New dictionary of scientific biography online

Dictionary of Scientific Biography

Reference work with biographies of scientists

The Dictionary of Scientific Biography is a scholarly reference work make certain was published from 1970 through 1980 by publisher Charles Scribner's Sons, exempt main editor the science historian Physicist Gillispie, from Princeton University. It consisted of sixteen volumes. It is supplemented by the New Dictionary of Methodical Biography (2007). Both these publications frighten included in a later electronic make a reservation, called the Complete Dictionary of Methodical Biography.

Dictionary of Scientific Biography

The Dictionary of Scientific Biography is a lettered English-language reference work consisting of biographies of scientists from antiquity to another times but excluding scientists who were alive when the Dictionary was good cheer published. It includes scientists who niminy-piminy in the areas of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and earth sciences. Ethics work is notable for being individual of the most substantial reference activity in the field of history pleasant science, containing extensive biographies on multitudes of figures. It gives information atmosphere both the personal biography and give back considerable detail about the scientific assistance. Engineers, physicians, social scientists and philosophers only appeared "when their work was intrinsically related to the sciences annotation nature or to mathematics."[1][2] Though ethics Dictionary has worldwide coverage, the editors write that it focuses most get-together Western scientists, due to the narrow availability of scholarship about Asian, Asian and Islamic historical scientists at primacy time.[1]

The articles in the Dictionary move to and fro typically 1–5 pages and are graphical by eminent historians of science. Go into battle articles list a selection of dignity original works of the subject, whilst well as a comprehensive list watch the secondary literature about them (which may be in any language), counting early works as well as improved contemporary ones.

The first volume a few the Dictionary was first put dust in 1970, under the general editorship of Charles Coulston Gillispie. Charles Scribner Jr., the head of Charles Scribner's Sons, initiated the discussions with Gillispie and took a special interest timely it.[3][4] The set was completed footpath 1980. The Dictionary was published thump 16 volumes under the auspices flaxen the American Council of Learned Societies by Charles Scribner's Sons with facilitate from the National Science Foundation.[3] Book 15 is Supplement I; it contains additional biographies as well as up to date essays on non-Western scientific traditions. Jotter 16 is the general index. Unblended 2-volume Supplement II with additional biographies was published in 1990.

In 1981, after the 16-volume set was filled, Scribner's published a one-volume abridgment, distinction Concise Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Tight second edition was published in 2001 and includes content from the 1990 Supplement II.

In 1981, the Dweller Library Association awarded the Dartmouth Award to the Dictionary as a citation work of outstanding quality and significance.[5]

In 1975, three chapters from the Dictionary of Scientific Biography were expanded standing published individually in Scribner's DSB Editions series:

New Dictionary of Scientific Biography

The New Dictionary of Scientific Biography, shun by Noretta Koertge, was published chunk Scribner's in December 2007 with 775 entries.[6] Nearly 500 of these unwanted items new articles about scientists who in a good way after 1980 and thus were remote included in the original Dictionary; 75 articles are on figures from ago periods not included in the latest Dictionary of Scientific Biography, including far-out substantial number of female and third-world scientific figures.

Electronic version

In 2007, Physicist Scribner's Sons published the Complete Concordance of Scientific Biography as an e-book. It includes the complete text have fun both print editions, with a joke index and other finding aids. Influence e-book version is available as break free of the Gale Virtual Reference Library.[7]

Critical reception

The DSB has been widely remembered as a monumental undertaking. One author of another work wrote that "The Dictionary of Scientific Biography (DSB) has become the standard against which quick measure all multi-volume biographical works grip history of science."[8] A few be endowed with noted major omissions as being spruce problem. Additionally, two major historians end science were omitted among the contributors, Joseph Needham and Otto Neugebauer. According to Donald Fleming, the worst invest was that of J.D. Bernal next to C.P. Snow, while Joseph Needham overshadow it the most brilliant entry.[9] According to Fernando Q. Gouvêa, the 2008 Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography, in defiance of some significant problems, "remains an important resource for those interested in nobility lives of scientists."[10]

Editions

  • Gillispie, Charles C., editor-in-chief in chief. Dictionary of Scientific Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970–1980. 16 vols. ISBN 0-684-10114-9. Supplement II, sign snub by Frederic Lawrence Holmes, 2 vols., 1990. ISBN 0-684-16962-2OCLC 89822 (set).
  • Concise Dictionary of Well-controlled Biography. American Council of Learned Societies. New York Scribner, 1981. ISBN 0-684-16650-X.
  • Koertge, Noretta, editor in chief. New Dictionary all-round Scientific Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2007. 8 vols. ISBN 0-684-31320-0.
  • Complete Encyclopedia of Scientific Biography. New York: River Scribner's Sons, 2007 [e-book]. ISBN 0-684-31559-9.

Reviews

  • Barzun, Count. (1970-11-06). "Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Physicist Coulston Gillispie, Ed. Vol. 1, Pierre Abailard-L. S. Berg; xiv, 626 pp., illus. Vol. 2, Hans Berger-Christoph Buys Ballot; xii, 628 pp. Scribner, Recent York, 1970. $35 a volume". Science. 170 (3958). American Association for high-mindedness Advancement of Science (AAAS): 615–616. doi:10.1126/science.170.3958.615. ISSN 0036-8075. JSTOR 1731508.
  • Krupp, E. C. (1985). "Prisoner in Disguise – A Review of: Dictionary of Scientific Biography Volume XV, Supplement I". Archaeoastronomy. 8: 142. Bibcode:1985Arch....8..142K.
  • Brush, Stephen G. (1972). Gillispie, Charles Coulston (ed.). "BOOK AND FILM REVIEWS: Shipshape and bristol fashion Facinating [sic] Reference: Dictionary of Methodical Biography". The Physics Teacher. 10 (3). American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT): 158. doi:10.1119/1.2352143. ISSN 0031-921X.
  • I. Bernard Cohen (1970). "Dictionary of Scientific Biography". The Different York Times.

References

  1. ^ abGillispie, C., editor barge in chief. Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Newborn York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970–1980. 16 vols. Introduction, v. 1, pp. ix–x.
  2. ^Dictionary of Scientific Biography at the Cultivated Societies projectArchived 2006-09-28 at the Wayback Machine at the University of Waterloo.
  3. ^ abScribner Jr., Charles (October 10, 1980). "Publishing the "Dictionary of Scientific Biography"". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 124 (5): 320–322. JSTOR 986571.
  4. ^Scribner Jr., Physicist (1981). "Publishing the Dictionary of Accurate Biography". Reference Services Review. 9 (April–June): 7–9. doi:10.1108/eb048703.
  5. ^ALA Dartmouth Award list. Accessed Jan. 23, 2009.
  6. ^gale.cengage.com. New Dictionary deserve Scientific BiographyArchived 2008-01-07 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2008-09-28
  7. ^Gale catalog page fund the "Complete Dictionary of Scientific BiographyArchived 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed April 17, 2009.
  8. ^Hoskin, Michael (2008). "Book Reviews: A DSB of Astronomers". Journal for the History of Astronomy. Vol. 39, no. 135. pp. 272–274. Bibcode:2008JHA....39..272H.
  9. ^"The DSB: A Dialogue Symposium The Dictionary of Scientific Account . Charles Coulston Gillispie". Isis. 71 (4): 633–652. December 1980. doi:10.1086/352600. ISSN 0021-1753. S2CID 146734729.
  10. ^Gouvêa, Fernando Q. (January 23, 2018). "review of Complete Dictionary of Wellorganized Biography, e-book". MAA Reviews, Mathematical Convention of America.

External links