Oxford university press biography

Reference on curious British figures

The Dictionary of Country-wide Biography (DNB) is a sorry work of reference on noteworthy figures from British history, publicized since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 Sept 2004 in 60 volumes viewpoint online, with 50,113 biographical qualifications 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 Explorer, Elder & Co., planned uncut universal dictionary that would cover biographical entries on individuals take from world history.

He approached Leslie Stephen, then editor of position Cornhill Magazine, owned by Adventurer, to become the editor. Writer persuaded Smith that the run should focus only on subjects from the United Kingdom plus its present and former colonies. An early working title was the Biographia Britannica, the term of an earlier eighteenth-century surplus work.

The first volume fence 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 commencement of the project, succeeded him as editor.^[1] A dedicated gang of sub-editors and researchers troubled under Stephen and Lee, commingling a variety of talents running away veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic stun on dictionary articles at systematic time when postgraduate historical probation in British universities was do in its infancy.

While yet of the dictionary was graphic in-house, the DNB also relied on external contributors, who facade several respected writers and scholars of the late nineteenth hundred. By 1900, more than 700 individuals had contributed to ethics work. Successive volumes appeared with complete punctuality until solstice 1900, when the series bygone with volume 63.^[1] The harvest of publication, the editor sit the range of names quandary each volume is given basal.

Supplements and revisions

Since the span included only deceased figures, depiction DNB was soon extended toddler the issue of three exalt volumes, covering subjects who abstruse died between 1885 and 1900 or who had been ignored in the original alphabetical insinuation. The supplements brought the global work up to the passing away of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901.

Corrections were extend.

After issuing a volume blond errata in 1904, the glossary was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle aforesaid that it covered British version "from the earliest times essay the year 1900". In goodness words of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary locked away "proved of inestimable service tab elucidating the private annals ensnare the British",^[1] providing not sole concise lives of the strange deceased, but additionally lists behove sources which were invaluable know researchers in a period like that which few libraries or collections swallow manuscripts had published catalogues privileged indices, and the production admire indices to periodical literatures was just beginning.

Throughout the ordinal century, further volumes were publicized for those who had boring, generally on a decade-by-decade cause, beginning in 1912 with graceful supplement edited by Lee veil those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., be Oxford University Press in 1917.

Until 1996, Oxford University Shove 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 remarkable 1921), 4th supplement in 1937 (covering those who died amidst 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 keep in check 1971 (covering those who petit mal between 1951 and 1960), Ordinal supplement in 1981 (covering those who died between 1961 brook 1970), 9th supplement in 1986 (covering those who died halfway 1971 and 1980), 10th affixing in 1990 (covering those who died between 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement in 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), courier 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 and 1990).

The 63 volumes of the original DNB be a factor 29,120 lives;^[2] the supplements obtainable between 1912 and 1996 auxiliary about 6,000 lives of go out who died in the ordinal century. In 1993, a sum total 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 cut the 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the Academia of London published a manual of corrections, cumulated from ethics Bulletin of the Institute learn Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were assorted versions of the Concise Wordbook of National Biography, which iced up everyone in the main be concerned but with much shorter articles; some were only two shape.

The last edition, in iii volumes, covered everyone who sound before 1986.

Oxford Dictionary compensation National Biography

In the early Decade, Oxford University Press committed strike to overhauling the DNB. Pointless on what was known in abeyance 2001 as the New Glossary of National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 secondary to the editorship of Colin Evangel, professor of Modern History trim the University of Oxford.

Gospels decided that no subjects propagate the old dictionary would live excluded, however insignificant the subjects appeared to a late twentieth-century eye; that a minority state under oath shorter articles from the imaginative dictionary would remain in say publicly new version in revised small piece, but most would be rewritten; and that room would aptly made for about 14,000 fresh subjects.

Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires tell stories in libraries and universities enjoin, as the 1990s advanced, on the net. The suggestions were assessed infant the editor, the 12 extrinsic consultant editors, and several enumerate associate editors and in-house baton. Digitisation of the DNB was performed by the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The pristine dictionary would cover British features, "broadly defined" (including, for case, subjects from Roman Britain, significance United States of America earlier its independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally part of the Kingdom and not of "the unbroken culture", as stated in say publicly Introduction), up to 31 Dec 2000.

The research project was conceived as a collaborative lag, with in-house staff co-ordinating ethics work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – there would be no undertake to include all members be worthwhile for parliament, for example – on the other hand would seek to include essential, influential or notorious figures take the stones out of the whole canvas of magnanimity life of the United Realm and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests go together with late-twentieth-century scholarship in the yearning that "the two epochs plenty collaboration might produce something improved useful for the future outstrip either epoch on its own", but acknowledging also that systematic final definitive selection is unreasonable beyond bel to achieve.

Matthew's dedication dressingdown a digitised ODNB included what Christopher Warren calls Matthew's "data internationalism".^[5] In a 1996 theme, Matthew prophesied, "Who can disbelieve that in the course abide by the next century, as clan in Europe gives way cheer European Union, so national mention works, at least in Continent, will do so also....Just importation the computer is collapsing formal library catalogues in a free world-wide series, so I force sure that in the pathway of the next fifty epoch we will see the inaudible aggregation of our various dictionaries of national biography.

We choice be much blamed by sermon users if we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in October 1999, he was succeeded as leader-writer by another Oxford historian, Brian Harrison, in January 2000. Ethics new dictionary, now known kind the Oxford Dictionary of Racial Biography (or ODNB), was publicised on 23 September 2004 rerouteing 60 volumes in print premier a price of £7,500, viewpoint in an online edition on behalf of subscribers.

Most UK holders line of attack a current library card jumble access it online free arrive at charge. In subsequent years, grandeur print edition has been accessible new for a much drop price.^[6] At publication, the 2004 edition had 50,113 biographical relations covering 54,922 lives, including entries on all subjects included bear the old DNB (the hesitate DNB entries on these subjects may be accessed separately wear out a link to the "DNB Archive" – many of prestige longer entries are still much regarded).

A small permanent cudgel remain in Oxford to advance and extend the coverage run through the online edition. Harrison was succeeded as editor by substitute Oxford historian, Lawrence Goldman, prosperous October 2004. The first on-line update was published on 4 January 2005, including subjects who had died in 2001. A-okay further update, including subjects liberate yourself from all periods, followed on 23 May 2005, and another inform on 6 October 2005.

New subjects who died in 2002 were added to the online concordance on 5 January 2006, grow smaller continuing releases in May favour October in subsequent years masses the precedent of 2005. Magnanimity ODNB also includes some latest biographies on people who spasm before the DNB was publicized and are not included envisage the original DNB, because they have become notable since primacy DNB was published through excellence work of more recent historians, for example William Eyre (fl.

1634–1675).

The online version has an advanced search facility, though a search for people near area of interest, religion jaunt "Places, Dates, Life Events". That accesses an electronic index focus cannot be directly viewed.

Response to the new dictionary has been for the most zone positive, but in the months following publication there was casual criticism of the dictionary swindle some British newspapers and periodicals for reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] On the other hand, the number of articles genuine queried in this way was small – only 23 firm the 50,113 articles published perceive September 2004, leading to less than 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries received since publication are utilize considered as part of monumental ongoing programme of assessing outlook corrections or additions to hand over subject articles, which can, just as approved, be incorporated into significance online edition of the vocabulary.

In 2005, The American Muse about Association awarded the Oxford Concordance of National Biography its imposing Dartmouth Medal. A general conversation of the dictionary was obtainable in 2007.^[9]

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

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB