About the Oxford DNB

Go back to the public home page or subscriber home page

The Oxford DNB

• What is it? Who's in it? Who wrote it? Who should use it? Read our quick guide

Free Oxford DNB: tasters to get you started

• A wealth of free material on many aspects of British history

A free biography every day – by email or RSS feed
Or listen to biographies with our fortnightly podcast

• Read the Oxford DNB at home using your local library's subscription

The Oxford Biography Index

• Our free and authoritative index of people from British history
• Browse the index

The subscription site: 57,000 life stories online

• Searching, browsing, linking - what the online edition can do for you
• Take a guided tour
• Find out about trials and how to subscribe

For subscribers

• Log in (using password or library card; with ClickandBuy; through Athens)
• For librarians: how to administer and promote your subscription
• For teachers and lecturers: using Oxford DNB in schools and at college and university
• For all readers: online help and guides

Reviews and Prizes

• Reviewers, scholars, librarians, and readers comment on the dictionary
• Prizes awarded to the Oxford DNB

The Oxford DNB in print

• The monumental print edition comprises 60 volumes and 60,305 pages

Background

• About the editor
  Founding editor, Colin Matthew (1992–1999), Brian Harrison (2000–2004), and the current editor, Lawrence Goldman

• Introduction and prefaces
  The dictionary in detail: introductions to the 2004 edition and all the online updates

• Essays and Insights
  Personal insights into aspects of the dictionary