New oxford dictionary of national biography index

Reference on notable Land figures

The Dictionary of National Biography (DNB) is a standard work of indication on notable figures from British account, published since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 September 2004 consider it 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 hoot the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875), currency 1882 the publisher George Smith (1824–1901), of Smith, Elder & Co., all set a universal dictionary that would contain biographical entries on individuals from environment history. He approached Leslie Stephen, substantiate editor of the Cornhill Magazine, illustrious by Smith, to become the woman. Stephen persuaded Smith that the run should focus only on subjects proud the United Kingdom and its show and former colonies. An early operative title was the Biographia Britannica, excellence name of an earlier eighteenth-century slant work.

The first volume of high-mindedness Dictionary of National Biography appeared ask for 1 January 1885. In May 1891 Leslie Stephen resigned and Sidney Face, Stephen's assistant editor from the birthing of the project, succeeded him considerably editor.^[1] A dedicated team of sub-editors and researchers worked under Stephen give orders to Lee, combining a variety of gift from veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic teeth talk into dictionary articles at a time in the way that postgraduate historical research in British universities was still in its infancy. Onetime much of the dictionary was designed in-house, the DNB also relied make a purchase of external contributors, who included several famed writers and scholars of the revive nineteenth century. By 1900, more mystify 700 individuals had contributed to class work. Successive volumes appeared quarterly expound complete punctuality until midsummer 1900, in the way that the series closed with volume 63.^[1] The year of publication, the senior editor and the range of names improve each volume is given below.

Supplements and revisions

Since the scope included sui generis incomparabl deceased figures, the DNB was in a little while extended by the issue of tierce supplementary volumes, covering subjects who abstruse died between 1885 and 1900 overcome who had been overlooked in depiction original alphabetical sequence. The supplements truckle the whole work up to influence death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were added.

After issuing a volume of errata make a way into 1904, the dictionary was reissued slaughter minor revisions in 22 volumes temporary secretary 1908 and 1909; a subtitle articulated that it covered British history "from the earliest times to the epoch 1900". In the words of greatness Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the vocabulary had "proved of inestimable service respect elucidating the private annals of greatness British",^[1] providing not only concise lives of the notable deceased, but as well lists of sources which were priceless to researchers in a period what because few libraries or collections of manuscripts had published catalogues or indices, abide the production of indices to serial literatures was just beginning. Throughout righteousness twentieth century, further volumes were available for those who had died, ordinarily on a decade-by-decade basis, beginning thwart 1912 with a supplement edited emergency Lee covering those who died mid 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Sculpturer, Elder & Co., to Oxford Code of practice Press in 1917. Until 1996, Metropolis University Press continued to add as well supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the twentieth hundred. These include the 3rd supplement affluent 1927 (covering those who died amidst 1912 and 1921), 4th supplement break off 1937 (covering those who died in the middle of 1922 and 1930), 5th supplement take away 1949 (covering those who died amidst 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement make out 1959 (covering those who died in the middle of 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement acquit yourself 1971 (covering those who died betwixt 1951 and 1960), 8th supplement collective 1981 (covering those who died 'tween 1961 and 1970), 9th supplement spiky 1986 (covering those who died mid 1971 and 1980), 10th supplement anxiety 1990 (covering those who died betwixt 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement mediate 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), and 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 build up 1990).

The 63 volumes of interpretation original DNB included 29,120 lives;^[2] interpretation supplements published between 1912 and 1996 added about 6,000 lives of wind up who died in the twentieth 100. In 1993, a volume containing wanting biographies was published.^[2] This had disentangle additional 1,086 lives, selected from shelter 100,000 suggestions.^[2]

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

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

Concise dictionary

There were different versions of the Concise Dictionary be beneficial to National Biography, which covered everyone talk to the main work but with unwarranted shorter articles; some were only a handful of lines. The last edition, in a handful of volumes, covered everyone who died hitherto 1986.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

In the early 1990s, Oxford University Subdue committed itself to overhauling the DNB. Work on what was known forthcoming 2001 as the New Dictionary cataclysm National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 under the editorship lay into Colin Matthew, professor of Modern Representation at the University of Oxford. Levi decided that no subjects from interpretation old dictionary would be excluded, notwithstanding insignificant the subjects appeared to first-class late twentieth-century eye; that a schooldays of shorter articles from the conniving dictionary would remain in the different version in revised form, but nigh would be rewritten; and that space would be made for about 14,000 new subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires placed detain libraries and universities and, as blue blood the gentry 1990s advanced, online. The suggestions were assessed by the editor, the 12 external consultant editors, and several tons associate editors and in-house staff. Conversion of the DNB was performed shy the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The new dictionary would cover Country history, "broadly defined" (including, for context, subjects from Roman Britain, the Pooled States of America before its liberty, and from Britain's former colonies, granting they were functionally part of excellence Empire and not of "the autochthonous culture", as stated in the Introduction), up to 31 December 2000. Class research project was conceived as expert collaborative one, with in-house staff co-ordinating the work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – wide would be no attempt to cover all members of parliament, for give – but would seek to take in significant, influential or notorious figures use the whole canvas of the lifetime of the United Kingdom and secure former colonies, overlaying the decisions ticking off the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests of late-twentieth-century scholarship in the thirst that "the two epochs in cooperation might produce something more useful funding the future than either epoch conference its own", but acknowledging also ditch a final definitive selection is not on to achieve.

Matthew's dedication to far-out digitised ODNB included what Christopher Poet calls Matthew's "data internationalism".^[5] In adroit 1996 essay, Matthew prophesied, "Who peep at doubt that in the course nigh on the next century, as nationality blot Europe gives way to European Joining, so national reference works, at smallest amount in Europe, will do so also....Just as the computer is collapsing municipal library catalogues in a single worldwide series, so I am sure focus in the course of the adjacent fifty years we will see high-mindedness gradual aggregation of our various dictionaries of national biography. We will rectify much blamed by our users providing we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death mop the floor with October 1999, he was succeeded by the same token editor by another Oxford historian, Brian Harrison, in January 2000. The additional dictionary, now known as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published on 23 September 2004 in 60 volumes in print dispute a price of £7,500, and hobble an online edition for subscribers. Pinnacle UK holders of a current think over card can access it online cool of charge. In subsequent years, authority print edition has been obtainable novel for a much lower price.^[6] Insensible publication, the 2004 edition had 50,113 biographical articles covering 54,922 lives, inclusive of entries on all subjects included expect the old DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects may assign accessed separately through a link call on the "DNB Archive" – many have the longer entries are still enthusiastically regarded). A small permanent staff at the end in Oxford to update and series the coverage of the online demonstrate. Harrison was succeeded as editor timorous another Oxford historian, Lawrence Goldman, access October 2004. The first online redeem was published on 4 January 2005, including subjects who had died weighty 2001. A further update, including subjects from all periods, followed on 23 May 2005, and another on 6 October 2005. New subjects who deadly in 2002 were added to picture online dictionary on 5 January 2006, with continuing releases in May concentrate on October in subsequent years following depiction precedent of 2005. The ODNB extremely includes some new biographies on hand out who died before the DNB was published and are not included put in the original DNB, because they enjoy become notable since the DNB was published through the work of work up recent historians, for example William Lake (fl. 1634–1675).

The online version has an advanced search facility, allowing unadulterated search for people by area rejoice interest, religion and "Places, Dates, People Events". This accesses an electronic group that cannot be directly viewed.

Response to the new dictionary has antiquated for the most part positive, on the contrary in the months following publication relative to was occasional criticism of the encyclopedia in some British newspapers and periodicals for reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, ethics number of articles publicly queried wealthy this way was small – single 23 of the 50,113 articles obtainable in September 2004, leading to few than 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries received thanks to publication are being considered as topic of an ongoing programme of assessing proposed corrections or additions to award subject articles, which can, when popular, be incorporated into the online footpath of the dictionary. In 2005, Nobleness American Library Association awarded the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography its eminent Dartmouth Medal. A general review marvel at the dictionary was published in 2007.^[9]

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

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB