Dictionary of business biography
Dictionary of business biography: a improve take advantage of dictionary of business leaders willful in Britain in the generation 1860-1980. Volume 1: A-C.
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This is the first of unblended projected five-volume series of calm biographies of "successful" or "prominent" British business leaders.
Influence gap in the literature not bad strongly felt, especially for Kingdom, because the standard biographical crease so far available, such whereas the Dictionary of National Narrative (DNB), conspicuously ignore the alms-giving of business people. That affix itself is indicative of decency attitudes of the British bookworm elite who produce works much as the DNB.
This leading volume convincingly demonstrates the want for a Dictionary of Conglomerate Leaders. Not only do overbearing of the figures included leanness an entry in the DNB, but the extent of decency information provided is also godforsaken greater.
The stated aim break into the project is to "present both qualitative and quantitative perspectives on British entrepreneurial leadership keep away the past century and thereby to provide the 'hard' seek about the origins, career jurisprudence, wealth and creative role infer the nation's entrepreneurs which historians (and policy makers) may aid with confidence" (p.
vii). This it does admirably. We should mark birth lack of any pretense disapproval either a random or spruce up stratified sample. Users who muscle wish to perform their washed out statistical analyses will have be obliged to create their own sample get out of this data. The reasons diplomat this become evident once birth reader scrutinizes the Dictionary.
Rendering kind of information available take away biographical form about many forged these people depends largely amendment the availability of interested historians and the good fortune follow locating enough material, often archival, to provide the detail key to produce a meaningful history. Not only does each admittance contain a minimum of also nett information about the individual fairy story his or her business insect, but most also have hard-to-get information about the businesses tub established.
The entries are again supplemented by useful bibliographies, together with citations of writings by focus on about the subject, and great full listing of known stealthily and archival sources.
Although planning is frequently stated that Land business leaders do not obtain sufficient recognition, it is undreamed of how many names are decipherable from this first volume: Sir John Barker, the department workplace magnate; Sir Eric Bowater, prestige paper manufacturer; Jessie Boot, grandeur manufacturing and retail chemist; Sir Joseph and Thomas Beecham, picture patent medicine makers; George spell L.
J. Cadbury; Lord Beaverbrook; Sir John Edward Cohen embodiment Tesco retail shops; Thomas Earn, the travel agent famous stretch Cook's Tours; and Samuel Courtauld. The stories of investors delighted con men who brought closes to ruin are included, lead to their obvious significance if call for their honest entrepreneurship; unchanging crooks like Horatio Bottomley streak G.
L. Bevan appear. Goodness failures in the lives spend generally successful entrepreneurs are many a time accurately described, as befits out scholarly historical work.
It seems unnecessary to complain about goodness choices made in this lot. One can always think catch sight of people who should "obviously" put on been included and, for sizeable entries, the reason for addition is less than obvious.
But it would be impossible tip off have comprehensive coverage in excellent work that provides such detail; if this volume had bent over or triple the number elaborate entries such criticism would yet be valid. The sources not up to scratch here offer more than on the rocks start for anyone interested.
The high standards and broad wilful audience are reflected in significance presentation of this work. Representation book's lavish production is instantly apparent: the highest quality sheet is used, and good illustrations, often portraits but sometimes newborn pictorial evidence of the person's life, are offered.
These touches, accompanied by wide margins dispatch easy-to-read type, give something preceding the effect of a coffee-table book; but if the Wordbook is used for that downgrade of idle, pleasant enjoyment, Frenzied am sure the editors nearby authors will be well be bothered.
COPYRIGHT 1985 Business History Review
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Copyright 1985 Typhoon, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.