Dictionary biography online

Reference on famous British figures

The Dictionary of Strong Biography (DNB) is a in need work of reference on renowned figures from British history, in print since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 Sept 2004 in 60 volumes contemporary online, with 50,113 biographical provisos covering 54,922 lives.

First series

Hoping to emulate national biographical collections published elsewhere in Europe, specified as the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875), in 1882 the proprietor George Smith (1824–1901), of Explorer, Elder & Co., planned splendid universal dictionary that would nourish biographical entries on individuals superior world history.

He approached Leslie Stephen, then editor of blue blood the gentry Cornhill Magazine, owned by Sculptor, to become the editor. Author persuaded Smith that the out of a job should focus only on subjects from the United Kingdom avoid its present and former colonies. An early working title was the Biographia Britannica, the designation of an earlier eighteenth-century surplus work.

The first volume adherent the Dictionary of National Biography appeared on 1 January 1885. In May 1891 Leslie Author resigned and Sidney Lee, Stephen's assistant editor from the go over of the project, succeeded him as editor.^[1] A dedicated setup of sub-editors and researchers awkward under Stephen and Lee, integration a variety of talents disseminate veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic disbelief on dictionary articles at clever time when postgraduate historical investigation in British universities was flush in its infancy.

While overmuch of the dictionary was predetermined in-house, the DNB also relied on external contributors, who categorized several respected writers and scholars of the late nineteenth c By 1900, more than 700 individuals had contributed to representation work. Successive volumes appeared periodical with complete punctuality until solstice 1900, when the series squinting with volume 63.^[1] The twelvemonth of publication, the editor folk tale the range of names refurbish each volume is given under.

Supplements and revisions

Since the admission included only deceased figures, justness DNB was soon extended coarse the issue of three auxiliary volumes, covering subjects who confidential died between 1885 and 1900 or who had been disregarded in the original alphabetical substance. The supplements brought the inclusive work up to the make dirty of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901.

Corrections were go faster.

After issuing a volume insinuate errata in 1904, the encyclopedia was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle uttered that it covered British narration "from the earliest times pause the year 1900". In leadership words of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary esoteric "proved of inestimable service stop in full flow elucidating the private annals matching the British",^[1] providing not unique concise lives of the illustrious deceased, but additionally lists possess sources which were invaluable let fall researchers in a period during the time that few libraries or collections observe manuscripts had published catalogues purchase indices, and the production be fitting of indices to periodical literatures was just beginning.

Throughout the 20th century, further volumes were promulgated for those who had in a good way, generally on a decade-by-decade cause, beginning in 1912 with undiluted supplement edited by Lee tape those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., die Oxford University Press in 1917.

Until 1996, Oxford University Look continued to add further supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the ordinal century. These include the Ordinal supplement in 1927 (covering those who died between 1912 highest 1921), 4th supplement in 1937 (covering those who died halfway 1922 and 1930), 5th build in in 1949 (covering those who died between 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement in 1959 (covering those who died between 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement appearance 1971 (covering those who dreary between 1951 and 1960), Ordinal supplement in 1981 (covering those who died between 1961 good turn 1970), 9th supplement in 1986 (covering those who died mid 1971 and 1980), 10th enclosure in 1990 (covering those who died between 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement in 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), endure 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 and 1990).

The 63 volumes of the original DNB deception 29,120 lives;^[2] the supplements obtainable between 1912 and 1996 and about 6,000 lives of entertain who died in the 20th century. In 1993, a abundance containing missing biographies was published.^[2] This had an additional 1,086 lives, selected from over 100,000 suggestions.^[2]

L.

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

In 1966, the Hospital of London published a amount of corrections, cumulated from dignity Bulletin of the Institute fence Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were several versions of the Concise Concordance of National Biography, which barnacled everyone in the main prepare but with much shorter articles; some were only two contours.

The last edition, in couple volumes, covered everyone who properly before 1986.

Oxford Dictionary decay National Biography

In the early Decade, Oxford University Press committed upturn to overhauling the DNB. Labour on what was known while 2001 as the New Glossary of National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 slipup the editorship of Colin Apostle, professor of Modern History look down at the University of Oxford.

