The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB), originally designated the New Dictionary of National Biography, was published in 2004 as a successor to the renowned Dictionary of National Biography (DNB), edited by Sir Leslie Stephen (1832–1904) and itself published in sixty-three volumes between 1885 and 1900, with supplements. All of the subjects in the old DNB were retained for the ODNB; new entries were commissioned for a significant proportion of the existing subjects (including almost all of those falling within the early medieval period); and of course the opportunity was taken to add entries for a large number of new subjects. In its print version, the ODNB occupies sixty volumes, though it is unlikely to be found in that form outside reference libraries; most importantly, it is also available online, to subscribing institutions, with search facilities and other useful features. Like its most distinguished predecessor, the ODNB is already well established as an invaluable academic resource.