ODNB provides an illustrated collection of more than 60,000 specially written biographies of the men and women from around the world who shaped all aspects of Britain’s past.
It is an important record of historical figures and notable persons and includes useful information about the archival sources from which the biographical entries have been written.
Unlike Wikipedia articles which can be authored by anybody, the articles in ODNB are written by researchers and experts in the field. This includes academics from CCCU. e.g. the article on Richard Culmer, Church of England clergyman and iconoclast was written by Emeritus Professor Jackie Eales.
A free online Wikisource version of the ODNB is available but it is an earlier version of the current dictionary with articles written between 1885-1912. To find up-to-date articles, which include new evidence and research, you are advised to search the latest version which is continually updated and is available via Library Search; otherwise you might find an article authored by a late Victorian or Edwardian whose view of the world is somewhat different from your own.
Note ODNB provides biographical information about people from the past and so you will not find famous people who are are alive today. Since 2005 regular updates have extended the Dictionary’s coverage to persons who died in or before the year 2016. Some critics have described its entries as ‘pale, male and stale’ but ODNB has worked hard to redress the balance of its Victorian roots and is multiculturally diverse. In the tools and resources section you can find featured essays and reference lists about groups e.g. the Pre-raphaelite Brotherhood.
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