Who's Who (UK)
Encyclopedia
Who's Who is an annual British
publication of biographies
which vary in length (typically a single paragraph or block) of about 30,000 living notable Britons.
.
Originally, it merely provided lists of the names of notable people, for example all Members of Parliament
and all bishops. Beginning with the 1897 edition, it listed people alphabetically and provided fuller biographical details.
A full online edition of the work was launched in 2005. However, it continues to be published annually in hard copy.
A history of Who's Who was published to coincide with the 150th edition in 1998.
, MPs
, judges
, very senior civil servants
, and distinguished writers, actor
s, lawyer
s, scientist
s, researcher
s, and artist
s. Some (such as those holding a Professorial Chair at Oxford or Cambridge
) are included automatically by virtue of their office; those in less hierarchical occupations are included at the discretion of the editors.
Inclusion in Who's Who, unlike many other publications, has never involved any payment by the subject, or even any obligation to buy a copy. Inclusion has always been by prominence in public life or professional achievement. Inclusion has therefore come to carry a considerable level of prestige. The Wall Street Journal has said that an entry in Who's Who "really puts the stamp on eminence on a modern British life", and the Daily Mail has described it as "Britain's most famous reference book".
Once someone is included in Who's Who he or she remains in it for life, so for example MPs are not removed when they leave Parliament. The 7th Earl of Lucan
is still listed in the book, even though he has been missing since 1974 and was declared legally dead
in 1999.
Who's Who has been criticised for its conservatism. For example, all members of the English, Scottish, British and United Kingdom Peerage
and Baronet
age are included, however minor their achievements, but many better-known people are not. Since subjects remain in the volume until death, the editors tend to prefer establishment figures to those (such as pop stars and sportsmen) who enjoy greater celebrity for a time, but may then slip out of public view entirely. However, the editors now include more such people than before but the numbers are a small proportion of the total. Jeremy Paxman
has pointed out that the publication is dominated by people who are active in British public life, including the members of the Scottish Parliament
, Welsh and Northern Ireland
Assemblies, as well as Members of the House of Commons
, the Chief Executives of all UK cities and counties, and foreign Ambassador
s accredited to London. He also points out that there is a high proportion of Oxford
and Cambridge
(Britain's most prestigious universities) graduates among the new entrants.
The publication is not a reliable source, since the entries are compiled from questionnaires returned to the publisher by the featured subjects. Some checks are made by the editors but subjects may say or omit anything they wish. For example, the playwright John Osborne
did not acknowledge an estranged daughter in his entry; Carole Jordan
does not mention any marriage in her article, although her ex-husband, Richard Peckover
, did in his. Paxman has also calculated that only 8% of new entrants in 2008 made any reference to marital breakdown, which is far below the national average.
On the other hand, by asking the people themselves to submit a short biography sometimes leads to them including titbits that would not otherwise be known, and allows the subject to show something of his or her character, rather than being a curriculum vitae, especially in the descriptions of "recreations". From conventional references to fishing, reading or opera (which still feature prominently), listed recreations now include "Maintaining rusty old cars", "Walking my iPod", "Anglophobia", "Being first in Who's who" and "Contemplating revenge".
Sometimes, there is an excess of detail: the prolific romantic novelist Dame Barbara Cartland
listed each of her publications, many hundreds of books, together with a list of her other achievements; the result was one of the longest entries in the book's history.
The first volume of Who Was Who covered deaths between 1897 and 1915, but more recently they have appeared at ten-year intervals, and now appear every five years.
s.
The name is also often used metaphorically, as in this example from an AP
wire article about Los Angeles
cemeteries:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
publication of biographies
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
which vary in length (typically a single paragraph or block) of about 30,000 living notable Britons.
History
Who's Who has been published since 1849 by A & C BlackA & C Black
A & C Black is a British book publishing company.The firm was founded in 1807 by Adam and Charles Black in Edinburgh, and moved to the Soho district of London in 1889. In 1851, the firm bought the copyright of Walter Scott's Waverley Novels for £27,000. In 1902 it published P. G...
.
Originally, it merely provided lists of the names of notable people, for example all Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and all bishops. Beginning with the 1897 edition, it listed people alphabetically and provided fuller biographical details.
A full online edition of the work was launched in 2005. However, it continues to be published annually in hard copy.
A history of Who's Who was published to coincide with the 150th edition in 1998.
Contents
Subjects include peersPeerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
, MPs
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, judges
Courts of England and Wales
Her Majesty's Courts of Justice of England and Wales are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales; they apply the law of England and Wales and are established under Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The United Kingdom does not have...
, very senior civil servants
British Civil Service
Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government - the government of the United Kingdom, composed of a Cabinet of ministers chosen by the prime minister, as well as the devolved...
, and distinguished writers, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s, scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s, researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
s, and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
s. Some (such as those holding a Professorial Chair at Oxford or Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
) are included automatically by virtue of their office; those in less hierarchical occupations are included at the discretion of the editors.
Inclusion in Who's Who, unlike many other publications, has never involved any payment by the subject, or even any obligation to buy a copy. Inclusion has always been by prominence in public life or professional achievement. Inclusion has therefore come to carry a considerable level of prestige. The Wall Street Journal has said that an entry in Who's Who "really puts the stamp on eminence on a modern British life", and the Daily Mail has described it as "Britain's most famous reference book".
Once someone is included in Who's Who he or she remains in it for life, so for example MPs are not removed when they leave Parliament. The 7th Earl of Lucan
Richard Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan
Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan , popularly known as Lord Lucan, as Lord Bingham before 1964, and sometimes colloquially called "Lucky" Lucan, was a British peer, who disappeared in the early hours of 8 November 1974, following the murder of Sandra Rivett, his children's nanny, the previous...
is still listed in the book, even though he has been missing since 1974 and was declared legally dead
Death in absentia
Death in absentia is a legal declaration that a person is deceased in the absence of remains attributable to that person...
in 1999.
Who's Who has been criticised for its conservatism. For example, all members of the English, Scottish, British and United Kingdom Peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
and Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
age are included, however minor their achievements, but many better-known people are not. Since subjects remain in the volume until death, the editors tend to prefer establishment figures to those (such as pop stars and sportsmen) who enjoy greater celebrity for a time, but may then slip out of public view entirely. However, the editors now include more such people than before but the numbers are a small proportion of the total. Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
has pointed out that the publication is dominated by people who are active in British public life, including the members of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, Welsh and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
Assemblies, as well as Members of the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, the Chief Executives of all UK cities and counties, and foreign Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
s accredited to London. He also points out that there is a high proportion of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
(Britain's most prestigious universities) graduates among the new entrants.
The publication is not a reliable source, since the entries are compiled from questionnaires returned to the publisher by the featured subjects. Some checks are made by the editors but subjects may say or omit anything they wish. For example, the playwright John Osborne
John Osborne
John James Osborne was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor and critic of the Establishment. The success of his 1956 play Look Back in Anger transformed English theatre....
did not acknowledge an estranged daughter in his entry; Carole Jordan
Carole Jordan
Professor Dame Carole Jordan, DBE, FRS, FInstP, was the first ever female president of the Royal Astronomical Society. She was also only the third female recipient of its Gold Medal .-Education:Carole Jordan was educated at Harrow County Grammar School for Girls and at University College London...
does not mention any marriage in her article, although her ex-husband, Richard Peckover
Richard Peckover
Richard Stuart Peckover FInstP, FIMA, FRMetS, FRAS, FSaRS was Chief Safety Adviser to the UK Atomic Energy Authority, 2000–2002. He married Carole Jordan in 1971; they divorced in 1983...
, did in his. Paxman has also calculated that only 8% of new entrants in 2008 made any reference to marital breakdown, which is far below the national average.
On the other hand, by asking the people themselves to submit a short biography sometimes leads to them including titbits that would not otherwise be known, and allows the subject to show something of his or her character, rather than being a curriculum vitae, especially in the descriptions of "recreations". From conventional references to fishing, reading or opera (which still feature prominently), listed recreations now include "Maintaining rusty old cars", "Walking my iPod", "Anglophobia", "Being first in Who's who" and "Contemplating revenge".
Sometimes, there is an excess of detail: the prolific romantic novelist Dame Barbara Cartland
Barbara Cartland
Dame Barbara Hamilton Cartland, DBE, CStJ , was an English author, one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century...
listed each of her publications, many hundreds of books, together with a list of her other achievements; the result was one of the longest entries in the book's history.
Who Was Who
When someone dies, their biography is transferred to the volumes of Who Was Who, where they are usually printed as they appeared in the last Who's Who, appended with their date of death.The first volume of Who Was Who covered deaths between 1897 and 1915, but more recently they have appeared at ten-year intervals, and now appear every five years.
Other uses of the name
The name has been widely copied, and now there are many publications with "Who's Who" in the title, though they are not from the same publisher. Some of these are considered to be merely Who's Who scamWho's Who scam
A Who's Who scam is a fraudulent Who's Who biographical directory. While there are many legitimate Who's Who directories, some individuals have created Who's Who scams that involve the selling of "memberships" in Who's Who directories that are created online and through instant publishing services...
s.
The name is also often used metaphorically, as in this example from an AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
wire article about Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
cemeteries: