Sir Sidney Lee (5 December 1859 – 3 March 1926) was an English biographer, writer, and critic.

Biography

Lee was born Solomon Lazarus Lee in 1859 at 12 Keppel Street,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He was educated at the City of London School and at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

, where he graduated in

modern history The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is appli ...

in 1882. In 1883, Lee became assistant-editor of the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

''. In 1890 he became joint editor and, on the retirement of Sir Leslie Stephen in 1891, succeeded him as editor. Lee wrote over 800 articles in the ''Dictionary'', mainly on

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...

authors or statesmen. His sister Elizabeth Lee also contributed. While still at Balliol, Lee had written two articles on Shakespearean questions, which were printed in ''

The Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term '' magazine'' (from the French ''magazine' ...

''. In 1884, he published a book about Stratford-on-Avon, with illustrations by Edward Hull. Lee's article on

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

in the 51st volume (1897) of the ''Dictionary of National Biography'' formed the basis of his ''Life of William Shakespeare'' (1898), which reached its fifth edition in 1905. In 1902, Lee edited the Oxford

facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of ...

edition of the first folio of Shakespeare's comedies, histories and tragedies, followed in 1902 and 1904 by supplementary volumes giving details of extant copies, and in 1906 by a complete edition of Shakespeare's works. Lee received a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

in 1911. Between 1913 and 1924, he served as Professor of English Literature and Language at East London College. In 1915 he delivered the British Academy's Shakespeare Lecture.

Works

Besides the editions of English classics, Lee's works include: *''Queen Victoria: A Biography'' (1904) * ''Great Englishmen of the Sixteenth century'' (1904), based on his Lowell Institute lectures at

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, in 1903 * ''Shakespeare and the Modern Stage'' (1906) * * Annual Shakespeare Lecture of the British Academy (1915) * ''Shakespeare's England : an account of the life & manners of his age'' (1916, with

Walter Alexander Raleigh Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh (; 5 September 1861 – 13 May 1922) was an English scholar, poet, and author. Raleigh was also a Cambridge Apostle. Biography Walter Alexander Raleigh was born in London, the fifth child and only son of a loca ...

) *''King Edward VII, a Biography'' (1925) (The second volume of the biography was completed, after Lee's death, by S. F. Markham and published in 1927. See "King Edward VII: A Biography: Volume II: The Reign, 22nd January 1901 to 6th May 1910" by Sir Sidney Lee ew York: The Macmillan Company, 1927 page vi.) There are personal letters from Lee, including those written during his final illness, in the T.F. Tout Collection of the John Rylands Library in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

References

External links

* Sidney Lee
Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome
' * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Sidney, Sir 1859 births 1926 deaths English biographers English Jewish writers Jewish historians People educated at the City of London School Shakespearean scholars Academics of Queen Mary University of London Dictionary of National Biography Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the British Academy Knights Bachelor

Biography

Works

See also

References

External links