Dictionary of Australian Biography
Encyclopedia
The Dictionary of Australian Biography, published in 1949, is a reference work by Percival Serle
containing information on notable people associated with Australia
n history. With approximately a thousand entries, the book took more than twenty years to complete. It should not be confused with the multi-volume Australian Dictionary of Biography
published by Melbourne University Press in 1966.
The book contains 1030 biographies of Australians, or men who were closely connected with Australia, who died before the end of 1942. According to Serle in his preface:
The average length of the biographies is about 640 Words, and Serle classified them roughly into the following twelve groups:
The number of women included is 42; 4% of the biographies. Forty-seven percent of those included in the book were born in England
, 27% in Australia, 12% Scotland
, 8% Ireland
, 1% Wales
and the last 5% were from the rest of the world which included 12 from the United States
, 9 from Germany
, and 6 from New Zealand
.
Prior to its publication similar Australian reference works included:
Subsequently other Australian biographical dictionaries have been released including:
Percival Serle
Percival Serle was an Australian biographer and bibliographer.Serle was born in Victoria and for many years worked in a life assurance office before becoming chief clerk and accountant at the University of Melbourne...
containing information on notable people associated with Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n history. With approximately a thousand entries, the book took more than twenty years to complete. It should not be confused with the multi-volume Australian Dictionary of Biography
Australian Dictionary of Biography
The Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
published by Melbourne University Press in 1966.
The book contains 1030 biographies of Australians, or men who were closely connected with Australia, who died before the end of 1942. According to Serle in his preface:
"This date closed the first one hundred and fifty years of Australia's history, for although the first fleet arrived in January 1788, the first emigrant ship, the Bellona, did not come until January 1793. Until then Australia had been merely a dumping ground for convicts, but the arrival of free emigrants foreshadowed the founding of a nation."
The average length of the biographies is about 640 Words, and Serle classified them roughly into the following twelve groups:
- Army and Navy – 10
- Artists, including architects, actors, and musicians – 130
- Governors and administrators – 50
- Lawyers – 69
- Literary men and women – 137
- Notorieties – 17
- Pioneers, explorers, pastoralists, men of business – 161
- Politicians – 174
- Scholars, philosophers, clergymen – 76
- Scientists, including physicians, surgeons, and engineers- 140
- Social reformers, philanthropists, educationists – 53
- Sporting men (cricketers and athletes) – 13
The number of women included is 42; 4% of the biographies. Forty-seven percent of those included in the book were born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 27% in Australia, 12% Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, 8% Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, 1% Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and the last 5% were from the rest of the world which included 12 from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 9 from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and 6 from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Prior to its publication similar Australian reference works included:
- John Henniker Heaton's' Australian Dictionary of Dates and Men of the Time, 1897
- David Blair'sDavid Blair (encyclopedist)David Blair was an Irish Australian politician, journalist and encyclopedist.-Background:David Blair was born in County Monaghan, Ireland to parents of Scottish descent. He studied at the Hibernian Military School, Dublin...
Blair's Cyclopaedia of Australasia, 1881 - Philip Mennell's The Dictionary of Australasian Biography from the Inauguration of Responsible Government, 1892
- Fred JohnsFred JohnsFrederick Johns was an Australian journalist and biographer.Johns was born in Houghton, Michigan, United States, son of Cornishman Ezekial Johns of Cornwall, UK. Fred Johns was educated in Cornwall. He emigrated to Australia in 1884 and obtained a position on the South Australian Register, and...
' Johns's Notable Australians, 1906 later editions were published as Who's Who in AustraliaWho's Who in AustraliaThe Who's Who in Australia is an Australian biographical reference first published by Fred Johns in 1906 as Johns's Notable Australians. It has been used by academics as a resource that identifies Australia's leading individuals, and has been analysed when studying the social backgrounds –... - Fred JohnsFred JohnsFrederick Johns was an Australian journalist and biographer.Johns was born in Houghton, Michigan, United States, son of Cornishman Ezekial Johns of Cornwall, UK. Fred Johns was educated in Cornwall. He emigrated to Australia in 1884 and obtained a position on the South Australian Register, and...
' An Australian Biographical Dictionary, 1934 - The Australian EncyclopaediaAustralian EncyclopaediaThe Australian Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia focused on Australia. In addition to biographies of notable Australians the coverage includes the geology, flora, fauna as well as the history of the continent. It was first published by Angus and Robertson in two volumes, one each in 1925 and 1926...
1925–1926
Subsequently other Australian biographical dictionaries have been released including:
- Australian Dictionary of BiographyAustralian Dictionary of BiographyThe Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
from 1966 - Who's Who in AustraliaWho's Who in AustraliaThe Who's Who in Australia is an Australian biographical reference first published by Fred Johns in 1906 as Johns's Notable Australians. It has been used by academics as a resource that identifies Australia's leading individuals, and has been analysed when studying the social backgrounds –...
External links
- Dictionary of Australian Biography (1949) courtesy of Project Gutenberg AustraliaProject Gutenberg AustraliaProject Gutenberg Australia, abbreviated as PGA, is an Internet site which was founded in 2001 by Colin Choat. The site hosts free ebooks or e-texts which are in the public domain in Australia. The ebooks have been prepared and submitted by volunteers...
(contains details of people who died before 1942).