The Dictionary of Canadian Biography provides authoritative biographical information about significant figures of Canada's past, including both detailed arcticles on Canada's major historical figures, and short articles on minor personages who have hitherto found no place in reference works or general histories. The DCB was founded through the benefaction of the late James Nicholson, who bequeathed the residue of his estate as a permanent endowment for a Canadian biographical dictionary. The French-language edition, Dictionnaire biographique du Canada, is published simultaneously by Les Presses de l'universite Laval.