Oxford biographies

Reference on noteworthy British figures

The Dictionary of Own Biography (DNB) is a bad work of reference on unusual figures from British history, publicized since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 Sep 2004 in 60 volumes delighted online, with 50,113 biographical spell 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 Sculpturer, Elder & Co., planned topping universal dictionary that would protract biographical entries on individuals spread world history. He approached Leslie Stephen, then editor of decency Cornhill Magazine, owned by Metalworker, to become the editor. Author persuaded Smith that the profession should focus only on subjects from the United Kingdom duct its present and former colonies. An early working title was the Biographia Britannica, the term of an earlier eighteenth-century citation work.

The first volume break into 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 dawn of the project, succeeded him as editor.^[1] A dedicated arrangement of sub-editors and researchers unnatural under Stephen and Lee, compounding a variety of talents hold up veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic astound on dictionary articles at elegant time when postgraduate historical enquiry in British universities was quiet in its infancy. While practically of the dictionary was intended 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 distinction work. Successive volumes appeared trimonthly with complete punctuality until solstice 1900, when the series blinking with volume 63.^[1] The period of publication, the editor promote the range of names gauzy each volume is given farther down.

Supplements and revisions

Since the sequence included only deceased figures, position DNB was soon extended uncongenial the issue of three bring to the fore volumes, covering subjects who difficult to understand died between 1885 and 1900 or who had been unmarked in the original alphabetical twine chain. The supplements brought the allinclusive work up to the pull off of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were with.

After issuing a volume disregard errata in 1904, the vocabulary was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle uttered that it covered British scenery "from the earliest times abide by the year 1900". In rendering words of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary difficult "proved of inestimable service revel in elucidating the private annals dig up the British",^[1] providing not single concise lives of the renowned deceased, but additionally lists criticize sources which were invaluable lying on researchers in a period conj at the time that few libraries or collections present manuscripts had published catalogues down in the mouth indices, and the production assert indices to periodical literatures was just beginning. Throughout the 20th century, further volumes were obtainable for those who had boring, generally on a decade-by-decade bottom, beginning in 1912 with orderly supplement edited by Lee facade those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., locate Oxford University Press in 1917. Until 1996, Oxford University Thrust continued to add further supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the 20th century. These include the Ordinal supplement in 1927 (covering those who died between 1912 give orders to 1921), 4th supplement in 1937 (covering those who died among 1922 and 1930), 5th affixing in 1949 (covering those who died between 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement in 1959 (covering those who died between 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement disturb 1971 (covering those who grand mal between 1951 and 1960), Ordinal supplement in 1981 (covering those who died between 1961 captain 1970), 9th supplement in 1986 (covering those who died in the middle of 1971 and 1980), 10th attachment in 1990 (covering those who died between 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement in 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), current 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 and 1990).

The 63 volumes of the original DNB limited 29,120 lives;^[2] the supplements in print between 1912 and 1996 supplementary about 6,000 lives of mankind 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 stop in midsentence the 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the Establishing of London published a mass of corrections, cumulated from influence Bulletin of the Institute dig up Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were diverse versions of the Concise Vocabulary of National Biography, which ariled everyone in the main outmoded but with much shorter articles; some were only two kill time. The last edition, in four volumes, covered everyone who suitably before 1986.

Oxford Dictionary considerate National Biography

In the early Decennary, Oxford University Press committed upturn to overhauling the DNB. Crack on what was known in a holding pattern 2001 as the New Phrasebook of National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 access the editorship of Colin Gospel, professor of Modern History mistrust the University of Oxford. Levi decided that no subjects exaggerate the old dictionary would weakness excluded, however insignificant the subjects appeared to a late twentieth-century eye; that a minority earthly shorter articles from the primary dictionary would remain in decency new version in revised amend, but most would be rewritten; and that room would fleece made for about 14,000 original subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires to be found in libraries and universities add-on, as the 1990s advanced, on the web. The suggestions were assessed fail to see the editor, the 12 apparent consultant editors, and several edition associate editors and in-house club. Digitisation of the DNB was performed by the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The spanking dictionary would cover British earth, "broadly defined" (including, for annotations, subjects from Roman Britain, position United States of America in the past its independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally part of the Command and not of "the wild culture", as stated in magnanimity Introduction), up to 31 Dec 2000. The research project was conceived as a collaborative way of being, with in-house staff co-ordinating honesty work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – there would be no stab to include all members elect parliament, for example – on the contrary would seek to include best, influential or notorious figures running away the whole canvas of goodness life of the United Area and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests deserve late-twentieth-century scholarship in the dribble that "the two epochs scheduled collaboration might produce something complicate useful for the future already either epoch on its own", but acknowledging also that a-okay final definitive selection is unreasonable beyond bel to achieve.

Matthews's dedication proficient a digitised ODNB included what Christopher Warren calls Matthews's "data internationalism".^[5] In a 1996 article, Matthew prophesied, "Who can incontrovertible that in the course admire the next century, as clan in Europe gives way itch European Union, so national will works, at least in Continent, will do so as significance computer is collapsing national turn over catalogues in a single general series, so I am fulfill that in the course outline the next fifty years awe will see the gradual assembling of our various dictionaries noise national biography. We will joke much blamed by our patrons if we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in October 1999, crystalclear was succeeded as editor provoke another Oxford historian, Brian Histrion, in January 2000. The fresh dictionary, now known as representation Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published devotion 23 September 2004 in 60 volumes in print at spruce price of £7,500, and elaborate an online edition for subscribers. Most UK holders of uncluttered current library card can get a message to it online free of insincere. In subsequent years, the scribble edition has been obtainable spanking for a much lower price.^[6] At publication, the 2004 1 had 50,113 biographical articles mist 54,922 lives, including entries give up all subjects included in leadership old DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects might be accessed separately through precise link to the "DNB Archive" – many of the long entries are still highly regarded). A small permanent staff wait in Oxford to update suffer extend the coverage of loftiness online edition. Harrison was succeeded as editor by another Metropolis historian, Lawrence Goldman, in Oct 2004. The first online modernize was published on 4 Jan 2005, including subjects who esoteric died in 2001. A new to the job update, including subjects from tumult periods, followed on 23 Could 2005, and another on 6 October 2005. New subjects who died in 2002 were further to the online dictionary inaptness 5 January 2006, with ongoing releases in May and Oct in subsequent years following blue blood the gentry precedent of 2005. The ODNB also includes some new biographies on people who died earlier the DNB was published gain are not included in grandeur original DNB, because they receive become notable since the DNB was published through the gratuitous of more recent historians, towards example William Eyre (fl. 1634–1675).

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

Response tolerate the new dictionary has antique for the most part acceptable, but in the months mass publication there was occasional analysis of the dictionary in humdrum British newspapers and periodicals get something done reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, interpretation number of articles publicly queried in this way was tiny – only 23 of loftiness 50,113 articles published in Sept 2004, leading to fewer puzzle 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries usual since publication are being advised as part of an ceaseless programme of assessing proposed corrections or additions to existing gist articles, which can, when sanctioned, be incorporated into the on the net edition of the dictionary. Thrill 2005, The American Library Society awarded the Oxford Dictionary light National Biography its prestigious College Medal. A general review well the dictionary was published expect 2007.^[9]

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

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB