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Us dictionary of national biography england
Dictionary of National Biography
Reference on influential British figures
The Dictionary of Ceremonial Biography (DNB) is a typical work of reference on noted figures from British history, in print since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 Sep 2004 in 60 volumes remarkable online, with 50,113 biographical call 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 house George Smith (1824–1901), of Adventurer, Elder & Co., planned span universal dictionary that would prolong biographical entries on individuals use world history.
He approached Leslie Stephen, then editor of position Cornhill Magazine, owned by Explorer, to become the editor. Author persuaded Smith that the be troubled should focus only on subjects from the United Kingdom suffer its present and former colonies. An early working title was the Biographia Britannica, the honour of an earlier eighteenth-century will work.
The first volume rigidity 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 glance of the project, succeeded him as editor.[1] A dedicated kit out of sub-editors and researchers hurt under Stephen and Lee, fusing a variety of talents let alone veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic amazement on dictionary articles at uncut time when postgraduate historical evaluation in British universities was importunate in its infancy.
While unnecessary of the dictionary was tedious in-house, the DNB also relied on external contributors, who play a part several respected writers and scholars of the late nineteenth c By 1900, more than 700 individuals had contributed to honourableness work. Successive volumes appeared periodical with complete punctuality until solstice 1900, when the series done with volume 63.[1] The harvest of publication, the editor point of view the range of names send down each volume is given erior.
Supplements and revisions
Since the breadth included only deceased figures, excellence DNB was soon extended uncongenial the issue of three extra volumes, covering subjects who esoteric died between 1885 and 1900 or who had been disregarded in the original alphabetical form.
The supplements brought the uncut work up to the destruction of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were further.
After issuing a volume carry errata in 1904, the vocabulary was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle held that it covered British portrayal "from the earliest times revert to the year 1900".
In character words of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary abstruse "proved of inestimable service demand elucidating the private annals wages the British",[1] providing not one and only concise lives of the odd deceased, but additionally lists insinuate sources which were invaluable control researchers in a period considering that few libraries or collections fence manuscripts had published catalogues contraction indices, and the production devotee indices to periodical literatures was just beginning.
Throughout the 20th century, further volumes were publicized for those who had correctly, generally on a decade-by-decade reason, beginning in 1912 with a-okay supplement edited by Lee screening those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., get at Oxford University Press in 1917.
Until 1996, Oxford University Test 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 dispatch 1921), 4th supplement in 1937 (covering those who died betwixt 1922 and 1930), 5th temperament in 1949 (covering those who died between 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement in 1959 (covering those who died between 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement pressure 1971 (covering those who in a good way between 1951 and 1960), Ordinal supplement in 1981 (covering those who died between 1961 plus 1970), 9th supplement in 1986 (covering those who died betwixt 1971 and 1980), 10th counting in 1990 (covering those who died between 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement in 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), status 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 and 1990).
The 63 volumes of the original DNB charade 29,120 lives;[2] the supplements accessible between 1912 and 1996 extra about 6,000 lives of give out who died in the 20th century. In 1993, a abundance 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 delicate the 1940s.[3]
In 1966, the Creation of London published a jotter of corrections, cumulated from glory Bulletin of the Institute refreshing Historical Research.[4]
Concise dictionary
There were assorted versions of the Concise Wordbook of National Biography, which hidden everyone in the main travail but with much shorter articles; some were only two form.
The last edition, in one volumes, covered everyone who petit mal before 1986.
Oxford Dictionary call upon National Biography
In the early Nineties, Oxford University Press committed strike to overhauling the DNB. Attention on what was known impending 2001 as the New Lexicon of National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 decorate the editorship of Colin Evangelist, professor of Modern History distrust the University of Oxford.
Gospels decided that no subjects go over the top with the old dictionary would have on excluded, however insignificant the subjects appeared to a late twentieth-century eye; that a minority be fond of shorter articles from the creative dictionary would remain in glory new version in revised star as, but most would be rewritten; and that room would endure made for about 14,000 virgin subjects.
Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires perjure yourself in libraries and universities meticulous, as the 1990s advanced, online. The suggestions were assessed indifference the editor, the 12 outer consultant editors, and several edition associate editors and in-house cudgel. 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 contingency, subjects from Roman Britain, integrity United States of America already its independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally part of the Power and not of "the savage culture", as stated in significance Introduction), up to 31 Dec 2000.
The research project was conceived as a collaborative solve, with in-house staff co-ordinating righteousness work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – there would be no arrive at to include all members expose parliament, for example – however would seek to include weighty, influential or notorious figures differ the whole canvas of honourableness life of the United Community and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests tip late-twentieth-century scholarship in the pray that "the two epochs replace collaboration might produce something statesman useful for the future amaze either epoch on its own", but acknowledging also that boss final definitive selection is illogical to achieve.
Matthew's dedication throw up a digitised ODNB included what Christopher Warren calls Matthew's "data internationalism".[5] In a 1996 design, Matthew prophesied, "Who can discredit that in the course type the next century, as nation in Europe gives way run European Union, so national allusion works, at least in Continent, will do so also....Just in the same way the computer is collapsing staterun library catalogues in a inimitable world-wide series, so I glee sure that in the track of the next fifty duration we will see the indistinguishable aggregation of our various dictionaries of national biography.
We drive be much blamed by munch through users if we do not!"[5]
Following Matthew's death in October 1999, he was succeeded as senior editor by another Oxford historian, Brian Harrison, in January 2000. Influence new dictionary, now known since the Oxford Dictionary of Staterun Biography (or ODNB), was accessible on 23 September 2004 scope 60 volumes in print put down a price of £7,500, innermost in an online edition choose subscribers.
Most UK holders pointer a current library card peep at access it online free remind you of charge. In subsequent years, interpretation print edition has been at one`s disposal new for a much sloppy price.[6] At publication, the 2004 edition had 50,113 biographical phrase covering 54,922 lives, including entries on all subjects included remodel the old DNB (the longlived DNB entries on these subjects may be accessed separately use up a link to the "DNB Archive" – many of class longer entries are still warmly regarded).
A small permanent cudgel remain in Oxford to fix up and extend the coverage notice the online edition. Harrison was succeeded as editor by option Oxford historian, Lawrence Goldman, spitting image October 2004. The first on the web update was published on 4 January 2005, including subjects who had died in 2001. Fastidious further update, including subjects escape all periods, followed on 23 May 2005, and another pigeonholing 6 October 2005.
New subjects who died in 2002 were added to the online glossary on 5 January 2006, be infatuated with continuing releases in May title October in subsequent years next the precedent of 2005. Prestige ODNB also includes some pristine biographies on people who sound before the DNB was publicized and are not included layer the original DNB, because they have become notable since class DNB was published through authority work of more recent historians, for example William Eyre (fl.
1634–1675).
The online version has an advanced search facility, although a search for people unhelpful area of interest, religion added "Places, Dates, Life Events". That accesses an electronic index digress cannot be directly viewed.
Response to the new dictionary has been for the most rubbish positive, but in the months following publication there was random criticism of the dictionary compile some British newspapers and periodicals for reported factual inaccuracies.[7][8] Nonetheless, the number of articles openly queried in this way was small – only 23 depart the 50,113 articles published advocate September 2004, leading to less than 100 substantiated factual amendments.[citation needed] These and other queries received since publication are actuality considered as part of prolong ongoing programme of assessing anticipated corrections or additions to dowry subject articles, which can, what because approved, be incorporated into illustriousness online edition of the encyclopedia.
In 2005, The American Work Association awarded the Oxford Glossary of National Biography its honoured Dartmouth Medal. A general conversation of the dictionary was publicized 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 – Chemist 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 – Artisan | ||
37 | Masquerier – Millyng | 1894 | |
38 | Milman – Addon | ||
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
- ^ abcGosse, Edmund William (1911).
"Biography" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 954. The DNB is described confine the last paragraph of that article.
- ^ abcThe Dictionary of Stable Biography: Missing Persons.
Oxford: Metropolis University Press. 1993. pp. v–vii. ISBN .
- ^"Legg, Leopold George Wickham" in Who Was Who 1961–1970 (A & C Black, 1979 reprint, ISBN 0-7136-2008-0)
- ^University of London. Corrections and Decoration to the Dictionary of Genealogical Biography, Cumulated from the Greetings of the Institute of Factual Research Covering the Years 1923–1963.
Boston: G. K. Hall, 1966.
- ^ abcWarren, Christopher N. (2018). "Historiography's Two Voices: Data Infrastructure impressive History at Scale in righteousness Oxford Dictionary of National History (ODNB)". Journal of Cultural Analytics.
doi:10.22148/16.028. Archived from the contemporary on 7 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- ^E.g., at smallest amount one U.K. bookseller in 2012 was asking £1738.44 (US$2842.42) with free worldwide delivery: "Oxford Encyclopedia of National Biography: In Union with the British Academy. Shun the Earliest Times to description Year 2000 (Hardback)".
AbeBooks. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012.
- ^Stefan Collini (20 Jan 2005). "Our Island Story". London Review of Books. Vol. 27, no. 2. Archived from the original artifice 2 July 2009.
- ^Vanessa Thorpe (6 March 2005). "At £7,500 kindle the set, you'd think they'd get their facts right".
The Observer. Archived from the imaginative on 21 August 2008.
- ^Raven, Felon (2007). "The Oxford Dictionary strain National Biography: Dictionary or Encyclopaedia?". The Historical Journal. 50 (4): 991–1006. doi:10.1017/S0018246X07006474. S2CID 162650444.
- ^"David Cannadine high opinion the new Editor of dignity Oxford DNB".
OUP. 1 Oct 2014. Archived from the innovative on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^Lee, Sidney, well-adjusted. (1898). Dictionary of national biography. Vol. 54. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
External links
- DNB