Wikipedia's first sentence called it “english biographer and critic”. Today it says “english biographer”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “19th/20th-century English biographer and critic”. It now reads “English biographer and critic (1859–1926)”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Sidney Lee ( December 5 , 1859 - March 3 , 1926 ) was an English biographer and critic.1He was born in London and educated at the City of London school and at Balliol College, Oxford , where he graduated in modern history in 1882 . In the next year he became assistant-editor of the Dictionary of National Biography . In 1890 he became joint editor, and on the retirement of Sir Leslie Stephen in 1891 succeeded him as editor. Lee himself contributed voluminously to the Dictionary , writing some 800 articles, mainly on Elizabethan authors or statesmen . While still at Balliol he had written two articles on Shakespearean questions, which were printed in The Gentleman's Magazine , and in 1884 he published a book about Stratford-on-Avon . His article on Shakespeare in the fifty-first 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 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 in 1911 . Besides editions of English classics his works include a Life of Queen Victoria ( 1902 ), Great Englishmen of the Sixteenth Century ( 1904 ), based on his Lowell Institute lectures at Boston, Massachusetts , in 1903 , and Shakespeare and the Modern Stage ( 1906 ).2Original text from 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica3
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17885633.
The opening as it stood in 2010 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
He was born Solomon Lazarus Lee at 12 Keppel Street, Bloomsbury , London and educated at the City of London School and at Balliol College, Oxford , where he graduated in modern history in 1882. In the next year he became assistant-editor of the Dictionary of National Biography . In 1890 he became joint editor, and on the retirement of Sir Leslie Stephen in 1891 succeeded him as editor. Lee himself contributed voluminously to the Dictionary , writing some 800 articles, mainly on Elizabethan authors or statesmen . While still at Balliol he had written two articles on Shakespearean questions, which were printed in The Gentleman's Magazine , and in 1884 he published a book about Stratford-on-Avon . His article on Shakespeare in the fifty-first 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 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 in 1911. Between 1913-24 he was Professor of English Literature and Language at East London College, what is now Queen Mary College of the University of London . Besides editions of English classics his works include a Life of Queen Victoria (1902), Great Englishmen of the Sixteenth century (1904), based on his Lowell Institute lectures at Boston, Massachusetts , in 1903, and Shakespeare and the Modern Stage (1906). There are personal letters from Lee, including during his last illness, in the T.F.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 367087180.
The opening as it stood in 2015
He was born Solomon Lazarus Lee at 12 Keppel Street, Bloomsbury , London and educated at the City of London School and at Balliol College, Oxford , where he graduated in modern history in 1882. In the next year he became assistant-editor of the Dictionary of National Biography . In 1890 he became joint editor, and on the retirement of Sir Leslie Stephen in 1891 succeeded him as editor. Lee himself contributed voluminously to the Dictionary , writing some 800 articles, mainly on Elizabethan authors or statesmen . While still at Balliol he had written two articles on Shakespearean questions, which were printed in The Gentleman's Magazine , and in 1884 he published a book about Stratford-on-Avon , with illustrations by Edward Hull . His article on Shakespeare in the fifty-first 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 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 in 1911. Between 1913-24 he was Professor of English Literature and Language at East London College, what is now Queen Mary, University of London . Besides editions of English classics his works include a Life of Queen Victoria (1902), Great Englishmen of the Sixteenth century (1904), based on his Lowell Institute lectures at Boston , Massachusetts, in 1903, Shakespeare and the Modern Stage (1906), and King Edward VII, a Biography (1925). There are personal letters from Lee, including during his last illness, in the T.F.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 662747448.
The opening as it stood in 2020 11 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
19th/20th-century English biographer and critic Not to be confused with Sydney Lee .Sir Sidney Lee FSA FBA (5 December 1859 – 3 March 1926) was an English biographer, writer and critic.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964069001.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
English biographer and critic This article is about the English writer. Sir Sidney Lee FSA FBA (5 December 1859 – 3 March 1926) was an English biographer, writer, and critic.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178636866.
The opening as it stood in 2025
English biographer and critic (1859–1926) This article is about the English writer. Sir Sidney Lee FSA FBA (5 December 1859 – 3 March 1926) was an English biographer, writer, and critic.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1294451970. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “english biographer and critic”. Today it says “english biographer”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “19th/20th-century English biographer and critic”. It now reads “English biographer and critic (1859–1926)”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
english biographer and critic
Now
english biographer
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.