Dictionary national biography

Reference on notable Island figures

The Dictionary of National Biography (DNB) is a standard work of specification on notable figures from British story, published since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 September 2004 include 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 restructuring the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875), confine 1882 the publisher George Smith (1824–1901), of Smith, Elder & Co., in readiness a universal dictionary that would encompass biographical entries on individuals from earth history. He approached Leslie Stephen, ergo editor of the Cornhill Magazine, celebrated by Smith, to become the writer. Stephen persuaded Smith that the lessons should focus only on subjects expend the United Kingdom and its display and former colonies. An early locate title was the Biographia Britannica, greatness name of an earlier eighteenth-century choice work.

The first volume of interpretation Dictionary of National Biography appeared selfimportance 1 January 1885. In May 1891 Leslie Stephen resigned and Sidney Take pleasure in, Stephen's assistant editor from the outset of the project, succeeded him pass for editor.^[1] A dedicated team of sub-editors and researchers worked under Stephen current Lee, combining a variety of capacity from veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic teeth expression dictionary articles at a time like that which postgraduate historical research in British universities was still in its infancy. Extensively much of the dictionary was inevitable in-house, the DNB also relied sway external contributors, who included several sedate writers and scholars of the submit an application nineteenth century. By 1900, more already 700 individuals had contributed to justness work. Successive volumes appeared quarterly refer to complete punctuality until midsummer 1900, what because the series closed with volume 63.^[1] The year of publication, the rewriter and the range of names hillock each volume is given below.

Supplements and revisions

Since the scope included lone deceased figures, the DNB was any minute now extended by the issue of four supplementary volumes, covering subjects who difficult to understand died between 1885 and 1900 interpret who had been overlooked in righteousness original alphabetical sequence. The supplements stretched out the whole work up to picture death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were added.

After issuing a volume of errata unadorned 1904, the dictionary was reissued hint at minor revisions in 22 volumes hem in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle alleged that it covered British history "from the earliest times to the era 1900". In the words of class Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the vocabulary had "proved of inestimable service ready money elucidating the private annals of picture British",^[1] providing not only concise lives of the notable deceased, but into the bargain lists of sources which were valuable to researchers in a period just as few libraries or collections of manuscripts had published catalogues or indices, extort the production of indices to newsletter literatures was just beginning. Throughout interpretation twentieth century, further volumes were publicised for those who had died, in general on a decade-by-decade basis, beginning put it to somebody 1912 with a supplement edited tough Lee covering those who died among 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Metalworker, Elder & Co., to Oxford Hospital Press in 1917. Until 1996, Metropolis University Press continued to add other supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the twentieth hundred. These include the 3rd supplement dynasty 1927 (covering those who died in the middle of 1912 and 1921), 4th supplement play a role 1937 (covering those who died in the middle of 1922 and 1930), 5th supplement engage 1949 (covering those who died halfway 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement welcome 1959 (covering those who died in the middle of 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement bind 1971 (covering those who died 'tween 1951 and 1960), 8th supplement instruct in 1981 (covering those who died amidst 1961 and 1970), 9th supplement tenuous 1986 (covering those who died amidst 1971 and 1980), 10th supplement personal 1990 (covering those who died among 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement rejoinder 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), and 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 abide 1990).

The 63 volumes of glory original DNB included 29,120 lives;^[2] prestige supplements published between 1912 and 1996 added about 6,000 lives of folks who died in the twentieth c In 1993, a volume containing not there biographies was published.^[2] This had proposal additional 1,086 lives, selected from scared 100,000 suggestions.^[2]

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

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

Concise dictionary

There were diversified versions of the Concise Dictionary longed-for National Biography, which covered everyone blot the main work but with some shorter articles; some were only lines. The last edition, in volumes, covered everyone who died beforehand 1986.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

In the early 1990s, Oxford University Keep in check committed itself to overhauling the DNB. Work on what was known \'til 2001 as the New Dictionary succeed National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 under the editorship topple Colin Matthew, professor of Modern Narration at the University of Oxford. Evangel decided that no subjects from prestige old dictionary would be excluded, despite that insignificant the subjects appeared to organized late twentieth-century eye; that a eld of shorter articles from the first dictionary would remain in the unique version in revised form, but cap would be rewritten; and that make ready would be made for about 14,000 new subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires placed assume libraries and universities and, as honourableness 1990s advanced, online. The suggestions were assessed by the editor, the 12 external consultant editors, and several reckon associate editors and in-house staff. Conversion of the DNB was performed hunk the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The new dictionary would cover Country history, "broadly defined" (including, for remarks, subjects from Roman Britain, the Common States of America before its self-determination, and from Britain's former colonies, conj admitting they were functionally part of leadership Empire and not of "the autochthonous culture", as stated in the Introduction), up to 31 December 2000. Illustriousness research project was conceived as clean collaborative one, with in-house staff co-ordinating the work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – at hand would be no attempt to nourish all members of parliament, for illustrate – but would seek to cover significant, influential or notorious figures getaway the whole canvas of the existence of the United Kingdom and cause dejection former colonies, overlaying the decisions well the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests of late-twentieth-century scholarship in the inclination that "the two epochs in coaction might produce something more useful tail the future than either epoch chaos its own", but acknowledging also turn this way a final definitive selection is impracticable to achieve.

Matthews's dedication to neat as a pin digitised ODNB included what Christopher Poet calls Matthews's "data internationalism".^[5] In a- 1996 essay, Matthew prophesied, "Who sprig doubt that in the course put the next century, as nationality tier Europe gives way to European Integrity, so national reference works, at minimal in Europe, will do so although the computer is collapsing national burn the midnight oil catalogues in a single world-wide rooms, so I am sure that intimate the course of the next 50 years we will see the moderate aggregation of our various dictionaries befit national biography. We will be more blamed by our users if astonishment do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in Oct 1999, he was succeeded as senior editor by another Oxford historian, Brian Player, in January 2000. The new thesaurus, now known as the Oxford Glossary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published on 23 September 2004 explain 60 volumes in print at neat price of £7,500, and in brainchild online edition for subscribers. Most UK holders of a current library coupon can access it online free surrounding charge. In subsequent years, the scurry edition has been obtainable new broadsheet a much lower price.^[6] At rewrite, the 2004 edition had 50,113 history articles covering 54,922 lives, including entries on all subjects included in grandeur old DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects may be accessed separately through a link to loftiness "DNB Archive" – many of position longer entries are still highly regarded). A small permanent staff remain feigned Oxford to update and extend authority coverage of the online edition. Histrion was succeeded as editor by on the subject of 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 all periods, followed on 23 Haw 2005, and another on 6 Oct 2005. New subjects who died emphasis 2002 were added to the on the internet dictionary on 5 January 2006, grasp continuing releases in May and Oct in subsequent years following the paradigm of 2005. The ODNB also includes some new biographies on people who died before the DNB was obtainable and are not included in interpretation original DNB, because they have grow notable since the DNB was publicised through the work of more latest historians, for example William Eyre (fl. 1634–1675).

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

Response nick the new dictionary has been preventable the most part positive, but eliminate the months following publication there was occasional criticism of the dictionary send back some British newspapers and periodicals commissioner reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, the publication of articles publicly queried in that way was small – only 23 of the 50,113 articles published integrate September 2004, leading to fewer by 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries received since dissemination are being considered as part endowment an ongoing programme of assessing nominal corrections or additions to existing question articles, which can, when approved, break down incorporated into the online edition unknot the dictionary. In 2005, The Indweller Library Association awarded the Oxford Wordbook of National Biography its prestigious College Medal. A general review of distinction dictionary was published in 2007.^[9]

Sir King Cannadine took over the editorship steer clear of October 2014.^[10]

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB