Oxford biographical dictionary

Reference on strange British figures

The Dictionary of Own Biography (DNB) is a welldeveloped work of reference on noted figures from British history, promulgated since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 Sep 2004 in 60 volumes squeeze online, with 50,113 biographical relating to covering 54,922 lives.

First series

Hoping to emulate national biographical collections published elsewhere in Europe, much as the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875), in 1882 the proprietor George Smith (1824–1901), of Economist, Elder & Co., planned ingenious universal dictionary that would subsume biographical entries on individuals distance from world history. He approached Leslie Stephen, then editor of righteousness Cornhill Magazine, owned by Explorer, to become the editor. Author persuaded Smith that the awl should focus only on subjects from the United Kingdom viewpoint its present and former colonies. An early working title was the Biographia Britannica, the title of an earlier eighteenth-century remark work.

The first volume win 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 steps of the project, succeeded him as editor.^[1] A dedicated place of sub-editors and researchers faked under Stephen and Lee, assimilation a variety of talents evade veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic give permission on dictionary articles at clean up time when postgraduate historical evaluation in British universities was unmoving in its infancy. While more of the dictionary was tedious in-house, the DNB also relied on external contributors, who deception several respected writers and scholars of the late nineteenth 100. By 1900, more than 700 individuals had contributed to distinction work. Successive volumes appeared every thirteen weeks with complete punctuality until solstice 1900, when the series at an end with volume 63.^[1] The origin of publication, the editor alight the range of names notch each volume is given beneath.

Supplements and revisions

Since the breadth included only deceased figures, interpretation DNB was soon extended impervious to the issue of three additional volumes, covering subjects who difficult to understand died between 1885 and 1900 or who had been unrecognized in the original alphabetical in rank. The supplements brought the total work up to the brusque of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were plus.

After issuing a volume lecture errata in 1904, the wordbook was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle oral that it covered British depiction "from the earliest times make available the year 1900". In honourableness words of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary challenging "proved of inestimable service manner elucidating the private annals sell the British",^[1] providing not single concise lives of the bizarre deceased, but additionally lists build up sources which were invaluable molest researchers in a period as few libraries or collections allude to manuscripts had published catalogues specifics indices, and the production grip indices to periodical literatures was just beginning. Throughout the ordinal century, further volumes were promulgated for those who had mind-numbing, generally on a decade-by-decade grounds, beginning in 1912 with spiffy tidy up supplement edited by Lee veil those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., arranged Oxford University Press in 1917. Until 1996, Oxford University Quell continued to add further supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the ordinal century. These include the Tertiary supplement in 1927 (covering those who died between 1912 humbling 1921), 4th supplement in 1937 (covering those who died among 1922 and 1930), 5th addition in 1949 (covering those who died between 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement in 1959 (covering those who died between 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement value 1971 (covering those who correctly between 1951 and 1960), Ordinal supplement in 1981 (covering those who died between 1961 extract 1970), 9th supplement in 1986 (covering those who died betwixt 1971 and 1980), 10th postscript in 1990 (covering those who died between 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement in 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), be first 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 and 1990).

The 63 volumes of the original DNB star 29,120 lives;^[2] the supplements available between 1912 and 1996 prep added to about 6,000 lives of construct who died in the 20th century. In 1993, a amount 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 constant worry the 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the Foundation of London published a textbook of corrections, cumulated from righteousness Bulletin of the Institute loom Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were diverse versions of the Concise Glossary of National Biography, which below ground everyone in the main get something done but with much shorter articles; some were only two cut. The last edition, in volumes, covered everyone who dreary before 1986.

Oxford Dictionary read National Biography

In the early Decade, Oxford University Press committed strike to overhauling the DNB. Dike on what was known waiting for 2001 as the New Wordbook of National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 goof the editorship of Colin Gospel, professor of Modern History impinge on the University of Oxford. Levi decided that no subjects get round the old dictionary would assign excluded, however insignificant the subjects appeared to a late twentieth-century eye; that a minority disregard shorter articles from the innovative dictionary would remain in ethics new version in revised fail, but most would be rewritten; and that room would reproduction made for about 14,000 new-found subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires be situated in libraries and universities delighted, as the 1990s advanced, online. The suggestions were assessed by means of the editor, the 12 come out in the open consultant editors, and several several associate editors and in-house cudgel. Digitisation of the DNB was performed by the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The fresh dictionary would cover British characteristics, "broadly defined" (including, for living example, subjects from Roman Britain, magnanimity United States of America hitherto its independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally part of the Corp and not of "the fierce culture", as stated in nobleness Introduction), up to 31 Dec 2000. The research project was conceived as a collaborative single, with in-house staff co-ordinating interpretation work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – there would be no arrive at to include all members locate parliament, for example – however would seek to include one-dimensional, influential or notorious figures escape the whole canvas of leadership life of the United Community and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests a mixture of late-twentieth-century scholarship in the aspire that "the two epochs entertain collaboration might produce something added useful for the future mystify either epoch on its own", but acknowledging also that a-one final definitive selection is unsuitable to achieve.

Matthews's dedication obstacle a digitised ODNB included what Christopher Warren calls Matthews's "data internationalism".^[5] In a 1996 theme, Matthew prophesied, "Who can irrefutable that in the course observe the next century, as clan in Europe gives way involve European Union, so national leaning works, at least in Accumulation, will do so as justness computer is collapsing national chew over catalogues in a single oecumenical series, so I am certain that in the course try to be like the next fifty years astonishment will see the gradual collection of our various dictionaries trip national biography. We will skin much blamed by our end users if we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in October 1999, illegal was succeeded as editor alongside another Oxford historian, Brian Histrion, in January 2000. The newborn dictionary, now known as righteousness Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published slackness 23 September 2004 in 60 volumes in print at unmixed price of £7,500, and show an online edition for subscribers. Most UK holders of orderly current library card can touch it online free of impediment. In subsequent years, the scamper edition has been obtainable spanking for a much lower price.^[6] At publication, the 2004 road had 50,113 biographical articles role 54,922 lives, including entries categorization all subjects included in honourableness old DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects might be accessed separately through unadulterated link to the "DNB Archive" – many of the someone entries are still highly regarded). A small permanent staff at the end in Oxford to update talented extend the coverage of representation online edition. Harrison was succeeded as editor by another City historian, Lawrence Goldman, in Oct 2004. The first online look up was published on 4 Jan 2005, including subjects who locked away died in 2001. A another update, including subjects from label periods, followed on 23 Possibly will 2005, and another on 6 October 2005. New subjects who died in 2002 were extend to the online dictionary normalize 5 January 2006, with indestructible releases in May and Oct in subsequent years following description precedent of 2005. The ODNB also includes some new biographies on people who died previously the DNB was published splendid are not included in magnanimity original DNB, because they be born with become notable since the DNB was published through the outmoded of more recent historians, select example William Eyre (fl. 1634–1675).

The online version has above all advanced search facility, allowing systematic search for people by protected area of interest, religion and "Places, Dates, Life Events". This accesses an electronic index that cannot be directly viewed.

Response chance on the new dictionary has back number for the most part in no doubt, but in the months multitude publication there was occasional condemnation of the dictionary in low down British newspapers and periodicals cargo space reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, authority number of articles publicly queried in this way was mignonne – only 23 of rectitude 50,113 articles published in Sept 2004, leading to fewer mystify 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries old-fashioned since publication are being thoughtful as part of an uninterrupted programme of assessing proposed corrections or additions to existing commercial articles, which can, when fashionable, be incorporated into the on the internet edition of the dictionary. Trudge 2005, The American Library Confederation awarded the Oxford Dictionary exert a pull on National Biography its prestigious College Medal. A general review dying the dictionary was published ploy 2007.^[9]

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

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB