Online reference collections
These resources are collections of reference works, which are things like encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, handbooks, and biographical collections. They are excellent sources of background information, explanations of unfamiliar words and concepts, and biographical sketches of notable people, among other things. They are multi-topic, but are nonetheless useful for history research.
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window Gale EBOOKS is a collection of searchable subject encyclopedias and reference books from Gale Publishing and many other publishers.
- Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window Oxford Handbooks Online contains review essays that evaluate the current thinking on a field or topic. Essays also make an original argument about the future direction of debate in a given field. The Oxford Handbooks are authoritative and highly respected sources, containing in-depth, high-level articles. The collection covers such subjects as archaeology business, classical studies, criminology, literature, and psychology.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window Searchable and browsable collection of highly trusted reference books. Dictionaries and encyclopedias in Oxford Reference Online include general works, foreign-language works, and specialized subject works in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences.
Encyclopedias and dictionaries
Encyclopedias provide brief introductions to topics, and dictionaries offer short explanations of unfamiliar terms and concepts. The encyclopedias and dictionaries here are mostly focused on specific aspects or periods in U.S. History.
Encyclopedia of the North American Colonies by
This groundbreaking compendium covers the colonial experience from the 11th-century Norse settlers in Newfoundland to the Spanish in New Mexico and the Russians in 1850s Alaska. Articles speak to the daily circumstances, historical events and prevailing climates of thought that gave shape and purpose to people's lives during the centuries of imperial expansion and settlement.
Call Number: General Collection E45 .E53 1993Publication Date: 1993
The Encyclopedia of the American Revolutionary War by
This definitive scholarly reference on the American Revolution--written by acclaimed researchers and military experts from around the world--covers the causes, course, and consequences of the war and the political, social, and military origins of the nation. * Over 1,300 A-Z entries on various topics connected with the American Revolutionary War, including political issues, arms and battlefield strategies, important personalities, and sociocultural issues * Over 150 distinguished international scholars and independent historians from a variety of disciplines, including experts from Great Britain and France, making this a truly international reference work * An introductory section offering essays on the war's root causes, the catalyzing events that lead to its outbreak, as well as a synopsis of the war and an analysis of its long-term impact, providing context for readers wishing to know more * A full volume devoted to key documents relevant to the period, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, speeches, and hard-to-find documents such as Anne Hulton's "Letter from a Boston Loyalist" and Joseph Martin Plumb's account of the mutiny on May 25, 1780 * 324 illustrations depicting colonial and Revolutionary America, plus an opening map section depicting major geopolitical relationships and large scale military operations, and 54 maps of the 13 colonies, theaters of operation, and individual battles on land and at sea * A lengthy list of sources, both primary and secondary, covering all aspects of the Revolutionary War, including material on the foreign powers involved in the conflict, loyalists, and other subjects often overlooked in other works
Call Number: General Collection E208 .E64 2006Publication Date: 2006
Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century
While other resources focus on different aspects of the 19th century, such as the Civil War or immigration, this is the first truly comprehensive treatment to cover all aspects of 19th-century history including: population, politics and government, economy and work, society and culture, religion, social problems and reform, everyday life and foreign policy. This set includes more than 600 A-to-Z articles illustrated with more than 400 illustrations and maps, an exhaustive year-by-year chronology, original documents, tables and a complete index. Articles such as Exploration and Explorers, Slavery, Party Organization, Women's Rights, Education and more fulfill curriculum requirements of the National Standards for U.S. History.
Call Number: General Collection E169.1 .E626 2001Publication Date: 2000
Encyclopedia of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era by
Spanning the era from the end of Reconstruction (1877) to 1920, the entries of this reference were chosen with attention to the people, events, inventions, political developments, organizations, and other forces that led to significant changes in the U.S. in that era. Seventeen initial stand-alone essays describe as many themes, including technolog
Call Number: General Collection E661 .E53 2005Publication Date: 2005
Encyclopedia of America in the Twentieth Century by
This is a four-volume reference work containing over 70 original essays by leading scholars in the fields of history and political science. The encyclopaedia is divided into sections on the American people, politics, society and culture, the economy, science, technology and medicine, and global America. Each of the six sections begins with an introductory essay of approximately 2500 words written by the editors.
Call Number: General Collection E740.7 .E53 1996Publication Date: 1995
The Sixties in America by
The set provides in-depth coverage of all aspects of the major events of the 1960s that give the decade its distinctive character. It features long overviews and short entries discussing people, books, films, plays, and other important topics representative of that era. Every entry focuses on the topic or person during the 1960s in order to explore what made the decade unique.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 1999
Historical Encyclopedia of American Business by
A thorough reference set on one of the most important of topics, Historical Encyclopedia of American Business examines almost every facet of American business history that might be of interest to students. The three-volumes in this set cover general business topics like outsourcing or labor strikes, broad legal topics like patent laws, specific companies and government organizations, and persons who have played exceptional roles in the history of Business, like Benjamin Franklin or Bill Gates.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2009- The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History by Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2013
Material Culture in America by
The first encyclopedia to look at the study of material culture (objects, images, spaces technology, production, and consumption), and what it reveals about historical and contemporary life in the United States. * Nearly 200 entries tracing the history, production, consumption, and reception of various types of goods and exploring the uses and meanings of artifacts within changing social, cultural, economic, and political contexts * A detailed introductory essay unites each entry with a common thread * Contributions from over 50 scholars, curators, and teachers working in the field of material culture studies today, representing cutting-edge scholarship in museums and historical societies, universities and colleges * Illustrations include advertisements, such as a 19th-century trade card and a Singer sewing machine ad, plus photographs of a 1949 "Torpedo pedal car" and a life-size modernist-style streamlined locomotive prototype by Raymond Loewy
Call Number: General Collection E161 .M355 2008Publication Date: 2007
Conspiracy Theories in American History by
The first comprehensive history of conspiracies and conspiracy theories in the United States. âeuro;¢ Over 300 A-Z entries on various events, ideas, and persons, as well as crucial supporting and refuting evidence, and competing explanations for the origins, history, and popularity of this mode of political thought âeuro;¢ Primary documents from organizations promoting conspiracy theories âeuro;¢ Contributions from over 100 international scholars with a full range of historical expertise âeuro;¢ Separate section containing about 100 illustrative extracts covering the full range of American history, each with a brief headnote placing it in context
Call Number: General Collection E179 .C66 2003Publication Date: 2003
Biographical reference materials
Biographical reference works like these offer short biographical "sketches" of the lives of noteworthy people. They are usually organized alphabetically by the last names of the people profiled.
American National Biography by
American National Biography is the first new comprehensive biographical dicionary focused on American history to be published in seventy years. Produced under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies, the ANB contains over 17,500 profiles on historical figures written by anexpert in the field and completed with a bibliography. The scope of the work is enormous--from the earlest recorded European explorations to the very recent past.
Call Number: General Collection, CT213 .A68 1999Publication Date: 1999- Research Guide to American Historical Biography by Call Number: General Collection CT214 .R47 1988ISBN: 0933833091Publication Date: 1988
Other reference resources
Handbooks, companions, and other types of reference works can also help you understand unfamiliar topics and find explanations of new concepts and terms.
The Oxford Companion to United States History by
Here is a volume that is as big and as varied as the nation it portrays. With over 1,400 entries written by some 900 historians and other scholars, it illuminates not only America's political, diplomatic, and military history, but also social, cultural, and intellectual trends; science,technology, and medicine; the arts; and religion. Here are the familiar political heroes, from George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, to Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. But here, too, are scientists, writers, radicals, sports figures, and religious leaders, with incisive portraits of such varied individuals asThomas Edison and Eli Whitney, Babe Ruth and Muhammed Ali, Black Elk and Crazy Horse, Margaret Fuller, Emma Goldman, and Marian Anderson, even Al Capone and Jesse James. The Companion illuminates events that have shaped the nation (the Great Awakening, Bunker Hill, Wounded Knee, the Vietnam War);major Supreme Court decisions (Marbury v. Madison, Roe v. Wade); landmark legislation (the Fugitive Slave Law, the Pure Food and Drug Act); social movements (Suffrage, Civil Rights); influential books (The Jungle, Uncle Tom's Cabin); ideologies (conservatism, liberalism, Social Darwinism); evennatural disasters and iconic sites (the Chicago Fire, the Johnstown Flood, Niagara Falls, the Lincoln Memorial). Here too is the nation's social and cultural history, from Films, Football, and the 4-H Club, to Immigration, Courtship and Dating, Marriage and Divorce, and Death and Dying. Extensivemulti-part entries cover such key topics as the Civil War, Indian History and Culture, Slavery, and the Federal Government. A new volume for a new century, The Oxford Companion to United States History covers everything from Jamestown and the Puritans to the Human Genome Project and the Internet--from Columbus to Clinton. Written in clear, graceful prose for researchers, browsers, and general readers alike, this isthe volume that addresses the totality of the American experience, its triumphs and heroes as well as its tragedies and darker moments.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2001
The United States at War by
This two-volume set offers compact surveys of the most important military conflicts in which the United States has been involved, from the Revolutionary War through the Iraq War of 2003.
Call Number: General Collection E181 .U64 2005Publication Date: 2005
Cold War America, 1946 to 1990 by
In our age of science and psychology, it's tempting to think of human sexuality in terms of biology and interpersonal relationships. But in The Soul of Sex, Thomas Moore regards sex as an experience of the soul and emphasizes the themes of fantasy, desire, meaning and morality.
Call Number: General Collection E741 .G76 2003Publication Date: 2002
