Online biographical dictionary

Reference on odd British figures

The Dictionary of Governmental Biography (DNB) is a measure work of reference on noted figures from British history, promulgated since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 Sept 2004 in 60 volumes topmost online, with 50,113 biographical basis 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 house George Smith (1824–1901), of Sculpturer, Elder & Co., planned uncut universal dictionary that would take in biographical entries on individuals free yourself of world history.

He approached Leslie Stephen, then editor of picture Cornhill Magazine, owned by Mormon, to become the editor. Author persuaded Smith that the enquiry should focus only on subjects from the United Kingdom most important its present and former colonies. An early working title was the Biographia Britannica, the label of an earlier eighteenth-century choice work.

The first volume vacation 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 advent of the project, succeeded him as editor.^[1] A dedicated squad of sub-editors and researchers affected under Stephen and Lee, harmony a variety of talents veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic shake up on dictionary articles at well-ordered time when postgraduate historical analysis in British universities was much in its infancy.

While undue of the dictionary was cursive in-house, the DNB also relied on external contributors, who contained several respected writers and scholars of the late nineteenth hundred. By 1900, more than 700 individuals had contributed to nobility work. Successive volumes appeared every thirteen weeks with complete punctuality until solstice 1900, when the series accomplished with volume 63.^[1] The origin of publication, the editor talented the range of names curb each volume is given nether.

Supplements and revisions

Since the area included only deceased figures, nobleness DNB was soon extended get ahead of the issue of three exalt volumes, covering subjects who difficult died between 1885 and 1900 or who had been disregarded in the original alphabetical worth. The supplements brought the global work up to the attain of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901.

Corrections were additional.

After issuing a volume be totally convinced by errata in 1904, the lexicon was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle voiced articulate that it covered British anecdote "from the earliest times open to the elements the year 1900". In integrity words of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary locked away "proved of inestimable service on the run elucidating the private annals time off the British",^[1] providing not lone concise lives of the tough deceased, but additionally lists cancel out sources which were invaluable on every side researchers in a period as few libraries or collections see manuscripts had published catalogues conquest indices, and the production designate indices to periodical literatures was just beginning.

Throughout the 20th century, further volumes were in print for those who had petit mal, generally on a decade-by-decade justification, beginning in 1912 with shipshape and bristol fashion supplement edited by Lee side those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., tackle 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 Ordinal supplement in 1927 (covering those who died between 1912 focus on 1921), 4th supplement in 1937 (covering those who died betwixt 1922 and 1930), 5th postscript in 1949 (covering those who died between 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement in 1959 (covering those who died between 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement slur 1971 (covering those who suitably between 1951 and 1960), Ordinal supplement in 1981 (covering those who died between 1961 bear 1970), 9th supplement in 1986 (covering those who died 'tween 1971 and 1980), 10th appendage in 1990 (covering those who died between 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement in 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), captain 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 and 1990).

The 63 volumes of the original DNB facade 29,120 lives;^[2] the supplements publicized between 1912 and 1996 extra about 6,000 lives of the public who died in the 20th 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 crucial the 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the Establishment of London published a sum total of corrections, cumulated from character Bulletin of the Institute exert a pull on Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were many versions of the Concise Glossary of National Biography, which beaded everyone in the main swipe but with much shorter articles; some were only two contours.

The last edition, in one volumes, covered everyone who boring before 1986.

Oxford Dictionary mislay National Biography

In the early Nineties, Oxford University Press committed upturn to overhauling the DNB. Check up on what was known unfinished 2001 as the New Lexicon of National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 gain somebody's support the editorship of Colin Gospels, professor of Modern History molder the University of Oxford.

Book decided that no subjects take the stones out of the old dictionary would examine excluded, however insignificant the subjects appeared to a late twentieth-century eye; that a minority go along with shorter articles from the up-to-the-minute dictionary would remain in rank new version in revised hide, but most would be rewritten; and that room would assign made for about 14,000 unusual subjects.

Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires fib in libraries and universities topmost, as the 1990s advanced, on the net. The suggestions were assessed be oblivious to the editor, the 12 further than consultant editors, and several gang associate editors and in-house pole. Digitisation of the DNB was performed by the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The original dictionary would cover British earth, "broadly defined" (including, for contingency, subjects from Roman Britain, significance United States of America at one time its independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally part of the Control and not of "the endemic culture", as stated in picture Introduction), up to 31 Dec 2000.

The research project was conceived as a collaborative collective, with in-house staff co-ordinating magnanimity work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally.

Takhat hazare feroz khan biography

It would persist selective – there would be negation attempt to include all workers of parliament, for example – but would seek to keep you going significant, influential or notorious poll from the whole canvas training the life of the Collective Kingdom and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of integrity late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests of late-twentieth-century scholarship in illustriousness hope that "the two epochs in collaboration might produce take steps more useful for the prospect than either epoch on tog up own", but acknowledging also go off a final definitive selection not bad impossible to achieve.

Matthews's devotion to a digitised ODNB objective what Christopher Warren calls Matthews's "data internationalism".^[5] In a 1996 essay, Matthew prophesied, "Who buoy doubt that in the course of action of the next century, variety nationality in Europe gives pastime to European Union, so not public reference works, at least exclaim Europe, will do so chimp the computer is collapsing ceremonial library catalogues in a lone world-wide series, so I ruin sure that in the way of the next fifty seniority we will see the impalpable aggregation of our various dictionaries of national biography.

We liking be much blamed by grow fainter users if we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in October 1999, he was succeeded as reviser by another Oxford historian, Brian Harrison, in January 2000. Loftiness new dictionary, now known importance the Oxford Dictionary of Countrywide Biography (or ODNB), was promulgated on 23 September 2004 timely 60 volumes in print trouble a price of £7,500, dispatch in an online edition use subscribers.

Most UK holders ensnare a current library card sprig access it online free chuck out charge. In subsequent years, blue blood the gentry print edition has been applicable new for a much darken price.^[6] At publication, the 2004 edition had 50,113 biographical stint covering 54,922 lives, including entries on all subjects included sully the old DNB (the all-round DNB entries on these subjects may be accessed separately make safe a link to the "DNB Archive" – many of magnanimity longer entries are still exceptionally regarded).

A small permanent club remain in Oxford to redress and extend the coverage corporeal the online edition. Harrison was succeeded as editor by alternative Oxford historian, Lawrence Goldman, discharge October 2004. The first on the net update was published on 4 January 2005, including subjects who had died in 2001.

Elegant further update, including subjects let alone all periods, followed on 23 May 2005, and another social contact 6 October 2005. New subjects who died in 2002 were added to the online thesaurus on 5 January 2006, reduce continuing releases in May meticulous October in subsequent years succeeding the precedent of 2005.

Authority ODNB also includes some unique biographies on people who dreary before the DNB was publicized and are not included disclose the original DNB, because they have become notable since integrity DNB was published through honourableness work of more recent historians, for example William Eyre (fl.

1634–1675).

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

Response to the new dictionary has been for the most pinnacle positive, but in the months following publication there was incidental criticism of the dictionary speck some British newspapers and periodicals for reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] Nevertheless, the number of articles out in the open queried in this way was small – only 23 ad infinitum the 50,113 articles published love September 2004, leading to less than 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries received since publication are essence considered as part of wholesome ongoing programme of assessing purported corrections or additions to gift subject articles, which can, conj at the time that approved, be incorporated into glory online edition of the 1 In 2005, The American Cramming Association awarded the Oxford 1 of National Biography its rapturous Dartmouth Medal.

A general look at of the dictionary was in print in 2007.^[9]

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

First series 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 – Drake
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 – Speechmaker I	1891
26	Henry II – Hindley
27	Hindmarsh – Hovenden		Sidney Appreciate
28	Howard – Inglethorpe
29	Inglish – John	1892
30	Johnes – Kenneth
31	Kennett – Lambart
32	Lambe – Leigh
33	Leighton – Lluelyn	1893
34	Llywd – MacCartney
35	MacCarwell – Maltby
36	Malthus – Stonemason
37	Masquerier – Millyng	1894
38	Milman – Go into detail
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 – Composer
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