History of the dictionary of national biography

Reference on unusual British figures

The Dictionary of Steady Biography (DNB) is a defective work of reference on extraordinary figures from British history, obtainable since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 Sep 2004 in 60 volumes swallow online, with 50,113 biographical entitle covering 54,922 lives.

First series

Hoping to emulate national biographical collections published elsewhere in Europe, specified as the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875), in 1882 the owner George Smith (1824–1901), of Sculpturer, Elder & Co., planned capital universal dictionary that would incorporate biographical entries on individuals elude world history.

He approached Leslie Stephen, then editor of nobleness Cornhill Magazine, owned by Mormon, to become the editor. Writer persuaded Smith that the effort should focus only on subjects from the United Kingdom prep added to its present and former colonies. An early working title was the Biographia Britannica, the designation of an earlier eighteenth-century wish work.

The first volume bring into play 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 outset of the project, succeeded him as editor.^[1] A dedicated side of sub-editors and researchers influenced under Stephen and Lee, integration a variety of talents overrun veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic astonish on dictionary articles at unadorned time when postgraduate historical inquiry in British universities was freeze in its infancy.

While undue of the dictionary was graphic in-house, the DNB also relied on external contributors, who make-believe several respected writers and scholars of the late nineteenth hundred. By 1900, more than 700 individuals had contributed to illustriousness work. Successive volumes appeared every three months with complete punctuality until solstice 1900, when the series concluded with volume 63.^[1] The best of publication, the editor opinion the range of names perceive each volume is given downstairs.

Supplements and revisions

Since the sequence included only deceased figures, significance DNB was soon extended dampen the issue of three fresh volumes, covering subjects who esoteric died between 1885 and 1900 or who had been undiscovered in the original alphabetical string. The supplements brought the largely work up to the ephemerality of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901.

Corrections were adscititious.

After issuing a volume warm errata in 1904, the lexicon was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle aforesaid that it covered British description "from the earliest times homily the year 1900". In rank words of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary locked away "proved of inestimable service on the run elucidating the private annals past it the British",^[1] providing not solitary concise lives of the noteworthy deceased, but additionally lists be paid sources which were invaluable acquiescent researchers in a period what because few libraries or collections additional manuscripts had published catalogues agreeable indices, and the production swallow indices to periodical literatures was just beginning.

Throughout the 20th century, further volumes were publicized for those who had dreary, generally on a decade-by-decade base, beginning in 1912 with pure supplement edited by Lee hiding those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., discover Oxford University Press in 1917.

Until 1996, Oxford University Break down continued to add further supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the ordinal century. These include the Tertiary supplement in 1927 (covering those who died between 1912 skull 1921), 4th supplement in 1937 (covering those who died in the middle of 1922 and 1930), 5th attachment in 1949 (covering those who died between 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement in 1959 (covering those who died between 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement break open 1971 (covering those who correctly between 1951 and 1960), Ordinal supplement in 1981 (covering those who died between 1961 roost 1970), 9th supplement in 1986 (covering those who died 'tween 1971 and 1980), 10th epilogue in 1990 (covering those who died between 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement in 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), snowball 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 and 1990).

The 63 volumes of the original DNB be part of the cause 29,120 lives;^[2] the supplements promulgated between 1912 and 1996 with the addition of about 6,000 lives of punters who died in the 20th century. In 1993, a notebook 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 hurt the 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the Institute of London published a mass of corrections, cumulated from say publicly Bulletin of the Institute confess Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were several versions of the Concise Thesaurus of National Biography, which cold everyone in the main out of a job but with much shorter articles; some were only two pass the time.

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

Oxford Dictionary senior National Biography

In the early Decennium, Oxford University Press committed upturn to overhauling the DNB. Reading on what was known till such time as 2001 as the New Wordbook of National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 foul up the editorship of Colin Gospels, professor of Modern History as a consequence the University of Oxford.

Gospels decided that no subjects make the first move the old dictionary would carbon copy excluded, however insignificant the subjects appeared to a late twentieth-century eye; that a minority eliminate shorter articles from the modern dictionary would remain in honesty new version in revised place of duty, but most would be rewritten; and that room would remark made for about 14,000 pristine subjects.

Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires set in libraries and universities stomach, as the 1990s advanced, on the net. The suggestions were assessed provoke the editor, the 12 cosmetic consultant editors, and several 100 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 version, "broadly defined" (including, for instance, subjects from Roman Britain, dignity United States of America once its independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally part of the Monarchy and not of "the ferocious culture", as stated in class Introduction), up to 31 Dec 2000.

The research project was conceived as a collaborative twofold, with in-house staff co-ordinating loftiness work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – there would be no exertion to include all members delightful parliament, for example – however would seek to include crucial, influential or notorious figures alien the whole canvas of high-mindedness life of the United Field and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests decay late-twentieth-century scholarship in the yearning that "the two epochs house collaboration might produce something additional useful for the future mystify either epoch on its own", but acknowledging also that nifty final definitive selection is improbable to achieve.

Matthew's dedication cause problems a digitised ODNB included what Christopher Warren calls Matthew's "data internationalism".^[5] In a 1996 piece, Matthew prophesied, "Who can alarm that in the course methodical the next century, as ethnos in Europe gives way unexpected European Union, so national inclination works, at least in Continent, will do so also....Just despite the fact that the computer is collapsing countrywide library catalogues in a inimitable world-wide series, so I fruit drink sure that in the road of the next fifty era we will see the initesimal aggregation of our various dictionaries of national biography.

We discretion be much blamed by blur 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. Dignity new dictionary, now known renovation the Oxford Dictionary of Public Biography (or ODNB), was available on 23 September 2004 access 60 volumes in print hit out at a price of £7,500, be proof against in an online edition embody subscribers.

Most UK holders do paperwork a current library card vesel access it online free have a high opinion of charge. In subsequent years, probity print edition has been gettable new for a much turn down price.^[6] At publication, the 2004 edition had 50,113 biographical an understanding covering 54,922 lives, including entries on all subjects included compile the old DNB (the insensitive DNB entries on these subjects may be accessed separately trace a link to the "DNB Archive" – many of honesty longer entries are still tremendously regarded).

A small permanent standard remain in Oxford to rehabilitate and extend the coverage slant the online edition. Harrison was succeeded as editor by on Oxford historian, Lawrence Goldman, featureless October 2004. The first on-line update was published on 4 January 2005, including subjects who had died in 2001. Trig further update, including subjects unapproachable all periods, followed on 23 May 2005, and another present 6 October 2005.

New subjects who died in 2002 were added to the online concordance on 5 January 2006, awaken continuing releases in May enthralled October in subsequent years consequent the precedent of 2005. Loftiness ODNB also includes some different biographies on people who athletic before the DNB was available and are not included buy the original DNB, because they have become notable since greatness DNB was published through picture work of more recent historians, for example William Eyre (fl.

1634–1675).

The online version has an advanced search facility, even supposing a search for people beside area of interest, religion take precedence "Places, Dates, Life Events". That accesses an electronic index stray cannot be directly viewed.

Response to the new dictionary has been for the most bits and pieces positive, but in the months following publication there was infrequent criticism of the dictionary compel some British newspapers and periodicals for reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] On the other hand, the number of articles straightforward queried in this way was small – only 23 carry-on the 50,113 articles published contain September 2004, leading to less than 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries received since publication are coach considered as part of nourish ongoing programme of assessing insignificant corrections or additions to dowry subject articles, which can, conj at the time that approved, be incorporated into position online edition of the phrasebook.

In 2005, The American Retreat Association awarded the Oxford Glossary of National Biography its imposing Dartmouth Medal. A general dialogue of the dictionary was promulgated 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 – Physicist I	1891
26	Henry II – Hindley
27	Hindmarsh – Hovenden		Sidney Take pleasure in
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 – Optional extra
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 – Actress
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