Haere Mai, Welcome to EPIC.
A purchasing consortium which enables access to quality databases in NZ libraries

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Explore the lives of people who have shaped the past over the last 2,400 years - from the Greek explorer Pytheas to Princess Diana, and from the founding fathers of America to the Nawabs of Bengal. Containing more than 57,000 articles, 65 million words and over 10,500 portrait illustrations, the online edition of the Dictionary of National Biography offers fast desktop access to the complete text of the new 60-volume dictionary, as well as the complete text of the first 33-volume print Dictionary of National Biography.

Subjects: Biography, Genealogy, History

Audience: General public, Secondary students, Tertiary students

Content type: Homework resources, Quick facts, Images

EPIC subscription option: EPIC Opt-in Product

Features of the online version of the Dictionary of National Biography include;

  • advanced search options which open up wide research avenues - search for people by date, field of interest or occupation, place of birth, education, residence, death or burial (from country down to street and even building), religious affiliation, and more
  • external links to the National Register of Archives, National Portrait Gallery, and more
  • Regular updates  added every 4 months to include new biographies, themes for reference, illustrations, improved website features, and additions to articles already published.

More about Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on their website

URLs for Oxford Online Databases

Page last updated: 27 January 2011.