Medieval library at Zutphen

The DMLBS list of sources and bibliography has been published only as a key to the abbreviated references used in the dictionary text. The first version of this was published in Fasc. I (1975), which was then superseded by a wholly revised version in Fasc. III (1986, reprinted unchanged with Fasc. V). A supplementary list of additions and corrections was published with Fasc. VI (2001).

The project now uses a single consolidated listing consisting of the Bibliography from Fasc. III with the amendments from the Fasc. VI supplement integrated in it, together with such further additions and corrections as have emerged since the release of the supplementary list. This consolidated list is now available as a webpage on this site. Before consulting this list, users are invited to note the following, especially the information about treatment of new editions and other issues relating to changes in citation practice. Users should also note the information about references in the Guide for Users.

New editions

For any dictionary prepared over the course of many decades it is likely that new texts will become available in printed editions and new editions of texts be released. For the DMLBS this has frequenly presented a dilemma between quoting from the best available edition of a text and having a degree of consistency and stability in the form of reference and edition cited throughout the dictionary for any given text.

Different solutions have been required for different texts, and these have generally been documented in the bibliography. However, we have tried in every instance to ensure that the dictionary user will be able to locate the text as quoted, using the information printed in the dictionary, whether in the bibliography or in the dictionary text.

In general, where possible, the practice for referring to locations in a text in a new edition is typically to continue to use the existing form of reference (e.g. citation by number, page of MS, folio, page of edition formerly cited) to enable the dictionary user to locate the position of the quotation within the text, but often the quoted text itself will be taken from the more recent edition identified in the bibliography (or given in the reference in the dictionary text), which may at that point not have identical text to the text in the edition with respect to which the reference is formed. Where there is a discrepancy, therefore, between a text quoted and the text at the location to which the reference might appear to refer, it is likely to be drawn from a newer edition, to which the dictionary user should therefore refer.

Changes of abbreviation

The DMLBS has largely retained stable forms of abbreviation through the dictionary text, but in some instances changes have had to be made, with a new abbreviation adopted for later parts of the dictionary, superseding an earlier one. The superseded forms are generally given only as cross-references within the bibliography.

Inclusion of sources

The bibliography lists the sources of material quoted in the dictionary, and so several authors and texts are included in it that more recent research has revealed on whatever grounds not to fall within the dictionary's official remit or corpus in not being British. Although these sources are no longer used for preparing the dictionary, quotations from them of course remain in the existing printed dictionary. Accordingly, these items remain in the bibliography so that the quotations from these sources can still be identified by dictionary users. Appearance in the DMLBS bibliography thus does not of itself indicate that a text is considered to be British.

Dating and other contextual information

Similar considerations apply to more recent information about the dating of texts and the biographies of the authors to whom they are attributed. Where better information about these has become available it has generally been integrated silently into the bibliography. The single most significant source for this information is the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Also invaluable has been R. Sharpe (1997) A Handlist of the Latin Writers of Great Britain and Ireland before 1540 (Turnhout: Brepols). However, the project has not yet reviewed the bibliography systematically for this information, and so users should continue to treat the information given primarily as a guide, and to refer to resources such as ODNB, the Handlist, and the edition of the text in question for more authoritative information.

Electronic format and updates

The electronic bibliography is prepared directly from the project's raw bibliographic data. It is sorted alphabetically by citation form, i.e. author (where named), work, and (when relevant) part or version of work. For the convenience of the users, where possible, internal links are given to connect items cited from within another item cited in the bibliography. It is hoped in due course to be able to add links to freely available full-text versions of the texts cited, where these exist.

This bibliography is periodically updated from the latest version of the project's data. The date of the currently available version can be found at the bottom of the page.

Corrections

Although the project is always interested to learn of new sources and new editions, please note that the bibliography as printed is intended simply to document the sources that have been used in the dictionary and to provide brief contextual information (authorship, date, text type, etc.). Bearing this in mind, please contact the project if you note any bibliographic errors (e.g. in titles, page references, dates of publication, etc.).