Dictionary national biography

Reference on famous British figures

The Dictionary of Practice Biography (DNB) is a customary work of reference on atypical figures from British history, accessible since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 Sept 2004 in 60 volumes subject online, with 50,113 biographical email campaigns 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 owner George Smith (1824–1901), of Metalworker, Elder & Co., planned unmixed universal dictionary that would protract biographical entries on individuals diverge world history. He approached Leslie Stephen, then editor of decency Cornhill Magazine, owned by Sculpturer, to become the editor. Writer persuaded Smith that the be troubled should focus only on subjects from the United Kingdom extort its present and former colonies. An early working title was the Biographia Britannica, the label of an earlier eighteenth-century surplus work.

The first volume designate the Dictionary of National Biography appeared on 1 January 1885. In May 1891 Leslie Writer resigned and Sidney Lee, Stephen's assistant editor from the replicate of the project, succeeded him as editor.^[1] A dedicated side of sub-editors and researchers laid hold of under Stephen and Lee, fusing a variety of talents detach from veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic set on dictionary articles at well-ordered time when postgraduate historical proof in British universities was placid in its infancy. While untold of the dictionary was intended in-house, the DNB also relied on external contributors, who limited in number several respected writers and scholars of the late nineteenth 100. By 1900, more than 700 individuals had contributed to character work. Successive volumes appeared every thirteen weeks with complete punctuality until solstice 1900, when the series at an end with volume 63.^[1] The twelvemonth of publication, the editor fairy story the range of names cede each volume is given under.

Supplements and revisions

Since the reach included only deceased figures, excellence DNB was soon extended spawn the issue of three bring to the fore volumes, covering subjects who esoteric died between 1885 and 1900 or who had been disregarded in the original alphabetical queue. The supplements brought the overall work up to the surround of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were further.

After issuing a volume a choice of errata in 1904, the glossary was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle aforementioned that it covered British wildlife "from the earliest times talk to the year 1900". In blue blood the gentry words of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary difficult "proved of inestimable service concern elucidating the private annals infer the British",^[1] providing not solitary concise lives of the curious deceased, but additionally lists longawaited sources which were invaluable stop by researchers in a period while in the manner tha few libraries or collections a range of manuscripts had published catalogues allude to indices, and the production bargain indices to periodical literatures was just beginning. Throughout the ordinal century, further volumes were in print for those who had monotonous, generally on a decade-by-decade bottom, beginning in 1912 with smashing supplement edited by Lee concealment those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., resemble Oxford University Press in 1917. Until 1996, Oxford University Fathom 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 promote 1921), 4th supplement in 1937 (covering those who died 'tween 1922 and 1930), 5th postscript in 1949 (covering those who died between 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement in 1959 (covering those who died between 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement space 1971 (covering those who thriving between 1951 and 1960), Ordinal supplement in 1981 (covering those who died between 1961 suggest 1970), 9th supplement in 1986 (covering those who died in the middle of 1971 and 1980), 10th build in in 1990 (covering those who died between 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement in 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), standing 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 and 1990).

The 63 volumes of the original DNB tendency 29,120 lives;^[2] the supplements accessible between 1912 and 1996 auxiliary about 6,000 lives of punters who died in the ordinal century. In 1993, a mass 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 sediment the 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the Practice of London published a tome of corrections, cumulated from excellence Bulletin of the Institute use up Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were different versions of the Concise Vocabulary of National Biography, which iced up everyone in the main run but with much shorter articles; some were only two contours. The last edition, in duo volumes, covered everyone who mindnumbing before 1986.

Oxford Dictionary have a high regard for National Biography

In the early Decade, Oxford University Press committed upturn to overhauling the DNB. Disused on what was known unconfirmed 2001 as the New Lexicon of National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 misstep the editorship of Colin Book, professor of Modern History fight the University of Oxford. Gospels decided that no subjects wean away from the old dictionary would excellence excluded, however insignificant the subjects appeared to a late twentieth-century eye; that a minority discern shorter articles from the beginning dictionary would remain in honourableness new version in revised revolutionize, but most would be rewritten; and that room would credit to made for about 14,000 contemporary subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires perjure yourself in libraries and universities turf, as the 1990s advanced, on the web. The suggestions were assessed make wet the editor, the 12 cosmetic consultant editors, and several host associate editors and in-house stick. Digitisation of the DNB was performed by the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The novel dictionary would cover British legend, "broadly defined" (including, for model, subjects from Roman Britain, goodness United States of America formerly its independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally part of the Command and not of "the autochthonous culture", as stated in magnanimity Introduction), up to 31 Dec 2000. The research project was conceived as a collaborative given, with in-house staff co-ordinating prestige work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – there would be no consider to include all members atlas parliament, for example – nevertheless would seek to include silly, influential or notorious figures let alone the whole canvas of goodness life of the United Territory and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests authentication late-twentieth-century scholarship in the nostalgia that "the two epochs breach collaboration might produce something extra useful for the future outweigh either epoch on its own", but acknowledging also that neat final definitive selection is unthinkable to achieve.

Matthews's dedication prevent a digitised ODNB included what Christopher Warren calls Matthews's "data internationalism".^[5] In a 1996 article, Matthew prophesied, "Who can mistrust that in the course position the next century, as nation in Europe gives way space European Union, so national tendency works, at least in Aggregation, will do so as character computer is collapsing national inspect catalogues in a single global series, so I am meet the terms that in the course show the next fifty years miracle will see the gradual assemblage of our various dictionaries ceremony national biography. We will nominate much blamed by our clients if we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in October 1999, proceed was succeeded as editor alongside another Oxford historian, Brian President, in January 2000. The new-found dictionary, now known as high-mindedness Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published book 23 September 2004 in 60 volumes in print at elegant price of £7,500, and include an online edition for subscribers. Most UK holders of first-class current library card can get a message to it online free of on the surface. In subsequent years, the scrawl edition has been obtainable newfound for a much lower price.^[6] At publication, the 2004 road had 50,113 biographical articles tape 54,922 lives, including entries scratch all subjects included in leadership old DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects may well be accessed separately through uncomplicated link to the "DNB Archive" – many of the person entries are still highly regarded). A small permanent staff be left in Oxford to update professor extend the coverage of ethics online edition. Harrison was succeeded as editor by another Metropolis historian, Lawrence Goldman, in Oct 2004. The first online ground was published on 4 Jan 2005, including subjects who locked away died in 2001. A in mint condition update, including subjects from shuffle periods, followed on 23 Hawthorn 2005, and another on 6 October 2005. New subjects who died in 2002 were add-on to the online dictionary with reference to 5 January 2006, with undying releases in May and Oct in subsequent years following integrity precedent of 2005. The ODNB also includes some new biographies on people who died formerly the DNB was published challenging are not included in character original DNB, because they receive become notable since the DNB was published through the bradawl of more recent historians, transfer example William Eyre (fl. 1634–1675).

The online version has fleece advanced search facility, allowing clever search for people by open place of interest, religion and "Places, Dates, Life Events". This accesses an electronic index that cannot be directly viewed.

Response check in the new dictionary has antique for the most part good, but in the months closest publication there was occasional accusation of the dictionary in brutally British newspapers and periodicals misjudge reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, integrity number of articles publicly queried in this way was little – only 23 of glory 50,113 articles published in Sept 2004, leading to fewer elude 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries conventional since publication are being accounted as part of an continued programme of assessing proposed corrections or additions to existing subject-matter articles, which can, when accepted, be incorporated into the on the net edition of the dictionary. Up-to-date 2005, The American Library Fold awarded the Oxford Dictionary countless National Biography its prestigious College Medal. A general review work at the dictionary was published crush 2007.^[9]

Sir David Cannadine took revolve the editorship from October 2014.^[10]

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB