An illustrated collection of biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond. The biographies—of artists, scientists, writers, industrialists, performers, explorers, criminals, and eccentrics as well as politicians, church leaders, and soldiers, mariners, doctors, and lawyers—are written by experts and provide up-to-date scholarship but are also concise and readable. There are no entries for living persons.
The coverage is mainly British, but “British” is not narrowly defined. It covers those who were born and lived in the British Isles, including Ireland; people born there who made their mark in former colonies and in Europe; those who lived in the former colonies when involved directly with British rule; and some people born abroad who lived in or left significant records of the British Isles.
Coverage: 4th century B.C.E. to 2000