Modern English biography, volume 1 (of 4), A-H

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

55059

Title

Modern English biography, volume 1 (of 4), A-H

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Frederic Boase's comprehensive biographical collection offers concise memoirs of over 8,000 notable English figures who died between 1850 and 1892. Covering a vast array of professions from military officers and clergy to artists, inventors, and criminals, this volume fills a gap in biographical literature by including lesser-known individuals often omitted from standard histories. With a focus on precise dates, places, and primary sources, it serves as an essential reference for understanding nineteenth-century English society and culture.

Summary up to 500 words

Published in 1892, *Modern English Biography, Volume 1 (A-H)* by Frederic Boase represents a meticulous response to the overwhelming scale of nineteenth-century biographical literature. Recognizing that general biography had become too vast for a single comprehensive work, Boase adopted a lexicographical approach, dividing the subject into small, alphabetically arranged sections. This volume serves as a meticulously researched compendium containing nearly 8,000 concise memoirs of persons who died since 1850. The scope of the work is exceptionally broad, covering not only high-ranking figures such as privy councillors, knights, judges, bishops, admirals, generals, and members of parliament, but also a wide variety of other individuals. Boase deliberately included architects, engineers, inventors, actors, musicians, sporting celebrities, eccentric characters, and notorious criminals who might otherwise be omitted from standard biographical accounts. Furthermore, the text extends its reach to foreigners who spent significant portions of their lives in England and some British colonials. Boase's methodology was rigorous. He examined the transactions of scientific and literary societies, as well as the best-known magazines and newspapers, to extract biographical notices. Special attention was paid to the accuracy of birth and death dates, with information sought from printed sources, private individuals, church registers, and the Registrar General at Somerset House. A unique feature of the volume is its dedication to portraits; Boase inserted thousands of notices of likenesses extracted from various publications. Additionally, he compiled an elaborate index covering actors, dancers, singers, pseudonyms, and various professions, a task undertaken by his brother, G. C. Boase. Adhering to the principle that "we want the biographies of common people," the book records hundreds of notices of less-known authors, artists, journalists, merchants, and country gentlemen found in no other book. Peers are listed under their titles rather than family names to assist ordinary readers, while Knights Bachelor are detailed with specific dates and places of knighthood extracted from the *London Gazette*. Published with only 250 copies, this work stands as an important contribution to English biography, offering exact facts and details often missing from larger, more generalized works.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Biography