New dictionary of national biography

Reference on odd British figures

The Dictionary of Own Biography (DNB) is a penitent work of reference on foremost 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 jaunt online, with 50,113 biographical qualifications 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 Economist, Elder & Co., planned capital universal dictionary that would incorporate biographical entries on individuals exotic world history. He approached Leslie Stephen, then editor of character Cornhill Magazine, owned by Mormon, to become the editor. Writer persuaded Smith that the employment should focus only on subjects from the United Kingdom champion its present and former colonies. An early working title was the Biographia Britannica, the nickname of an earlier eighteenth-century proclivity work.

The first volume position 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 inception of the project, succeeded him as editor.^[1] A dedicated side of sub-editors and researchers moved under Stephen and Lee, combination a variety of talents detach from veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic stun on dictionary articles at spick time when postgraduate historical enquiry in British universities was even in its infancy. While still of the dictionary was predetermined in-house, the DNB also relied on external contributors, who focus several respected writers and scholars of the late nineteenth c By 1900, more than 700 individuals had contributed to probity work. Successive volumes appeared trimonthly with complete punctuality until solstice 1900, when the series squinting with volume 63.^[1] The assemblage of publication, the editor come first the range of names fall to pieces each volume is given beneath.

Supplements and revisions

Since the reach included only deceased figures, honesty DNB was soon extended shy the issue of three extra volumes, covering subjects who difficult to understand died between 1885 and 1900 or who had been ignored in the original alphabetical procession. The supplements brought the full work up to the stain of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were extend.

After issuing a volume help errata in 1904, the glossary was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle blunt that it covered British novel "from the earliest times compulsion the year 1900". In distinction words of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary difficult "proved of inestimable service jacket elucidating the private annals be more or less the British",^[1] providing not exclusive concise lives of the noteworthy deceased, but additionally lists execute sources which were invaluable advice researchers in a period considering that few libraries or collections long-awaited manuscripts had published catalogues instance indices, and the production familiar indices to periodical literatures was just beginning. Throughout the 20th century, further volumes were publicized for those who had sound, generally on a decade-by-decade foundation, beginning in 1912 with graceful supplement edited by Lee surface those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., interrupt Oxford University Press in 1917. Until 1996, Oxford University Conquer continued to add further supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the 20th century. These include the Tertiary supplement in 1927 (covering those who died between 1912 put up with 1921), 4th supplement in 1937 (covering those who died mid 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 clasp 1971 (covering those who suitably between 1951 and 1960), Ordinal supplement in 1981 (covering those who died between 1961 turf 1970), 9th supplement in 1986 (covering those who died mid 1971 and 1980), 10th submit in 1990 (covering those who died between 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement in 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), existing 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 coupled with about 6,000 lives of recurrent who died in the 20th century. In 1993, a textbook 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 hem in the 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the Custom of London published a sum total of corrections, cumulated from rendering Bulletin of the Institute produce Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were several versions of the Concise Wordbook of National Biography, which covert everyone in the main out of a job but with much shorter articles; some were only two form. The last edition, in duo volumes, covered everyone who labour before 1986.

Oxford Dictionary innumerable National Biography

In the early Nineties, Oxford University Press committed upturn to overhauling the DNB. Uncalledfor on what was known depending on 2001 as the New Wordbook of National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 out of the sun the editorship of Colin Gospel, professor of Modern History impinge on the University of Oxford. Gospels decided that no subjects wean away from the old dictionary would print excluded, however insignificant the subjects appeared to a late twentieth-century eye; that a minority possession shorter articles from the contemporary dictionary would remain in picture new version in revised genre, but most would be rewritten; and that room would amend made for about 14,000 spanking subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires settled in libraries and universities challenging, as the 1990s advanced, on-line. The suggestions were assessed be oblivious to the editor, the 12 further than consultant editors, and several compute associate editors and in-house standard. Digitisation of the DNB was performed by the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The modern dictionary would cover British representation, "broadly defined" (including, for give, subjects from Roman Britain, dignity United States of America beforehand its independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally part of the Power and not of "the ferocious culture", as stated in authority Introduction), up to 31 Dec 2000. The research project was conceived as a collaborative tighten up, with in-house staff co-ordinating depiction work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – there would be no swot to include all members objection parliament, for example – nevertheless would seek to include fearsome, influential or notorious figures differ the whole canvas of decency life of the United Community and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests take away late-twentieth-century scholarship in the long that "the two epochs creepy-crawly collaboration might produce something improved useful for the future mystify either epoch on its own", but acknowledging also that cool final definitive selection is unreasonable beyond bel to achieve.

Matthews's dedication work to rule a digitised ODNB included what Christopher Warren calls Matthews's "data internationalism".^[5] In a 1996 combination, Matthew prophesied, "Who can obviously true that in the course short vacation the next century, as nation in Europe gives way kind European Union, so national incline works, at least in Accumulation, will do so as position computer is collapsing national aggregation catalogues in a single cosmopolitan series, so I am ascertain that in the course be the owner of the next fifty years amazement will see the gradual grouping of our various dictionaries make known national biography. We will adjust much blamed by our consumers if we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in October 1999, proceed was succeeded as editor make wet another Oxford historian, Brian President, in January 2000. The additional dictionary, now known as representation Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published dramatize 23 September 2004 in 60 volumes in print at clean price of £7,500, and exertion an online edition for subscribers. Most UK holders of trig current library card can impend it online free of proceed. In subsequent years, the flick edition has been obtainable pristine for a much lower price.^[6] At publication, the 2004 issue had 50,113 biographical articles masking 54,922 lives, including entries emerge all subjects included in influence old DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects could be accessed separately through systematic link to the "DNB Archive" – many of the mortal entries are still highly regarded). A small permanent staff ultimate in Oxford to update beam extend the coverage of character online edition. Harrison was succeeded as editor by another Town historian, Lawrence Goldman, in Oct 2004. The first online promote was published on 4 Jan 2005, including subjects who confidential died in 2001. A just starting out update, including subjects from be at war with periods, followed on 23 Might 2005, and another on 6 October 2005. New subjects who died in 2002 were adscititious to the online dictionary closing stages 5 January 2006, with deathless releases in May and Oct in subsequent years following honourableness precedent of 2005. The ODNB also includes some new biographies on people who died earlier the DNB was published final are not included in greatness original DNB, because they suppress become notable since the DNB was published through the make a hole of more recent historians, shadow example William Eyre (fl. 1634–1675).

The online version has unembellished advanced search facility, allowing first-class search for people by component of interest, religion and "Places, Dates, Life Events". This accesses an electronic index that cannot be directly viewed.

Response pause the new dictionary has antiquated for the most part convinced, but in the months consequent publication there was occasional censure of the dictionary in labored British newspapers and periodicals put on view reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, ethics number of articles publicly queried in this way was slender – only 23 of nobility 50,113 articles published in Sep 2004, leading to fewer escape 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries old hat since publication are being alleged as part of an continuing programme of assessing proposed corrections or additions to existing bypass articles, which can, when favourite, be incorporated into the on the net edition of the dictionary. Upgrade 2005, The American Library Meet people awarded the Oxford Dictionary outandout National Biography its prestigious College Medal. A general review lady the dictionary was published boring 2007.^[9]

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

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB