THE new edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has includes late-Victorian pioneers of professional tattooing and renowned bodybuilders.
The new edition published on Thursday features new biographies of 93 men and women between the 14th and 20th century.
The dictionary, published by Oxford University Press, in Walton Street includes a new biography of Sutherland Macdonald (1860-1942), who began tattooing in the garrison town of Aldershot, Hampshire, as early as 1882.
He was established as the first identifiable professional tattooist in England by 1889.
Oxford University Press said Macdonald claimed to have coined the term "tattooist", a contraction of ‘tattoo artist’, to distinguish his practice from that of a mere ‘tattooer’, which he suggested associated his new profession too closely with the business of a 'plumber’ or a ‘bricklayer’.
The dictionary has also included a new biography of William Albert Pullum (1887-1960), who became one of the strongest and fittest men in Britain.
Between 1911 and 1915 he won 15 championships and 52 gold medals, and broke 192 world and British records.
Following Thursday's update, the Oxford DNB includes 54,798 articles on the life stories of 59,972 people.
A total of 11,440 biographies include a portrait image of the subject, and the dictionary has been written by 14,199 authors.
The Oxford DNB comprises 72 million words, with the online version available in public libraries across the UK.
For further details see oxforddnb.com
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