Background

For the most part, the biographies that appear in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online reproduce those that were originally commissioned by the Dictionary of Canadian Biography for its print version and were republished, some with minor corrections, in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Volumes I-XIV, CD-ROM (2000). A selection of biographies from unpublished volumes is also included. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography, whose first volume appeared in 1966, is a joint project of the University of Toronto and the Université Laval and presents the work of researchers and writers in many fields from across Canada and around the world.

In 2003, a licensing agreement was reached between the Department of Canadian Heritage and the two universities to make the Dictionary of Canadian Biography available on the Internet. Library and Archives Canada then became responsible for putting the Dictionary of Canadian Biography into its online form.

The following is a list of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography volumes with corresponding date ranges and publication dates:

Volume I, 1000-1700 (1966; reprinted with corrections 1979)
Volume II, 1701-40 (1969; reprinted with corrections 1982)
Volume III, 1741-70 (1974)
Volume IV, 1771-1800 (1979)
Volume V, 1801-20 (1983)
Volume VI, 1821-35 (1987)
Volume VII, 1836-50 (1988)
Volume VIII, 1851-60 (1985)
Volume IX, 1861-70 (1976)
Volume X, 1871-80 (1972)
Volume XI, 1881-90 (1982)
Volume XII, 1891-1900 (1990)
Volume XIII, 1901-10 (1994)
Volume XIV, 1911-20 (1998)
Volume XV, 1921-30 (In progress)

For further information related to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, please consult the Dictionary of Canadian Biography website