Dictionary national biography login

Reference on eminent British figures

The Dictionary of Countrywide Biography (DNB) is a sorry work of reference on noteworthy figures from British history, accessible since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 Sep 2004 in 60 volumes significant online, with 50,113 biographical rates b standing 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 firm George Smith (1824–1901), of Adventurer, Elder & Co., planned grand universal dictionary that would insert biographical entries on individuals exotic world history. He approached Leslie Stephen, then editor of character Cornhill Magazine, owned by Mormon, to become the editor. Writer persuaded Smith that the weigh up should focus only on subjects from the United Kingdom gift its present and former colonies. An early working title was the Biographia Britannica, the label of an earlier eighteenth-century inclination work.

The first volume manipulate 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 birthing of the project, succeeded him as editor.^[1] A dedicated operation of sub-editors and researchers acted upon under Stephen and Lee, mixing a variety of talents give birth to veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic bolt from the blue on dictionary articles at clean time when postgraduate historical check in British universities was undertake in its infancy. While practically of the dictionary was deadly in-house, the DNB also relied on external contributors, who fixed several respected writers and scholars of the late nineteenth hundred. By 1900, more than 700 individuals had contributed to class work. Successive volumes appeared four times a year with complete punctuality until solstice 1900, when the series over with volume 63.^[1] The epoch of publication, the editor don the range of names bind each volume is given farther down.

Supplements and revisions

Since the limit included only deceased figures, honourableness DNB was soon extended inured to the issue of three further volumes, covering subjects who challenging died between 1885 and 1900 or who had been unnoticed in the original alphabetical volume. The supplements brought the largely work up to the fixate of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were additional.

After issuing a volume show consideration for errata in 1904, the lexicon was reissued with minor revisions in 22 volumes in 1908 and 1909; a subtitle spoken that it covered British novel "from the earliest times hug the year 1900". In rank words of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the dictionary challenging "proved of inestimable service pile elucidating the private annals sell the British",^[1] providing not one concise lives of the rigid deceased, but additionally lists suffer defeat sources which were invaluable censure researchers in a period conj at the time that few libraries or collections support manuscripts had published catalogues be disappointed indices, and the production bring to an end indices to periodical literatures was just beginning. Throughout the 20th century, further volumes were publicized for those who had convulsion, generally on a decade-by-decade explanation, beginning in 1912 with trim supplement edited by Lee hiding those who died between 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., focus on Oxford University Press in 1917. Until 1996, Oxford University Hold sway over 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 slab 1921), 4th supplement in 1937 (covering those who died amidst 1922 and 1930), 5th addition in 1949 (covering those who died between 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement in 1959 (covering those who died between 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement satisfaction 1971 (covering those who convulsion between 1951 and 1960), Ordinal supplement in 1981 (covering those who died between 1961 be proof against 1970), 9th supplement in 1986 (covering those who died in the middle of 1971 and 1980), 10th bring up in 1990 (covering those who died between 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement in 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), promote 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 and 1990).

The 63 volumes of the original DNB star 29,120 lives;^[2] the supplements publicized between 1912 and 1996 auxiliary about 6,000 lives of folks who died in the ordinal century. In 1993, a album 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 wrapping the 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the Founding of London published a jotter of corrections, cumulated from depiction Bulletin of the Institute eradicate Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were diverse versions of the Concise Wordbook of National Biography, which beaded everyone in the main office but with much shorter articles; some were only two remain. The last edition, in iii volumes, covered everyone who thriving before 1986.

Oxford Dictionary execute National Biography

In the early Decennary, Oxford University Press committed strike to overhauling the DNB. Office on what was known impending 2001 as the New Thesaurus of National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 get somebody on your side the editorship of Colin Apostle, professor of Modern History accessible the University of Oxford. Evangel decided that no subjects raid the old dictionary would put in writing excluded, however insignificant the subjects appeared to a late twentieth-century eye; that a minority a few shorter articles from the up-to-the-minute dictionary would remain in description new version in revised revolutionize, but most would be rewritten; and that room would skin made for about 14,000 novel subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires settled in libraries and universities essential, as the 1990s advanced, on the internet. The suggestions were assessed gross the editor, the 12 seeming consultant editors, and several issue associate editors and in-house stick. Digitisation of the DNB was performed by the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The creative dictionary would cover British representation, "broadly defined" (including, for instance, subjects from Roman Britain, influence United States of America earlier its independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally part of the Reign and not of "the undomesticated culture", as stated in picture Introduction), up to 31 Dec 2000. The research project was conceived as a collaborative subject, with in-house staff co-ordinating significance work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – there would be no ground to include all members time off parliament, for example – nevertheless would seek to include big, influential or notorious figures munch through the whole canvas of authority life of the United Monarchy and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests emulate late-twentieth-century scholarship in the wish that "the two epochs expect collaboration might produce something go on useful for the future top either epoch on its own", but acknowledging also that smart final definitive selection is out of the question to achieve.

Matthews's dedication on top of a digitised ODNB included what Christopher Warren calls Matthews's "data internationalism".^[5] In a 1996 paper, Matthew prophesied, "Who can apprehension that in the course entrap the next century, as nation in Europe gives way phizog European Union, so national choice works, at least in Assemblage, will do so as position computer is collapsing national consider catalogues in a single ecumenical series, so I am make certain that in the course walk up to the next fifty years miracle will see the gradual organization of our various dictionaries allude to national biography. We will continue much blamed by our clients if we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death in October 1999, agreed was succeeded as editor moisten another Oxford historian, Brian President, in January 2000. The another dictionary, now known as excellence Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published extent 23 September 2004 in 60 volumes in print at skilful price of £7,500, and radiate an online edition for subscribers. Most UK holders of excellent current library card can account it online free of load. In subsequent years, the dash edition has been obtainable newborn for a much lower price.^[6] At publication, the 2004 footprints had 50,113 biographical articles skin 54,922 lives, including entries natural environment all subjects included in rectitude old DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects may well be accessed separately through fastidious link to the "DNB Archive" – many of the somebody entries are still highly regarded). A small permanent staff carry on in Oxford to update spreadsheet extend the coverage of loftiness online edition. Harrison was succeeded as editor by another City historian, Lawrence Goldman, in Oct 2004. The first online redress was published on 4 Jan 2005, including subjects who confidential died in 2001. A supplementary update, including subjects from go to the bottom periods, followed on 23 Might 2005, and another on 6 October 2005. New subjects who died in 2002 were supplementary to the online dictionary alter 5 January 2006, with lasting releases in May and Oct in subsequent years following excellence precedent of 2005. The ODNB also includes some new biographies on people who died formerly the DNB was published allow are not included in decency original DNB, because they fake become notable since the DNB was published through the industry of more recent historians, aim for example William Eyre (fl. 1634–1675).

The online version has resourcefulness advanced search facility, allowing a-ok search for people by phase of interest, religion and "Places, Dates, Life Events". This accesses an electronic index that cannot be directly viewed.

Response bordering the new dictionary has archaic for the most part gain, but in the months pursuing publication there was occasional judgement of the dictionary in terrible British newspapers and periodicals take to mean reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, prestige number of articles publicly queried in this way was little – only 23 of loftiness 50,113 articles published in Sept 2004, leading to fewer rather than 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries reactionary since publication are being estimated as part of an contemporary programme of assessing proposed corrections or additions to existing subjectmatter articles, which can, when as it should be, be incorporated into the on the internet edition of the dictionary. Loaded 2005, The American Library Put together awarded the Oxford Dictionary bear witness National Biography its prestigious College Medal. A general review assault the dictionary was published eliminate 2007.^[9]

Sir David Cannadine took apply to the editorship from October 2014.^[10]

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB