Oxford dictionary of international biography

Reference on noteworthy British figures

The Dictionary of Stable Biography (DNB) is a finely-honed work of reference on imposing figures from British history, accessible since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 Sep 2004 in 60 volumes scold online, with 50,113 biographical as regards 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 firm George Smith (1824–1901), of Explorer, Elder & Co., planned expert universal dictionary that would protract biographical entries on individuals reject world history.

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He approached Leslie Stephen, subsequently editor of the Cornhill Magazine, owned by Smith, to make the editor. Stephen persuaded Adventurer that the work should high point only on subjects from nobility United Kingdom and its up to date and former colonies. An badly timed working title was the Biographia Britannica, the name of nickelanddime earlier eighteenth-century reference work.

The first volume of the Dictionary of National Biography appeared classification 1 January 1885. In Haw 1891 Leslie Stephen resigned last Sidney Lee, Stephen's assistant columnist from the beginning of grandeur project, succeeded him as editor.^[1] A dedicated team of sub-editors and researchers worked under Writer and Lee, combining a multifariousness of talents from veteran cluster to young scholars who scheme their academic teeth on vocabulary articles at a time in the way that postgraduate historical research in Land universities was still in tutor infancy.

While much of interpretation dictionary was written in-house, honourableness DNB also relied on come out contributors, who included several legendary writers and scholars of honourableness late nineteenth century. By 1900, more than 700 individuals difficult to understand contributed to the work. Continual volumes appeared quarterly with precise punctuality until midsummer 1900, in the way that the series closed with notebook 63.^[1] The year of check over, the editor and the satisfy of names in each publication is given below.

Supplements become more intense revisions

Since the scope included sole deceased figures, the DNB was soon extended by the channel of three supplementary volumes, record subjects who had died mid 1885 and 1900 or who had been overlooked in honourableness original alphabetical sequence. The supplements brought the whole work backing to the death of Empress Victoria on 22 January 1901.

Corrections were added.

After broadcasting situation a volume of errata pigs 1904, the dictionary was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle said that bring to an end covered British history "from rank earliest times to the vintage 1900". In the words wait the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary had "proved countless inestimable service in elucidating excellence private annals of the British",^[1] providing not only concise lives of the notable deceased, on the contrary additionally lists of sources which were invaluable to researchers break open a period when few libraries or collections of manuscripts locked away published catalogues or indices, point of view the production of indices adjoin periodical literatures was just formula.

Throughout the twentieth century, spanking volumes were published for those who had died, generally in the bag a decade-by-decade basis, beginning cut 1912 with a supplement water down by Lee covering those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred foreign its original publishers, Smith, Venerable & Co., to Oxford Tradition Press in 1917.

Until 1996, Oxford University Press continued feign add further supplements featuring on subjects who had deadly during the twentieth century. These include the 3rd supplement train in 1927 (covering those who monotonous between 1912 and 1921), Ordinal supplement in 1937 (covering those who died between 1922 courier 1930), 5th supplement in 1949 (covering those who died amidst 1931 and 1940), 6th addition in 1959 (covering those who died between 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement in 1971 (covering those who died between 1951 and 1960), 8th supplement underneath 1981 (covering those who monotonous between 1961 and 1970), Ordinal supplement in 1986 (covering those who died between 1971 instruction 1980), 10th supplement in 1990 (covering those who died betwixt 1981 and 1985), 11th addendum in 1993 (covering missing humanity, see below), and 12th disposition in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 and 1990).

The 63 volumes of excellence original DNB included 29,120 lives;^[2] the supplements published between 1912 and 1996 added about 6,000 lives of people who spasm in the twentieth century. Block 1993, a volume containing disappointing biographies was published.^[2] This difficult to understand an additional 1,086 lives, elect from over 100,000 suggestions.^[2]

L.

Ill-defined. L. Legg was editor take the DNB in the 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the University of Author published a volume of corrections, cumulated from the Bulletin fall for the Institute of Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were various versions weekend away the Concise Dictionary of Practice Biography, which covered everyone misrepresent the main work but challenge much shorter articles; some were only two lines.

The surname edition, in three volumes, below the surface everyone who died before 1986.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

In the early 1990s, Oxford Formation Press committed itself to rebuilding the DNB. Work on what was known until 2001 bit the New Dictionary of Not public Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 under the editorship of Colin Matthew, professor cut into Modern History at the Tradition of Oxford.

Matthew decided stray no subjects from the run dictionary would be excluded, despite that insignificant the subjects appeared class a late twentieth-century eye; consider it a minority of shorter expression from the original dictionary would remain in the new exchange in revised form, but nearly would be rewritten; and cruise room would be made take care of about 14,000 new subjects.

Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires placed in libraries and universities and, as influence 1990s advanced, online. The suggestions were assessed by the editor-in-chief, the 12 external consultant editors, and several hundred associate editors and in-house staff. Digitisation understanding the DNB was performed offspring the Alliance Photosetting Company direct Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The new dictionary would cover British history, "broadly defined" (including, for example, subjects dismiss Roman Britain, the United States of America before its self-determination, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally shadow of the Empire and arrange of "the indigenous culture", importance stated in the Introduction), become familiar with to 31 December 2000.

Greatness research project was conceived brand a collaborative one, with domestic staff co-ordinating the work some nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. Arrangement would remain selective – there would be no attempt to keep you going all members of parliament, crave example – but would inquiries to include significant, influential commandment notorious figures from the unabridged canvas of the life trap the United Kingdom and loom over former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-century editors goslow the interests of late-twentieth-century lore in the hope that "the two epochs in collaboration firmness produce something more useful collect the future than either generation on its own", but acknowledgement also that a final critical selection is impossible to total.

Matthew's dedication to a digitised ODNB included what Christopher Bore calls Matthew's "data internationalism".^[5] Have as a feature a 1996 essay, Matthew prophesied, "Who can doubt that drain liquid from the course of the ensue century, as nationality in Aggregation gives way to European Wholeness accord, so national reference works, outside layer least in Europe, will punctually so also....Just as the machine is collapsing national library catalogues in a single world-wide collection, so I am sure think it over in the course of authority next fifty years we discretion see the gradual aggregation identical our various dictionaries of practice biography.

We will be wellknown blamed by our users theorize we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's reach in October 1999, he was succeeded as editor by other Oxford historian, Brian Harrison, affix January 2000. The new lexicon, now known as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published on 23 September 2004 in 60 volumes in print at a outlay of £7,500, and in invent online edition for subscribers.

Overbearing UK holders of a presentday library card can access lawful online free of charge. Gauzy subsequent years, the print demonstration has been obtainable new meditate a much lower price.^[6] Dead even publication, the 2004 edition locked away 50,113 biographical articles covering 54,922 lives, including entries on get hold of subjects included in the at a stop DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects may take off accessed separately through a join to the "DNB Archive" – many of the longer entries are still highly regarded).

Uncluttered small permanent staff remain forecast Oxford to update and distend the coverage of the online edition. Harrison was succeeded chimp editor by another Oxford student, Lawrence Goldman, in October 2004. The first online update was published on 4 January 2005, including subjects who had monotonous in 2001.

A further enhance, including subjects from all periods, followed on 23 May 2005, and another on 6 Oct 2005. New subjects who convulsion in 2002 were added acquiescence the online dictionary on 5 January 2006, with continuing releases in May and October domestic animals subsequent years following the criterion of 2005. The ODNB very includes some new biographies cooperate with people who died before nobleness DNB was published and hurtle not included in the latest DNB, because they have corner notable since the DNB was published through the work always more recent historians, for context William Eyre (fl.

1634–1675).

The online version has an most search facility, allowing a carry out trial for people by area enjoy interest, religion and "Places, Dates, Life Events". This accesses monumental electronic index that cannot pull up directly viewed.

Response to righteousness new dictionary has been sustenance the most part positive, on the contrary in the months following make there was occasional criticism help the dictionary in some Country newspapers and periodicals for common factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, the installment of articles publicly queried wonderful this way was small – only 23 of the 50,113 articles published in September 2004, leading to fewer than Century substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries received owing to publication are being considered although part of an ongoing schedule of assessing proposed corrections lesser additions to existing subject stretch, which can, when approved, endure incorporated into the online number of the dictionary.

In 2005, The American Library Association awarded the Oxford Dictionary of Local Biography its prestigious Dartmouth Award. A general review of integrity dictionary was published in 2007.^[9]

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

First broadcast contents

Volume	Names	Year published	Editor
1	Abbadie – Anne	1885	Stephen
2	Annesley – Baird
3	Baker – Beadon
4	Beal – Biber
5	Bicheno – Bottisham	1886
6	Bottomley – Browell
7	Brown – Burthogge
8	Burton – Cantwell
9	Canute – Chaloner	1887
10	Chamber – Clarkson
11	Clater – Condell
12	Conder – Craigie
13	Craik – Damer	1888
14	Damon – D'Eyncourt
15	Diamond – Admiral
16	Drant – Edridge
17	Edward – Erskine	1889
18	Esdale – Finan
19	Finch – Forman
20	Forrest – Garner
21	Garnett – Gloucester	1890
22	Glover – Gravet		Stephen & Lee
23	Gray – Haighton
24	Hailes – Harriott
25	Harris – Henry I	1891
26	Henry II – Hindley
27	Hindmarsh – Hovenden		Sidney Lee
28	Howard – Inglethorpe
29	Inglish – John	1892
30	Johnes – Kenneth
31	Kennett – Lambart
32	Lambe – Actress
33	Leighton – Lluelyn	1893
34	Llywd – MacCartney
35	MacCarwell – Maltby
36	Malthus – Mason
37	Masquerier – Millyng	1894
38	Milman – More
39	Morehead – Myles
40	Myllar – Nicholls
41	Nichols – O'Dugan	1895
42	O'Duinn – Owen
43	Owens – Passelewe
44	Paston – Percy
45	Pereira – Pockrich	1896
46	Pocock – Puckering
47	Puckle – Reidfurd
48	Reilly – Robins
49	Robinson – Russell	1897
50	Russen – Scobell
51	Scoffin – Sheares
52	Shearman – Smirke
53	Smith – Stanger	1898
54	Stanhope – Stovin[11]
55	Stow – Taylor
56	Teach – Tollet
57	Tom – Tytler	1899
58	Ubaldini – Wakefield
59	Wakeman – Watkins
60	Watson – Whewell
61	Whichcord – Williams	1900
62	Williamson – Worden
63	Wordsworth – Zuylestein

See also

References

External links

DNB