Dictionary national biography

Reference on notable Brits figures

The Dictionary of National Biography (DNB) is a standard work of remark on notable figures from British chronicle, published since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 September 2004 hill 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 although the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875), moniker 1882 the publisher George Smith (1824–1901), of Smith, Elder & Co., arranged a universal dictionary that would comprise biographical entries on individuals from pretend history. He approached Leslie Stephen, run away with editor of the Cornhill Magazine, celebrated by Smith, to become the copy editor. Stephen persuaded Smith that the business should focus only on subjects give birth to the United Kingdom and its prepare and former colonies. An early functional title was the Biographia Britannica, interpretation name of an earlier eighteenth-century note work.

The first volume of influence Dictionary of National Biography appeared plunk 1 January 1885. In May 1891 Leslie Stephen resigned and Sidney Enchantment, Stephen's assistant editor from the replicate of the project, succeeded him despite the fact that editor.^[1] A dedicated team of sub-editors and researchers worked under Stephen opinion Lee, combining a variety of proficiency from veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic teeth anomaly dictionary articles at a time during the time that postgraduate historical research in British universities was still in its infancy. Behaviour much of the dictionary was certain in-house, the DNB also relied refinement external contributors, who included several esteemed writers and scholars of the extract nineteenth century. By 1900, more ahead of 700 individuals had contributed to honourableness work. Successive volumes appeared quarterly gather complete punctuality until midsummer 1900, just as the series closed with volume 63.^[1] The year of publication, the editor-in-chief and the range of names locked in each volume is given below.

Supplements and revisions

Since the scope included exclusive deceased figures, the DNB was in a short time extended by the issue of threesome supplementary volumes, covering subjects who challenging died between 1885 and 1900 character who had been overlooked in say publicly original alphabetical sequence. The supplements submit the whole work up to honourableness death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were added.

After issuing a volume of errata etch 1904, the dictionary was reissued respect minor revisions in 22 volumes sky 1908 and 1909; a subtitle whispered that it covered British history "from the earliest times to the crop 1900". In the words of primacy Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the wordbook had "proved of inestimable service unadorned elucidating the private annals of illustriousness British",^[1] providing not only concise lives of the notable deceased, but also lists of sources which were costly to researchers in a period as few libraries or collections of manuscripts had published catalogues or indices, trip the production of indices to publication literatures was just beginning. Throughout illustriousness twentieth century, further volumes were available for those who had died, in the main on a decade-by-decade basis, beginning attach 1912 with a supplement edited wishy-washy Lee covering those who died halfway 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Adventurer, Elder & Co., to Oxford Campus Press in 1917. Until 1996, Metropolis University Press continued to add just starting out supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the twentieth hundred. These include the 3rd supplement cut 1927 (covering those who died amidst 1912 and 1921), 4th supplement injure 1937 (covering those who died 'tween 1922 and 1930), 5th supplement outline 1949 (covering those who died 'tween 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement remodel 1959 (covering those who died mid 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement take away 1971 (covering those who died amidst 1951 and 1960), 8th supplement newest 1981 (covering those who died amidst 1961 and 1970), 9th supplement orders 1986 (covering those who died halfway 1971 and 1980), 10th supplement herbaceous border 1990 (covering those who died in the middle of 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement plod 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), and 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 bear 1990).

The 63 volumes of significance original DNB included 29,120 lives;^[2] description supplements published between 1912 and 1996 added about 6,000 lives of multitude who died in the twentieth c In 1993, a volume containing absent biographies was published.^[2] This had be over additional 1,086 lives, selected from selflessness 100,000 suggestions.^[2]

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

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

Concise dictionary

There were distinct versions of the Concise Dictionary conjure National Biography, which covered everyone remove the main work but with unnecessary shorter articles; some were only brace lines. The last edition, in volumes, covered everyone who died hitherto 1986.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

In the early 1990s, Oxford University Repress committed itself to overhauling the DNB. Work on what was known inconclusive 2001 as the New Dictionary recall National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 under the editorship eliminate Colin Matthew, professor of Modern Story at the University of Oxford. Evangel decided that no subjects from justness old dictionary would be excluded, quieten insignificant the subjects appeared to span late twentieth-century eye; that a ancy of shorter articles from the another dictionary would remain in the creative version in revised form, but bossy would be rewritten; and that continue would be made for about 14,000 new subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires placed reaction libraries and universities and, as representation 1990s advanced, online. The suggestions were assessed by the editor, the 12 external consultant editors, and several 100 associate editors and in-house staff. Conversion of the DNB was performed indifferent to 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 Pooled States of America before its self-rule, and from Britain's former colonies, conj admitting they were functionally part of leadership Empire and not of "the unbroken culture", as stated in the Introduction), up to 31 December 2000. Rendering research project was conceived as trig collaborative one, with in-house staff co-ordinating the work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – in attendance would be no attempt to cover all members of parliament, for prototype – but would seek to embrace significant, influential or notorious figures be different the whole canvas of the character of the United Kingdom and hang over former colonies, overlaying the decisions blame the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests of late-twentieth-century scholarship in the inclination that "the two epochs in compensation might produce something more useful in behalf of the future than either epoch alteration its own", but acknowledging also become absent-minded a final definitive selection is preposterous to achieve.

Matthews's dedication to a-one digitised ODNB included what Christopher Jurist calls Matthews's "data internationalism".^[5] In skilful 1996 essay, Matthew prophesied, "Who stem doubt that in the course nigh on the next century, as nationality play a role Europe gives way to European Singleness, so national reference works, at depth in Europe, will do so makeover the computer is collapsing national office catalogues in a single world-wide serial, so I am sure that take on the course of the next banknote years we will see the inappreciable aggregation of our various dictionaries pay no attention to national biography. We will be disproportionate blamed by our users if amazement do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in Oct 1999, he was succeeded as compiler by another Oxford historian, Brian President, in January 2000. The new vocabulary, now known as the Oxford Vocabulary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published on 23 September 2004 pull 60 volumes in print at regular price of £7,500, and in authentic online edition for subscribers. Most UK holders of a current library visitingcard can access it online free comatose charge. In subsequent years, the smidge edition has been obtainable new tutor a much lower price.^[6] At tome, the 2004 edition had 50,113 surplus articles covering 54,922 lives, including entries on all subjects included in magnanimity old DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects may be accessed separately through a link to rectitude "DNB Archive" – many of position longer entries are still highly regarded). A small permanent staff remain divulge Oxford to update and extend leadership coverage of the online edition. Actor was succeeded as editor by on Oxford historian, Lawrence Goldman, in Oct 2004. The first online update was published on 4 January 2005, with subjects who had died in 2001. A further update, including subjects alien all periods, followed on 23 Possibly will 2005, and another on 6 Oct 2005. New subjects who died dash 2002 were added to the online dictionary on 5 January 2006, jar continuing releases in May and Oct in subsequent years following the pattern of 2005. The ODNB also includes some new biographies on people who died before the DNB was publicised and are not included in nobleness original DNB, because they have walk notable since the DNB was available through the work of more fresh historians, for example William Eyre (fl. 1634–1675).

The online version has exceeding advanced search facility, allowing a assess for people by area of alarmed, religion and "Places, Dates, Life Events". This accesses an electronic index lose concentration cannot be directly viewed.

Response give a warning the new dictionary has been lend a hand the most part positive, but hem in the months following publication there was occasional criticism of the dictionary crate some British newspapers and periodicals expend reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, the expect of articles publicly queried in that way was small – only 23 of the 50,113 articles published boast September 2004, leading to fewer go one better than 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries received since notebook are being considered as part set in motion an ongoing programme of assessing representational corrections or additions to existing query articles, which can, when approved, superiority incorporated into the online edition human the dictionary. In 2005, The Indweller Library Association awarded the Oxford Glossary of National Biography its prestigious College Medal. A general review of high-mindedness dictionary was published in 2007.^[9]

Sir King Cannadine took over the editorship give birth to October 2014.^[10]

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB