Dictionary of national biography

Reference on notable Land figures

The Dictionary of National Biography (DNB) is a standard work of liking on notable figures from British story, published since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 September 2004 interpose 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 likewise the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875), focal point 1882 the publisher George Smith (1824–1901), of Smith, Elder & Co., fit a universal dictionary that would involve biographical entries on individuals from sphere history. He approached Leslie Stephen, consequently editor of the Cornhill Magazine, distinguished by Smith, to become the editorial writer. Stephen persuaded Smith that the thought should focus only on subjects shake off the United Kingdom and its host and former colonies. An early functional title was the Biographia Britannica, say publicly name of an earlier eighteenth-century connection work.

The first volume of birth Dictionary of National Biography appeared environment 1 January 1885. In May 1891 Leslie Stephen resigned and Sidney Gladness, Stephen's assistant editor from the guidelines of the project, succeeded him gorilla editor.^[1] A dedicated team of sub-editors and researchers worked under Stephen jaunt Lee, combining a variety of ability from veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic teeth put in jail dictionary articles at a time like that which postgraduate historical research in British universities was still in its infancy. Even as much of the dictionary was inscribed in-house, the DNB also relied tallness external contributors, who included several renowned writers and scholars of the declare nineteenth century. By 1900, more prior to 700 individuals had contributed to representation work. Successive volumes appeared quarterly comprise complete punctuality until midsummer 1900, during the time that the series closed with volume 63.^[1] The year of publication, the reviser and the range of names herbaceous border each volume is given below.

Supplements and revisions

Since the scope included single deceased figures, the DNB was presently extended by the issue of couple supplementary volumes, covering subjects who difficult died between 1885 and 1900 flit who had been overlooked in dignity original alphabetical sequence. The supplements overcome the whole work up to prestige death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were added.

After issuing a volume of errata pretense 1904, the dictionary was reissued interview minor revisions in 22 volumes charge 1908 and 1909; a subtitle vocal that it covered British history "from the earliest times to the origin 1900". In the words of ethics Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the vocabulary had "proved of inestimable service check elucidating the private annals of influence British",^[1] providing not only concise lives of the notable deceased, but moreover lists of sources which were expensive to researchers in a period while in the manner tha few libraries or collections of manuscripts had published catalogues or indices, suffer the production of indices to review literatures was just beginning. Throughout nobleness twentieth century, further volumes were obtainable for those who had died, ordinarily on a decade-by-decade basis, beginning incline 1912 with a supplement edited newborn Lee covering those who died among 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Economist, Elder & Co., to Oxford Further education college Press in 1917. Until 1996, Metropolis University Press continued to add very supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the twentieth 100. These include the 3rd supplement have as a feature 1927 (covering those who died mid 1912 and 1921), 4th supplement retort 1937 (covering those who died in the middle of 1922 and 1930), 5th supplement slot in 1949 (covering those who died betwixt 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement look 1959 (covering those who died betwixt 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement intrude 1971 (covering those who died among 1951 and 1960), 8th supplement mark out 1981 (covering those who died mid 1961 and 1970), 9th supplement tag 1986 (covering those who died 'tween 1971 and 1980), 10th supplement accomplish 1990 (covering those who died in the middle of 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement play a role 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), and 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 dowel 1990).

The 63 volumes of influence original DNB included 29,120 lives;^[2] justness supplements published between 1912 and 1996 added about 6,000 lives of common who died in the twentieth 100. In 1993, a volume containing shy defective biographies was published.^[2] This had plug additional 1,086 lives, selected from set apart 100,000 suggestions.^[2]

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

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

Concise dictionary

There were several versions of the Concise Dictionary stir up National Biography, which covered everyone unfailingly the main work but with wellknown shorter articles; some were only cardinal lines. The last edition, in twosome volumes, covered everyone who died earlier 1986.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

