University of Mississippi Libraries- History Subject Guide

HISTORY

Electronic databases | Electronic Journals | Print Materials | Free Internet Resources

Electronic Databases

Subject Specific Databases

Secondary Sources
Secondary source databases contain citations to articles, book chapters, and sometimes books about a person, document, historical event, etc. If you want to read or view actual documents--such as diaries, very old books, and the like--please see the Primary Source databases below.

America: History and Life: U.S. and Canadian history articles since 1964 are included here. There are some references to books, media, dissertations, and book reviews as well. This database is quirkier than most, so it behooves you to read the search tips below.

SEARCH TIPS: The Basic Search is not very powerful, so click on the Advanced Search. In order to get results that aren't completely random, always browse (click the magnifiying glass icon) the subject terms and paste the terms that look good to you into your search (there is a "Paste Into Search" button). If you enter geographic names, invert them like this: "mississippi oxford." The time periods is a really helpful feature, but it is set up a bit oddly. You have to put an "H" (for centuries) or a "D" (for decades) after the years you want to search. For example, if you wanted to limit to the time period 1940 - 1959, you would type "1940D 1950D" in the search box. NOTE: You have to click "Access Your Subscription" then "America: History and Life" before you actually get to the search screens.
Historical Abstracts: African, Asian, European, and Latin American historical topics from 1450 to the present are represented in this database. The same company that produces America: History and Life supplies this database too, so the SEARCH TIPS above are the same for this database. NOTE: This database does not contain book reviews although America: History and Life does.
Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance: "Iter" means journey or path in Latin, and it is Iter's goal to help you find your way amongst the information on topics ranging from 400 to 1700. Iter is comprised of 6 databases, 3 bibliographic (the Iter Bibliography, Iter Italicum, and Baptiseria Sacra) and 3 directories (International Directory of Scholars, Scholars of Early Modern Studies, and International Directory of Renaissance and Reformation Associations and Institutes).

SEARCH TIPS: Currently, you can only search one database at a time, although the Iter project team is working on a simultaneous search. The Iter Bibliography is probably the most useful for the largest number of researchers (it includes articles and reviews from 632 medieval and Renaissance journals and is updated daily). The Advanced Search gives you good limiting options--such as language, year, and format--that the Basic Search does not offer.

Primary Sources
Primary sources are actual historical documents--newspapers, journals, diaries, very old books, etc.--that have, in the cases of these databases, been digitized and put online for your perusal. If you want to read articles about these documents such as these, please see the Secondary Source databases above.

Accessible Archives

An exceptional collection of full-text articles from the publications listed below. You can search each collection by itself, individual publications within the collections, or all the collections at once. The articles are not scanned from the originals, that is, they are HTML text-only displays.

Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective
Selected articles on the Civil War from the Charleston Mercury, the New York Herald, and the Richmond Enquirer.
Pennsylvania Gazette: 1728-1800
One of the Benjamin Franklin's newspapers, which has been described as "the New York Times of the 18th century."

Early English Books Online

Titles by Malory, Bacon, More, Erasmus, Boyle, Newton, Galileo, plus various prayer books, pamphlets, proclamations, almanacs, and many other primary sources are all contained in this database. Unlike the documents in Accessible Archives above, these publications have been scanned into the database, thus giving the researcher access to what the original looked like. Will provide access to around 125,000 publications. An excellent resource for historians.

General or Related Databases

Handbook of Latin American Studies: The Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress annually publishes this annotated bibliography on Latin America. The journal articles, books, book chapers, and conference papers are all selected and written about by scholars in Latin American history, government and politics, economics, and more. You can search in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
JSTOR: JSTOR contains full-text journal articles from the 19th century up to abuot 2000. All these articles are in high-quality .pdf format and have been scanned directly from the original journals. This is an excellent resource for older articles; sometimes, a journal may be in JSTOR but not owned by UM, so check here before requesting an article from Interlibrary Loan. Covers history and related fields well.

SEARCH TIPS: JSTOR gives you the option of browsing through journal issues as if you were looking at the print copy (select BROWSE from the main page) or you can search JSTOR like the other databases (select SEARCH from the main page). When searching, you can pick either a broad subject--History, for example--or you can click on the Expand the Journal List button to search specific journals of your choice. I recommend searching the full text or the title, since only 10% of the articles in JSTOR have abstracts.

Electronic Journals

Electronic journal issues are available via the online catalog. If you know the title of the journal you wish to examine, simply do a Journal Finder search.

Print Materials

The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature: [Main Library] Z 6201 .A55 1995 v. 1-2 catalog record; 48 sections in 2 volumes from Prehistory to International Relations since 1920. The first section covers Theory and Practice, and both it and the rest of the sections give "selection and listing, with appropriate commentary, of the finest and most useful books and articles available in every field of historical scholarship." Extremely helpful when beginning researach in a new subject area.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index: [Reference] Z 5305.U5 B56 catalog record; Indexes the Encyclopedia of World Biography, International Who's Who, Newsmakers, Who's Who in America plus several specialized resources in literature, the performing arts, multicultural studies, and the social sciences. Remember that this resource shows you what books to consult in order to find information about a person, it does not contain the information itself. Look up people by their name.

United States History

Encyclopedia of American History: [Reference] E 174.5 .E52 1982 catalog record; Written in a narrative, chronological style, this encyclopedia does not have entries in the traditional sense. Part 1 begins in 1763 and ends in 1981 while Part 2 covers "topical" issues. Given the 1982 publishing date, Part 2 is not very helpful. There are also charts, maps, and a subject index in the back.
Dictionary of American History: [Reference] E 174 .D52 1976 v.1-7 catalog record; Its age dictates that this resource, like the one above, will not be very good for recent history, but it is fine for more distant events. Entries are fairly brief, and most have a suggested reading or two at the end. This is a nice place to start research on a topic about which you know nothing.
American Revolution, 1775-1783: An Encyclopedia: [Reference] E 208 .A433 1993 v. 1-2 catalog record; 800 signed entries that cover the battles, skirmishes, engagements, massacres, people, politics, and places (including the Indian Ocean) of the American Revolution. The essays are quite in-depth and include references. There are maps and a glossary, but no index.
Encyclopedia of the United States in the Twentieth Century: [Reference] E 740.7 .E53 1996 v. 1-5 catalog record; This encyclopedia is broken into different subjects: American people, politics, global America, science/technology/medicine, economy, and culture. It contains long, in-depth essays written by experts on these topics. A perfect place to come when after consulting one of the less detailed resources. Beautifully written.
American Eras 1600-1899: [Reference] E 162 .A5144 1997 v. 1-8 catalog record; Every volume addresses a significant time period in American History. Chapters are divided by subject: world events (for context), the arts, communications, government/politics, lifestyles, etc. Within each chapter are timelines, topics in the news, and then short introductory articles/overviews in different topics relevant to the chapter in question.
American Decades 1900-1989: [Reference] E 169.12 .A419 1994 v. 1-9 catalog record; Each of the 9 volumes in this series covers a decade of the 20th century. The volumes include a short introduction to the decade, followed by sections on world events, the arts, business and economy, lifestyles and social trends, media, news, and much more. There is an index in the back of each volume. This series provides a great overview of each decade and helps put people and events in an historical context.
American National Biography: [Reference] CT 213 .A68 1999 v. 1-24 catalog record; ANB is the successor to the Dictionary of American Biography. It has a larger scope than its predecessor, and the editors are aware of current historical interests; that is, a wide range of people are represented--not just politicians and businessmen. The designation "American" is also broadly defined. The person must have died before 1996 to be included. Entries are detailed and signed, with bibliographies that list what institution holds the subject's papers (if applicable) as well as books or articles by the subject, not just books or articles about them.
Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America: [Reference] E 185.61 E544 1998 v. 1-3 catalog record; 3 volumes with 683 entries on the people, places, events, and court cases that have figured in civil rights. The third volume has both a general index and an index of the court cases in the encyclopedia. The entries are written clearly and each one has a list of suggested readings at the end.

Civil War

Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: Political, Social, and Military History: [Reference] E 468 .E53 2000 v. 1-5 catalog record; This thorough, readable, and authoritative resource is the place to start your research on the Civil War. Not only are there lengthy entries written by scholars, but also a chronology, a glossary, a bibliography, an index, illustrations, maps, a list of the governments of the United and Confederate states. More than 250 primary source documents provide context, including personal letters, the Confederate constitution, surgeons' reports, music, and the Emancipation Proclamation.
Encyclopedia of the Confederacy: [Reference] E 487 .E55 1993 v. 1-4 catalog record; Similar entry length to the above resource, but if you want to concentrate on the Confederate States you may want to start here rather than with the Encyclopedia of the American Civil War. Signed entries with bibliographies at the end of each one.
Who Was Who in the Civil War: [Reference] E 467 .S56 1988 catalog record; Short, factual biographical entries characterize this work, like all the Who's Who books. If you want more of a context for the person's life, see either of the two resources above.
Guide to Civil War Books: [Main Library] Z 1242 .B18 1996 E468 catalog record; Helps researchers locate books published in the last 20 years about the people, battles, campaigns, social and political conditions, and more during the Civil War period. It is arranged by subject and each entry is annotated with a citation to a book review when available.

The South

Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: [Main Library and Special Collections] F 209 .E53 1989 and 1991 catalog record; "The South" in this book is defined by culture, life, and worldview rather than strict geography. This adds to the richness and value of this fabulous resource with its entries from company towns to Nat Turner to okra and everything in between. It is divided into subject areas such as Art and Architecture, Black Life, the Mythic South, Urbanization, Women's Life, and more. Each section has a table of contents, cross-references, and illustrations.
Encyclopedia of the Antebellum South: [Reference] F 213 .V65 2000 catalog record; The authors aim to show the complexity of the South during the years 1810 to 1860, a time that they describe as full of paradoxes. The entries are short to medium length, have bibliographies, cross-references, and there is a good index at the back.
Encyclopedia of Southern History: [Reference] F 207.7 .E52 catalog record; One of the features of this encyclopedia is and in-depth history of each of the southern states--including maps and statistics. The other entries are pithy, well-informed, and have good bibliographies. There is an index.

African-American

Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery: [Reference] E 441 .D53 1988 catalog record; Scholars provided entries from a short paragraph up to 3 pages on the people, places, legislation, and actions of importance to slavery in the United States. This is a great resource for historians focusing on African-Americans and the south. There are excellent bibliographies, cross-references, and a chronology.
Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights : From Emancipation to the Present: [Reference] E 185.61 .E54 1992 catalog record; A handy one-volume resource that covers "significant people, organizations, events, and court cases of the black civil rights movements." Photos, great bibliographies, and cross-references enhance the scholarly essays. An excellent place to start researching an assignment about African-American civil rights.
Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History: [Reference] E 185 E54 1995 catalog record; Biographies of African-Americans and Africans, "events, historical eras, legal cases, areas of cultural achievement, professions, sports, and places" comprise this entries in the unique and valuable encyclopedia. The articles are fairly long and very well-written.

Native American

Native Americans: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Peoples: [Reference] E 77 .P89 1998 v. 1-2 catalog record; Divided into geographical areas--Southwest, Great Plains, Northwest Coast, etc.--then further sectioned by people, each chapter has an overview, historical and contemporary information, legal status, religions, diet, art, war, and more. This encyclopedia is a solid introduction to native peoples.
Native North American Almanac: [Reference] E 75 .N397 1994 catalog record; A hefty volume with major sections on chronology, demography (historical and contemporary), major culture areas, languages, religion, art, and much more. The sections on law and legislation, administration, and education are particularly strong.
Handbook of North American Indians: [Government Documents and Main Library] SI 1.20/2: and E 77 .H25 catalog record; Large volumes cover a region (Northwest Coast, Great Basin, etc.) in great detail, with pictures of tools, housing structures, all kinds of maps, black and white photographs of art and people, tranliterations of languages, and much more. An enormous amount of fascinating information. Note: The set begins with volume 4.

European History

Dictionary of the Middles Ages: [Reference] D 114 .D5 1982 v. 1-13 catalog record; Old but definitive. This is the first place to come when you are beginning research on any topic on the Middle Ages in Europe and the near east. The entries are up to 10,000 words long and extremely detailed. Although there are not a lot of illustrations, the are good maps, charts, and architectural photos.
The Facts on File Dictionary of European History, 1485-1789: [Reference] D 231 .W54 catalog record; Very compact dictionary with short entries. It is useful for basic information on major historical events and figures after the Middle Ages. The entries were all written by the author rather than by a team of scholars.
Encyclopedia of the Holocaust: [Reference] D 804.3 .E53 1990 v. 1-4 catalog record; According to the preface, the "purpose of this encyclopedia is to put at the disposal of teachers, students, and all those interested in the suject a comprehensive and up-to-date work on the Holocaust: its background, its history, and its impact, written by leading scholars and experts in Holocaust Studies from many countries." The bibliographies are outstanding and the appendixes include trials of war crimianals.

Britain

A Dictionary of British History: [Reference] DA 34 .D52 2001 catalog record; Probably the most dictionary-like dictionary on this list, with very brief entries that give you basic facts about any persons or things British.
Victorian Britian: [Main Library] DA 550 .V53 1988 catalog record; A one-volume encyclopedia covering a long and significant period in British history. The intent of the editors and contributing scholars is to "serve as an overview and point of entry to the complex interdisciplinary field of Victorian Studies." Illustrations, bibliographies, and cross references abound.
The 1890's: An Encyclopedia of British Literature, Art and Culture: [Reference] DA 560 .A18 1993 catalog record; This resource is great for those interested in all aspects of the British fin-de-siecle. Entries on poems, novels, art, the artists and writers responsible for them, and other prominent persons.
Tudor England: An Encyclopedia: [Main Library] DA 315 .T74 2001 catalog record; 295 entries ranging from 250 to 2000 words in length. There are brief one to two source bibliographies at the end of each entry, cross references, but on illustrations. A good place to begin exploring another pivotal time in English history.
Dictionary of National Biography: [Reference] DA 28 .D4 v. 1-22 catalog record; The dates on each volume refer to the fact that people who died within the given time period are covered in that volume. Practically every well-know Briton probably aspires to be included in this national institution. It gives thoughtful and detailed posthumous biographies, often written by close friends of the deceased.

Russia/Former Soviet Union

Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [Main Library] AE 5 .B58 v. 1-31 catalog record; What would the Soviet National Encyclopedia entry on Alexander III be like? (Hint: the word "narrow-minded" is used.) On the U.S.? This huge work is an incomparable way to see how the USSR wanted to represent itself and and everything else one would put into an encyclopedia. A wonderful resource for Russian and Cold War historians.
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Russia and the Former Soviet Union: [Reference] DK 14 .C35 1994 catalog record; Lots of color maps, photos, and art reproductions illustrate entries on the people, politics, literature, and events that have shaped the history of Russia and the countries formerly of the USSR. This volume closely resembles general encyclopedias (e.g., Britannica, Academic American) in its feel. The entries were written by scholars.

Classical and Byzantine History

The Oxford Classical Dictionary: [Reference] DE 5 .O9 1996 catalog record; According to its own preface, the OCD "has no competitor in any language" and is perfect for "quick but authoritative and well-documented answers to concrete questions about the ancient world." There are 6,250 contributions which acknowledge the multi-disciplinary nature of classical studies without neglecting its foundations.
The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium: [Main Library] DF 521 .O93 1991 v. 1-3 catalog record; Comprehensive encyclopedia for the postclassical and Byzantine world. The entries are the work of many scholars and experts, and they range in length from a short paragraph to several pages. In addition to the bibliographies, maps, charts, and illustrations, the entry title is given in the original Greek (where applicable).
Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World: [Main Library] DE 5 .L29 1999 catalog record; Covers from about 250 to 800 CE. This oft-overlooked time period includes the codification of Roman law and the Talmud as well as the solidification of Islam and Christianity as we know them today. There are both selected long essays--some topics are War and Violence, Empire Building, and Religious Communities--and an encyclopedia. An outstanding reference.

African History

Africana: [Reference] DT 14 .A37435 1999 catalog record; A huge, scholarly, wonderful encyclopedia. Covers every aspect of Africa and African people, including those of African descent in other parts of the world (especially North America, Central America, and the Caribbean). In addition to the already substanial entries, there are more in-depth essays on ancient African civilizations, decolonization, the transatlantic slave trade and more. Beautiful photos, maps, and charts.
Encyclopedia of African Peoples: [Reference] DT 15 .E53 2000 catalog record; Includes detailed entries about the many different people who populate Africa. History chronologies for various geographic areas, ethnic groups, and individuals. There aren't any photos, but there are lots of drawings.
The Cambridge History of Africa: [Main Library] DT 20 .C28 v. 1-8 catalog record; Like the Cambridge History of China (see below), this is more a collection of long essays written by scholars than an entry-style encyclopedia. Do not look for postcolonial issues or critical theory in this work, for it chronicles history in a very traditional manner. If you want background on a topic or region, though, it is a solid source.
Africa Bibliography: [Main Library] DT 3 .A37 catalog record; "This listing covers the whole continent of Africa and associated islands. The majority of items indexed are periodical articles, books, essays in edited volumes, chapters from single-author works and book reviews." (from NYU)

Asian History

Encyclopedia of Asian History: [Reference] DS 31 .E53 1988 v. 1-4 catalog record; Sponsored by the Asia Society, this encyclopedia's purpose is to "make available the highest level of contemporary scholarship on Asia to a nonspecialist audience." The encyclopedia fulfills this purpose well, with detailed and clearly written entries. It covers Japan, Malaysia, the Philipines, Indonesia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, China, and the Middle East.
Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture: [Main Library] DS 33 .C63 2000 catalog record; Prose timelines for East, South, Southeast, and Central Asia plus separate chronologies for China, Japan, and India. Easy-to-read format interspersed with quotations by or about the region and its people. It does a great job of giving events historical context.

China

The Cambridge History of China: [Main Library] DS 735 .C3145 v. 1,3,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,15 catalog record; Exhaustive encyclopedia of Chinese history from the Chin empire to roughly the present. It is authoritative and very thorough, with long essays organized into chapters. This is straight-ahead history at its best and a great place to start research. Note: The numbering system of the volumes is strange (see above); the library is not missing any, rather, this is how the publisher has issued them.
Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture: [Reference] DS 705 .P47 1999 catalog record; A good quick reference encyclopedia written by one person. Subjects include history, religion, literature and language, government/politics, geographic areas and cities, and more.

Japan

Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan: [Reference] DS 805 .C36 1993 catalog record; Like the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Russia, it has copious color illustrations. It has a good introductory history section, so if you know nothing about Japanese history, come here to get the basics before getting into the wonderfully exhaustive Kodansha below.
Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan: [Reference] DS 805 .K633 1983 v. 1-9 catalog record; Despite being rather elderly, this is still the most thorough work on Japan in English. All manner of very in-depth, detailed essays and illustrations comprise these volumes, and it is truly an ideal place to learn about Japan and its long history.

Latin American History

The Cambridge History of Latin America: [Reserve] F 1410 .C1834 1984 v. 1-11 catalog record; "Authoritative survey of Latin America's history, published in eleven volumes. Each chapter is accompanied by a significant bibliographic essay. Volume 11 compiles and updates the bibliographical essays."
Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture: [Reference] F 1406 .E53 1996 v. 1-5 catalog record; 5,287 largely medium-length entries by numerous scholars and experts comprise this work. Very comprehensive and a perfect place to start Latin American research. There are bibliographies after most entries, cross references, and a couple indexes.

Free Internet Resources

University of Washington Library's History on the Web: [www] www.lib.washington.edu/subject/history/web.html; The history librarian at UW, Theresa Mudrock, has created this truly outstanding resource. All of the links are web sites that Ms. Mudrock has selected, so they are of high quality; in fact, many of the web sites I planned on including in this portion of the subject guide were already listed in several of these webliographies. Following are just a few of the historical/geographical areas Ms. Mudrock covers:
U.S. History to 1865, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Britian and Ireland, Asia, History of Science and Medicine, African-American.
Voice of the Shuttle: [www] http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2713; Another indispensible web site with which to begin your research. VoS is now more than a collection of excellent web pages chosen by Alan Liu (an English professor at the University of California-Santa Barbara), it is also a searchable database. The history page has links to sites covering topics from anarchy to historiography to world history.
United States Historical Census Data Browser: [www] http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census/; The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research provides this informative, unique site with population and economic data from 1790 to 1960. Depending on the year, the data vary in category and whether the collection was at the level of the household or the individual. A fascinating and reliable source for historical statistics.
American Women's History: A Research Guide: [www] www.mtsu.edu/~kmiddlet/history/women.html; Ken Middleton, a reference and microforms librarian at Middle Tennessee State University, wrote this great guide to finding resources on U.S. women's history. Although the books he suggests are for MTSU students, his links to primary digital collections, his bookmarked web pages, and the research processes he describes are relevant for any historian.
Documenting the American South: [www] http://docsouth.unc.edu/; "Currently, DAS includes six digitization projects: slave narratives, first-person narratives, Southern literature, Confederate imprints, materials related to the church in the black community, and North Caroliniana." The Academic Affairs Library at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill sponsors this well-documented project. You can search across the collection or browse each of the six discrete componants. Read diaries, letters, slave narratives, poetry, and more as well as view photographs and pages of these books. A superb resource.
Internet Library of Early Journals: [www] www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ilej/; Six 18th- and 19th-century English journals are available on this web site for your research and perusal. This site is a collaboration of the universities of Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, and Oxford that offers high-quality scans of 20 years worth of the six journals. Details of the selection process and brief journal profiles are provided, as are a search option and a final report of the project. Includes The Gentlemen's Magazine, Notes and Queries, and Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine.
Special Collections at the University of Mississippi: [www] www.olemiss.edu/depts/general_library/files/archives/index.html; UM's own Special Collections department and archives are a perfect place to research Southern and Mississippi history. Read about the numerous literary, publishing, southern history collections as well as several accompanying collection finding aids, learn about the contents of the Visual Collections and the Southern Media Archive, view online exhibitions and collection finding aids, and find out where and when to visit this rich and wonderful resource.

Your Subject Librarian:

Ryan Johnson
rjohnson@olemiss.edu
915-5877

Center for the Study of Southern Culture

Croft Institute for International Studies