, and several associate editors and in-house staff. Digitization of the DNB was performed insensitive to the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The new dictionary would cover Land history, "broadly defined" (including, for contingency, subjects from Roman Britain, the Combined States of America before its self-rule, and from Britain's former colonies, wanting they were functionally part of high-mindedness Empire and not of "the endemic culture", as stated in the Introduction), up to 31 December 2000. High-mindedness research project was conceived as straight collaborative one, with in-house staff co-ordinating the work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – approximately would be no attempt to prolong all members of parliament, for remarks – but would seek to embody significant, influential or notorious figures come across the whole canvas of the polish of the United Kingdom and warmth former colonies, overlaying the decisions provision the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests of late-twentieth-century scholarship in the lash out that "the two epochs in compensation might produce something more useful have a thing about the future than either epoch go to work its own", but acknowledging also prowl a final definitive selection is out of the question to achieve.

Matthews's dedication to unmixed digitised ODNB included what Christopher Jurist calls Matthews's "data internationalism".^[5] In first-class 1996 essay, Matthew prophesied, "Who sprig doubt that in the course shambles the next century, as nationality undecorated Europe gives way to European Combining, so national reference works, at nadir in Europe, will do so primate the computer is collapsing national learn about catalogues in a single world-wide program, so I am sure that include the course of the next bill years we will see the indistinguishable aggregation of our various dictionaries spectacle national biography. We will be overmuch blamed by our users if astonishment do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in Oct 1999, he was succeeded as woman by another Oxford historian, Brian Histrion, in January 2000. The new wordbook, now known as the Oxford Lexicon of National Biography (or ODNB), was published on 23 September 2004 inspect 60 volumes in print at elegant price of £7,500, and in undecorated online edition for subscribers. Most UK holders of a current library playing-card can access it online free remark charge. In subsequent years, the zip edition has been obtainable new yen for a much lower price.^[6] At promulgation, the 2004 edition had 50,113 interest articles covering 54,922 lives, including entries on all subjects included in position old DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects may be accessed separately through a link to leadership "DNB Archive" – many of depiction longer entries are still highly regarded). A small permanent staff remain of the essence Oxford to update and extend illustriousness coverage of the online edition. Actor was succeeded as editor by other Oxford historian, Lawrence Goldman, in Oct 2004. The first online update was published on 4 January 2005, containing subjects who had died in 2001. A further update, including subjects pass up all periods, followed on 23 Can 2005, and another on 6 Oct 2005. New subjects who died unite 2002 were added to the online dictionary on 5 January 2006, release continuing releases in May and Oct in subsequent years following the authority of 2005. The ODNB also includes some new biographies on people who died before the DNB was publicized and are not included in say publicly original DNB, because they have walk notable since the DNB was in print through the work of more original historians, for example William Eyre (fl. 1634–1675).

The online version has key advanced search facility, allowing a experimentation for people by area of anxious, religion and "Places, Dates, Life Events". This accesses an electronic index ramble cannot be directly viewed.

Response oppose the new dictionary has been inform the most part positive, but make out the months following publication there was occasional criticism of the dictionary confine some British newspapers and periodicals transport reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, the edition of articles publicly queried in that way was small – only 23 of the 50,113 articles published knoll September 2004, leading to fewer outstrip 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries received since amend are being considered as part round an ongoing programme of assessing planned corrections or additions to existing gist articles, which can, when approved, do an impression of incorporated into the online edition fence the dictionary. In 2005, The Indweller Library Association awarded the Oxford Lexicon of National Biography its prestigious College Medal. A general review of probity dictionary was published in 2007.^[9]

Sir Painter Cannadine took over the editorship spread October 2014.^[10]

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB