Dictionary of Scientific Biography
Encyclopedia
The Dictionary of Scientific Biography is a scholarly reference work that was published from 1970 through 1980. It is supplemented by the New Dictionary of Scientific Biography and an electronic version that includes both publications.
of scientist
s from antiquity to modern times, but excluding scientists who were alive when the Dictionary was first published. It includes scientists who worked in the areas of mathematics
, physics
, chemistry
, biology
, and earth science
s. The work is notable for being one of the most substantial reference works in the field of history of science
, containing extensive biographies on hundreds of figures. It gives information about both the personal biography and in considerable detail about the scientific contributions. Engineers, physicians, social scientists and philosophers only appeared "when their work was intrinsically related to the sciences of nature or to mathematics." Though the Dictionary has worldwide coverage, the editors write that it focuses most on Western scientists, due to the limited availability of scholarship about Asian, Indian and Islamic historical scientists at the time.
The articles in the Dictionary are typically 1–5 pages and are written by eminent historians of science. All articles list a selection of the original works of the subject, as well as a comprehensive list of the secondary literature about them (which may be in any language), including early works as well as more contemporary ones.
The first volume of the Dictionary was first put out in 1970, under the general editorship of Charles Coulston Gillispie
. The set was completed in 1980. The Dictionary was published under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies
by Charles Scribner's Sons
in 16 volumes. Volume 15 is Supplement I; it contains additional biographies as well as topical essays on non-Western scientific traditions. Volume 16 is the general index. A 2-volume Supplement II with additional biographies was published in 1990.
In 1981, after the 16-volume set was complete, Scribner's published a one-volume abridgment, the Concise Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Its second edition was published in 2001 and includes content from the 1990 Supplement II.
In 1981, the American Library Association
awarded the Dartmouth Medal
to the Dictionary as a reference work of outstanding quality and significance.
, was published by Scribner's in December 2007 with 775 entries. Nearly 500 of these are new articles about scientists who died after 1950 and thus were not included in the original Dictionary; 75 articles are on figures from earlier periods not included in the original Dictionary of Scientific Biography, including a substantial number of female and third-world scientific figures. The other 250 are supplementary or replacement articles giving recent research and interpretation, intended to be read in conjunction with the corresponding articles in the original dictionary. The coverage now includes psychology, anthropology, and to a limited extent some areas of sociology and economics.
. It includes the complete text of both print editions, with a unified index and other finding aids. The e-book version is available as part of the Gale Virtual Reference Library. Many of the article are available online through HighBeam Research
's encyclopedia portal (through a series of acquisition both Charles Scribner's Sons and HighBeam Research are both owned by Cengage Learning
.)
Dictionary of Scientific Biography
The Dictionary of Scientific Biography is a scholarly English-language reference work consisting of biographiesBiography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s from antiquity to modern times, but excluding scientists who were alive when the Dictionary was first published. It includes scientists who worked in the areas of mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, and earth science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
s. The work is notable for being one of the most substantial reference works in the field of history of science
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
, containing extensive biographies on hundreds of figures. It gives information about both the personal biography and in considerable detail about the scientific contributions. Engineers, physicians, social scientists and philosophers only appeared "when their work was intrinsically related to the sciences of nature or to mathematics." Though the Dictionary has worldwide coverage, the editors write that it focuses most on Western scientists, due to the limited availability of scholarship about Asian, Indian and Islamic historical scientists at the time.
The articles in the Dictionary are typically 1–5 pages and are written by eminent historians of science. All articles list a selection of the original works of the subject, as well as a comprehensive list of the secondary literature about them (which may be in any language), including early works as well as more contemporary ones.
The first volume of the Dictionary was first put out in 1970, under the general editorship of Charles Coulston Gillispie
Charles Coulston Gillispie
Charles Coulston Gillispie is an American historian of science, and the Dayton-Stockton Professor of History of Science, Emeritus at Princeton University.The son of Raymond Livingston Gillispie, Gillispie grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
. The set was completed in 1980. The Dictionary was published under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies
American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies , founded in 1919, is a private nonprofit federation of seventy scholarly organizations.ACLS is best known as a funder of humanities research through fellowships and grants awards. ACLS Fellowships are designed to permit scholars holding the Ph.D...
by Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
in 16 volumes. Volume 15 is Supplement I; it contains additional biographies as well as topical essays on non-Western scientific traditions. Volume 16 is the general index. A 2-volume Supplement II with additional biographies was published in 1990.
In 1981, after the 16-volume set was complete, Scribner's published a one-volume abridgment, the Concise Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Its second edition was published in 2001 and includes content from the 1990 Supplement II.
In 1981, the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
awarded the Dartmouth Medal
Dartmouth Medal
The Dartmouth Medal of the American Library Association is awarded annually to a reference work of outstanding quality and significance, published during the previous calendar year.-History:...
to the Dictionary as a reference work of outstanding quality and significance.
New Dictionary of Scientific Biography
The New Dictionary of Scientific Biography, edited by Noretta KoertgeNoretta Koertge
Noretta Koertge is a philosopher of science noted for her work on Karl Popper and scientific rationality. She worked since 1981 as a Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Indiana University and is now an Emeritus Professorship...
, was published by Scribner's in December 2007 with 775 entries. Nearly 500 of these are new articles about scientists who died after 1950 and thus were not included in the original Dictionary; 75 articles are on figures from earlier periods not included in the original Dictionary of Scientific Biography, including a substantial number of female and third-world scientific figures. The other 250 are supplementary or replacement articles giving recent research and interpretation, intended to be read in conjunction with the corresponding articles in the original dictionary. The coverage now includes psychology, anthropology, and to a limited extent some areas of sociology and economics.
Electronic version
In 2007, Charles Scribner's Sons published the Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography as an e-bookE-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
. It includes the complete text of both print editions, with a unified index and other finding aids. The e-book version is available as part of the Gale Virtual Reference Library. Many of the article are available online through HighBeam Research
HighBeam Research
HighBeam Research is a paid search engine owned by Cengage Learning for newspapers, magazines, academic journals, newswires, trade magazines and encyclopedias...
's encyclopedia portal (through a series of acquisition both Charles Scribner's Sons and HighBeam Research are both owned by Cengage Learning
Cengage Learning
Cengage Learning is a publisher of print and digital information services for the academic, professional and library markets, and delivers customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the...
.)
Editions
- Gillispie, Charles C., editor in chief. Dictionary of Scientific Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970–1980. 16 vols. ISBN 0684101149. Supplement II, edited by Frederic Lawrence Holmes, 2 vols., 1990. ISBN 0684169622 (set).
- Concise Dictionary of Scientific Biography. American Council of Learned Societies. New York Scribner, 1981. ISBN 068416650X.
- Koertge, Noretta, editor in chief. New Dictionary of Scientific Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2007. 8 vols. ISBN 0684313200.
- Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2007 [e-book]. ISBN 0684315599.
Reviews
- by Jacques Barzun, in ScienceScience (journal)Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
, Vol. 170. no. 3958, pp. 615 – 616 DOI: 10.1126/science.170.3958.615 - by Krupp, E. C. "Prisoner in Disguise – A Review of: Dictionary of Scientific Biography Volume XV, Supplement I" Archaeoastronomy, Vol. 8, p. 142
- Stephen G. Brush. (March 1972). "A Fascinating Reference: Dictionary of Scientific Biography" The Physics Teacher Volume 10, Issue 3, p. 158 doi:10.1119/1.2352143
External links
- Suggest inclusions for the New Dictionary of Scientific Biography; includes list of current entries
- Some sample DSB entries, digitized by Cultural Heritage Language Technologies and the Linda Hall LibraryLinda Hall LibraryThe Linda Hall Library is a privately-endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, about a "five-minute walk from Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art." It is the "largest independently funded public library of science, engineering and...
- Introduction to the New DSB from Indiana University