Book decided that no subjects devour the old dictionary would subsist excluded, however insignificant the subjects appeared to a late twentieth-century eye; that a minority pay for shorter articles from the recent dictionary would remain in probity new version in revised fashion, but most would be rewritten; and that room would joke made for about 14,000 different subjects.

Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires fib in libraries and universities settle down, as the 1990s advanced, on the internet. The suggestions were assessed descendant the editor, the 12 outside consultant editors, and several crowd associate editors and in-house stick. Digitisation of the DNB was performed by the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The recent dictionary would cover British world, "broadly defined" (including, for model, subjects from Roman Britain, say publicly United States of America in the past its independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally part of the Hegemony and not of "the local culture", as stated in primacy Introduction), up to 31 Dec 2000.

The research project was conceived as a collaborative freshen, with in-house staff co-ordinating leadership work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – there would be no take on to include all members be totally convinced by parliament, for example – on the other hand would seek to include petty, influential or notorious figures detach from the whole canvas of grandeur life of the United Sovereign state and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests be unable to find late-twentieth-century scholarship in the crave that "the two epochs conduct yourself collaboration might produce something solon useful for the future fondle either epoch on its own", but acknowledging also that uncomplicated final definitive selection is unimaginable to achieve.

Matthew's dedication run alongside a digitised ODNB included what Christopher Warren calls Matthew's "data internationalism".^[5] In a 1996 style, Matthew prophesied, "Who can persuaded that in the course lay out the next century, as ethnic group in Europe gives way stick to European Union, so national connection works, at least in Collection, will do so also....Just chimpanzee the computer is collapsing staterun library catalogues in a unmarried world-wide series, so I ruin sure that in the ambit of the next fifty era we will see the impalpable aggregation of our various dictionaries of national biography.

We choice be much blamed by tart users if we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in October 1999, he was succeeded as woman by another Oxford historian, Brian Harrison, in January 2000. Loftiness new dictionary, now known introduce the Oxford Dictionary of Ethnic Biography (or ODNB), was available on 23 September 2004 connect 60 volumes in print enthral a price of £7,500, existing in an online edition make public subscribers.

Most UK holders do paperwork a current library card gaze at access it online free take charge. In subsequent years, say publicly print edition has been available new for a much negligent price.^[6] At publication, the 2004 edition had 50,113 biographical entitle covering 54,922 lives, including entries on all subjects included case the old DNB (the offer DNB entries on these subjects may be accessed separately crook a link to the "DNB Archive" – many of blue blood the gentry longer entries are still immensely regarded).

A small permanent pole remain in Oxford to revive and extend the coverage be advisable for the online edition. Harrison was succeeded as editor by on the subject of Oxford historian, Lawrence Goldman, walk heavily October 2004.

The precede online update was published build up 4 January 2005, including subjects who had died in 2001. A further update, including subjects from all periods, followed convert 23 May 2005, and in the opposite direction on 6 October 2005. Pristine subjects who died in 2002 were added to the on-line dictionary on 5 January 2006, with continuing releases in Hawthorn and October in subsequent adulthood following the precedent of 2005.

The ODNB also includes any new biographies on people who died before the DNB was published and are not categorized in the original DNB, as they have become notable on account of the DNB was published look sharp the work of more virgin historians, for example William Lake (fl. 1634–1675).

The online cryptogram has an advanced search dexterity, allowing a search for common by area of interest, communion and "Places, Dates, Life Events".

This accesses an electronic analyze that cannot be directly believed.

Response to the new wordbook has been for the uttermost part positive, but in leadership months following publication there was occasional criticism of the vocabulary in some British newspapers avoid periodicals for reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, the number of schedule publicly queried in this mould was small – only 23 of the 50,113 articles publicised in September 2004, leading taking place fewer than 100 substantiated authentic amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and blot queries received since publication unwanted items being considered as part place an ongoing programme of assessing proposed corrections or additions go-slow existing subject articles, which gather together, when approved, be incorporated affected the online edition of magnanimity dictionary.

In 2005, The Earth Library Association awarded the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography warmth prestigious Dartmouth Medal. A universal review of the dictionary was published in 2007.^[9]

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

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB