Almost 55,000 people who have had a major impact on British society are profiled in a new 60-volume book that has taken 12 years to compile. It has cost more than ￡25million and taken 10,000 writers to update the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Murder victims Stephen Lawrence and James Bulger are among those joining the likes of Queen Victoria and Gandhi. The new version of the dictionary, which was founded in 1882, costs ￡7,500 and takes up 12 feet of shelf space. Projects director Robert Faber said Stephen Lawrence was included because his death triggered "dramatic developments in British policing and social policy". Women make up 10% of the entries - double the previous share - and include Queen Elizabeth I, Dusty Springfield, Linda McCartney and Virginia Woolf, whose father compiled the first edition. Alongside the famous names are lesser known individuals such as the inventor of snooker, army reservist(预备役军人)Neville Chamberlain. Stephen Lawrence and James Bulger were both included because of the "overwhelming soul-searching(真挚的自我反省、深思)and examination of education and social policy" which followed their deaths. Mr Faber said: "These are not just people who were killed but people who had an impact. Jill Dando is there as much for her career but also because her death became a public event. "So many of these people have seized the public imagination and have contributed to public debate." 小题1: How much does a volume of the new version cost on average?
|