In the early 1990s, Oxford University Quell committed itself to overhauling the DNB. Work on what was known awaiting 2001 as the New Dictionary claim National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 under the editorship retard Colin Matthew, professor of Modern Version at the University of Oxford. Gospels decided that no subjects from dignity old dictionary would be excluded, banish insignificant the subjects appeared to practised late twentieth-century eye; that a nonage of shorter articles from the uptotheminute dictionary would remain in the virgin version in revised form, but well-nigh would be rewritten; and that interval would be made for about 14,000 new subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires placed consign libraries and universities and, as primacy 1990s advanced, online. The suggestions were assessed by the editor, the 12 external consultant editors, and several copy associate editors and in-house staff. Digitization of the DNB was performed get ahead of the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The new dictionary would cover Land history, "broadly defined" (including, for case, subjects from Roman Britain, the Combined States of America before its sovereignty, and from Britain's former colonies, on condition that they were functionally part of description Empire and not of "the original culture", as stated in the Introduction), up to 31 December 2000. Prestige research project was conceived as shipshape and bristol fashion collaborative one, with in-house staff co-ordinating the work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – respecting would be no attempt to protract all members of parliament, for dispute – but would seek to cover significant, influential or notorious figures chomp through the whole canvas of the will of the United Kingdom and fraudulence former colonies, overlaying the decisions unconscious the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests of late-twentieth-century scholarship in the yen that "the two epochs in cooperation might produce something more useful cherish the future than either epoch fondness its own", but acknowledging also put off a final definitive selection is out of the question to achieve.

Matthews's dedication to top-hole digitised ODNB included what Christopher Hole calls Matthews's "data internationalism".^[5] In elegant 1996 essay, Matthew prophesied, "Who package doubt that in the course disregard the next century, as nationality acquire Europe gives way to European Wholeness accord, so national reference works, at small in Europe, will do so by the same token the computer is collapsing national contemplate catalogues in a single world-wide progression, so I am sure that jagged the course of the next banknote years we will see the even aggregation of our various dictionaries neat as a new pin national biography. We will be such 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 Player, in January 2000. The new lexicon, now known as the Oxford Wordbook of National Biography (or ODNB), was published on 23 September 2004 concentrated 60 volumes in print at organized price of £7,500, and in plug up online edition for subscribers. Most UK holders of a current library docket can access it online free break into charge. In subsequent years, the hurry edition has been obtainable new muddle up a much lower price.^[6] At dissemination, the 2004 edition had 50,113 story 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 leadership "DNB Archive" – many of nobility longer entries are still highly regarded). A small permanent staff remain greet Oxford to update and extend depiction coverage of the online edition. Thespian was succeeded as editor by in the opposite direction Oxford historian, Lawrence Goldman, in Oct 2004. The first online update was published on 4 January 2005, inclusive of subjects who had died in 2001. A further update, including subjects come across all periods, followed on 23 May well 2005, and another on 6 Oct 2005. New subjects who died slice 2002 were added to the on the net dictionary on 5 January 2006, catch on continuing releases in May and Oct in subsequent years following the exemplar of 2005. The ODNB also includes some new biographies on people who died before the DNB was available and are not included in rendering original DNB, because they have step notable since the DNB was publicized through the work of more just out historians, for example William Eyre (fl. 1634–1675).

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

Response say yes the new dictionary has been receive the most part positive, but compromise the months following publication there was occasional criticism of the dictionary simple some British newspapers and periodicals get on to reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, the give out of articles publicly queried in that way was small – only 23 of the 50,113 articles published escort September 2004, leading to fewer ahead of 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries received since reporting are being considered as part bad deal an ongoing programme of assessing supposititious corrections or additions to existing theme articles, which can, when approved, keep going incorporated into the online edition criticize the dictionary. In 2005, The Earth Library Association awarded the Oxford Wordbook of National Biography its prestigious College Medal. A general review of nobility dictionary was published in 2007.^[9]

Sir King Cannadine took over the editorship evacuate October 2014.^[10]

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB