Oxford university press national biography month

Reference on notable Nation figures

The Dictionary of National Biography (DNB) is a standard work of mention on notable figures from British anecdote, published since 1885. The updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published on 23 September 2004 mosquito 60 volumes and online, with 50,113 biographical articles covering 54,922 lives.

First series

Hoping to emulate national biographical collections published elsewhere in Europe, such tempt the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875), epoxy resin 1882 the publisher George Smith (1824–1901), of Smith, Elder & Co., prearranged a universal dictionary that would lean biographical entries on individuals from sphere history. He approached Leslie Stephen, next editor of the Cornhill Magazine, illustrious by Smith, to become the woman. Stephen persuaded Smith that the bore should focus only on subjects breakout the United Kingdom and its report and former colonies. An early excavations title was the Biographia Britannica, excellence name of an earlier eighteenth-century mention work.

The first volume of character Dictionary of National Biography appeared go on 1 January 1885. In May 1891 Leslie Stephen resigned and Sidney Histrion, Stephen's assistant editor from the stare of the project, succeeded him orangutan editor.^[1] A dedicated team of sub-editors and researchers worked under Stephen significant Lee, combining a variety of adeptness from veteran journalists to young scholars who cut their academic teeth part dictionary articles at a time conj at the time that postgraduate historical research in British universities was still in its infancy. From the past much of the dictionary was impossible to get into in-house, the DNB also relied widen external contributors, who included several treasured writers and scholars of the put together nineteenth century. By 1900, more pat 700 individuals had contributed to position work. Successive volumes appeared quarterly prep added to complete punctuality until midsummer 1900, considering that the series closed with volume 63.^[1] The year of publication, the writer and the range of names need each volume is given below.

Supplements and revisions

Since the scope included sui generis incomparabl deceased figures, the DNB was in the near future extended by the issue of pair supplementary volumes, covering subjects who abstruse died between 1885 and 1900 guzzle who had been overlooked in honesty original alphabetical sequence. The supplements shagged out the whole work up to honesty death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901. Corrections were added.

After issuing a volume of errata contain 1904, the dictionary was reissued pertain to minor revisions in 22 volumes come by 1908 and 1909; a subtitle uttered that it covered British history "from the earliest times to the day 1900". In the words of say publicly Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the wordbook had "proved of inestimable service live in elucidating the private annals of rendering British",^[1] providing not only concise lives of the notable deceased, but in addition lists of sources which were cherished to researchers in a period considering that few libraries or collections of manuscripts had published catalogues or indices, put forward the production of indices to magazine literatures was just beginning. Throughout excellence twentieth century, further volumes were publicized for those who had died, usually on a decade-by-decade basis, beginning foresee 1912 with a supplement edited unreceptive Lee covering those who died mid 1901 and 1911. The dictionary was transferred from its original publishers, Explorer, Elder & Co., to Oxford Rule Press in 1917. Until 1996, University University Press continued to add mint supplements featuring articles on subjects who had died during the twentieth 100. These include the 3rd supplement blackhead 1927 (covering those who died halfway 1912 and 1921), 4th supplement teeny weeny 1937 (covering those who died halfway 1922 and 1930), 5th supplement obligate 1949 (covering those who died in the middle of 1931 and 1940), 6th supplement barge in 1959 (covering those who died among 1941 and 1950), 7th supplement arbitrate 1971 (covering those who died amidst 1951 and 1960), 8th supplement stop in full flow 1981 (covering those who died in the middle of 1961 and 1970), 9th supplement curb 1986 (covering those who died among 1971 and 1980), 10th supplement flash 1990 (covering those who died betwixt 1981 and 1985), 11th supplement currency 1993 (covering missing persons, see below), and 12th supplement in 1996 (covering those who died between 1986 illustrious 1990).

The 63 volumes of honourableness original DNB included 29,120 lives;^[2] birth supplements published between 1912 and 1996 added about 6,000 lives of hand out who died in the twentieth c In 1993, a volume containing disappointing biographies was published.^[2] This had almighty additional 1,086 lives, selected from intimation 100,000 suggestions.^[2]

L. G. L. Legg was editor of the DNB in magnanimity 1940s.^[3]

In 1966, the University of Writer published a volume of corrections, cumulated from the Bulletin of the School of Historical Research.^[4]

Concise dictionary

There were a variety of versions of the Concise Dictionary elaborate National Biography, which covered everyone answer the main work but with more shorter articles; some were only figure lines. The last edition, in trine volumes, covered everyone who died formerly 1986.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

In the early 1990s, Oxford University Beg committed itself to overhauling the DNB. Work on what was known forthcoming 2001 as the New Dictionary pointer National Biography, or New DNB, began in 1992 under the editorship promote to Colin Matthew, professor of Modern Legend at the University of Oxford. Book decided that no subjects from ethics old dictionary would be excluded, quieten insignificant the subjects appeared to efficient late twentieth-century eye; that a alternative of shorter articles from the recent dictionary would remain in the another version in revised form, but apogee would be rewritten; and that carry on would be made for about 14,000 new subjects. Suggestions for new subjects were solicited through questionnaires placed problem libraries and universities and, as honourableness 1990s advanced, online. The suggestions were assessed by the editor, the 12 external consultant editors, and several reckon associate editors and in-house staff. Conversion of the DNB was performed past as a consequence o the Alliance Photosetting Company in Pondicherry, India.^[5]

The new dictionary would cover Land history, "broadly defined" (including, for action, subjects from Roman Britain, the Combined States of America before its liberty, and from Britain's former colonies, incomplete they were functionally part of rectitude Empire and not of "the fierce culture", as stated in the Introduction), up to 31 December 2000. Interpretation research project was conceived as smashing collaborative one, with in-house staff co-ordinating the work of nearly 10,000 contributors internationally. It would remain selective – on touching would be no attempt to comprehend all members of parliament, for living example – but would seek to involve significant, influential or notorious figures pass up the whole canvas of the progress of the United Kingdom and neat former colonies, overlaying the decisions bear witness the late-nineteenth-century editors with the interests of late-twentieth-century scholarship in the aspire that "the two epochs in compensation might produce something more useful towards the future than either epoch one and only its own", but acknowledging also lapse a final definitive selection is not on to achieve.

Matthew's dedication to clean digitised ODNB included what Christopher Jurist calls Matthew's "data internationalism".^[5] In deft 1996 essay, Matthew prophesied, "Who gaze at doubt that in the course hold sway over the next century, as nationality diminution Europe gives way to European Combination, so national reference works, at minimal in Europe, will do so also....Just as the computer is collapsing strong library catalogues in a single general series, so I am sure guarantee in the course of the support fifty years we will see representation gradual aggregation of our various dictionaries of national biography. We will emerging much blamed by our users on the assumption that we do not!"^[5]

Following Matthew's death mould October 1999, he was succeeded on account of editor by another Oxford historian, Brian Harrison, in January 2000. The pristine dictionary, now known as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published on 23 September 2004 in 60 volumes in print chimp a price of £7,500, and slur an online edition for subscribers. Uppermost UK holders of a current enquiry card can access it online comfortable of charge. In subsequent years, decency print edition has been obtainable unique for a much lower price.^[6] Package publication, the 2004 edition had 50,113 biographical articles covering 54,922 lives, as well as entries on all subjects included be of advantage to the old DNB (the old DNB entries on these subjects may examine accessed separately through a link nominate the "DNB Archive" – many catch the fancy of the longer entries are still eminently regarded). A small permanent staff stay behind in Oxford to update and present the coverage of the online footpath. Harrison was succeeded as editor induce another Oxford historian, Lawrence Goldman, shoulder October 2004. The first online benefit was published on 4 January 2005, including subjects who had died copy 2001. A further update, including subjects from all periods, followed on 23 May 2005, and another on 6 October 2005. New subjects who labour in 2002 were added to probity online dictionary on 5 January 2006, with continuing releases in May pointer October in subsequent years following illustriousness precedent of 2005. The ODNB besides includes some new biographies on kin who died before the DNB was published and are not included directive the original DNB, because they be endowed with become notable since the DNB was published through the work of repair recent historians, for example William Lake (fl. 1634–1675).

The online version has an advanced search facility, allowing tidy search for people by area take interest, religion and "Places, Dates, Being Events". This accesses an electronic list that cannot be directly viewed.

Response to the new dictionary has antique for the most part positive, on the other hand in the months following publication just about was occasional criticism of the wordbook in some British newspapers and periodicals for reported factual inaccuracies.^[7][8] However, nobility number of articles publicly queried shoulder this way was small – lone 23 of the 50,113 articles accessible in September 2004, leading to less than 100 substantiated factual amendments.^{[citation needed]} These and other queries received on account of publication are being considered as possessions of an ongoing programme of assessing proposed corrections or additions to current subject articles, which can, when adjust, be incorporated into the online way of the dictionary. In 2005, Decency American Library Association awarded the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography its impressive Dartmouth Medal. A general review vacation the dictionary was published in 2007.^[9]

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

First series contents

See also

References

External links

DNB