Library Homepage: History 200: Dr. Rebecca Bates: Fall 2023: Print Reference History

Reference Sets by Events

R 909.07 C9565 2006
Crusades, 4 volumes (2006)
R 909.825 E564 2008
Encyclopedia of the Cold War, 5 volumes
R 910.992 O982 2007
Oxford Companion to World Exploration, 2 volumes
R 940.303 W9275 2005
Encyclopedia of World War I, 5 volumes (2005)
R 940.5303 E564 2005
Encyclopedia of World War II, 5 volumes (2005)
R 940.531 E56
Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, 4 volumes (1990)

Great Events from History Series

This 31 volume series covers major world events from the Classical period through the 21st century. This general reference work is an excellent starting place. Each entry has a subheadings for key individuals and significance of the event. Great Events is the companion set to Great Lives From History.

U.S. States and Regions - Print Reference Sources

R 974 E563 2006 Encyclopedia of Appalachia
Encyclopedia of Appalachia
Published by the University of Tennessee, this is the reference work for Appalachia and is an excellent example of a regional encyclopedia. Start your research here. The index is critical for finding relevant materials.
R 975 N532
New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, 24 vols.
Published by the University of North Carolina, each volume represent an aspect of Southern culture or society containing overviews, subject essays and biographical entries. The set does not have a comprehensive index but each volume is individually indexed.
R 975.6003 E564 2006
Encyclopedia of North Carolina
This is a good example of a modern encyclopedia concerning a southern state with a large Appalachian population.

Reference Set by World Region

The Cambridge World History 7 Volume Set in 9 Pieces by Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks (General Editor)
Call Number: R 909 C1788
ISBN: 9781108407816
Publication Date: 2018-06-14
With 200 plus essays this set covers the entirety of human history starting at 10,000 BCE. Each entry is well documented with significant further readings. While there is no general index each volume has its own.

R 940.2 E892 2006
Europe 1450-1789. 6 volumes
A six-volume survey of European history from 1450, the beginning of the print revolution, to 1789 and the French Revolution. Presents over 1,000 alphabetically arranged entries covering the period's most significant personalities and meaningful developments in the arts, religion, politics, exploration, and warfare. For students, scholars, and general readers.
R 940.28 E892 2006
Europe 1789-1914, 5 volumes
A five-volume survey of European history from the onset of the French Revolution to the outbreak of World War. Alphabetically arranged entries cover the period's most significant personalities and meaningful developments in the arts, religion, politics, exploration, and warfare. For students, scholars, and general readers.
R 940.5 E893 2006
Europe Since 1914, 5 volumes
A multi-volume survey of European history from the beginning of World War I in 1914 to the present, presented through alphabetically arranged entries that focus on the period's scientific, social and cultural history as well as the political, military and economic developments.
R 950 E61
Encyclopedia of Asian History
This set offers extensive coverage of greater Asia. While older than most of the encyclopedias on this page it still represents good scholarship in its field.
R 960.03 E563 2005
Encyclopedia of African History and Culture, 5 vol. (2005)
Each volume covers a chronological period and is organized A to Z.
R 960.03 N532 2008
New Encyclopedia of Africa, 5 volumes
Addresses the entire history of African cultures from the pharaohs and the ancient civilizations of the south through the colonial era to the emergence of 53 independent countries, some of them newly emergent in world commerce and others deep in conflict. Covers issues facing the continent such as global development, the AIDS crisis, and international terrorism.

Handbook of North American Indians
Call Number: R 970.1 H236
ISBN: 9781944466534
If this set from Smithsonian is ever completed it will be the hallmark reference resource on its topic. The first volume was published in 1978, and the most recent one released in 2022. There are now eighteen volumes printed. Each volume is well documented and indexed. Tribal groups are separated into volumes according to region. As it is not complete there is no master index. Regardless, it should be one of the first works consulted for Native American Topics.

R 973.03 D554 2003
Dictionary of American History, 10 volumes. (2003)
This authoritative work serves students, scholars, and general readers interested in a wide range of topics in American history, from the well studied and familiar to the obscure.
R 973.03 E564
Encyclopedia of American History, 11 volumes. (2003)
This set is arranged by time periods and the A to Z with in the period. Some history students find this method superior to the regular alphabetical approach to history.
R 973.049 E56 2006
Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History, 2 ed. 6 vol.
Covers the American experience from 1619 to the present day. Through biographies, historical essays, and thematic pieces, it addresses a wide array of subjects in over 2,300 articles to define in one source the cultural roots, participation in American life, and current condition of the African-American community.
R 980.003 E563 2008
Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, 6 volumes
This set spans the centuries from the earliest civilizations of the Olmec, Maya, and Chavin to the present day. The region is broadly defined to include South America, Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the historical Spanish borderlands north of the Rio Grande that are now part of the United States. The set emphasizes political, economic, and social history, yet does not overlook those elements of material and popular culture that have affected the history of Latin America.

Reference Sets by Era

R 270.603 O98
Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation
This four volume reference set has with over 1,200 entries. The encyclopedia covers the Reformation as a religious and political event. Articles bibliographies are divided into lists of primary and secondary works.
R 909.07 D554v
Dictionary of the Middle Ages
This set is a standard reference resource for the period. By today's standards it excludes or provides minimal coverage to some areas or current interest. The supplement provides additional coverage of these overlooked groups such as women and events outside of western Europe.
R 909.07 O983 2010
Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages
This four volume set offers over 5,000 entries augmented with more than 500 illustrations and 40 maps. The intended audience includes both students and scholars.
R 938.003 O984 2010
Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome
This seven volume reference work is a comprehensive overview of the major cultures of the classical Mediterranean world--Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman--from the Bronze Age to the fifth century CE.
R 940.2303 E56
Encyclopedia of the Renaissance, 6 volumes (1999)
This six volume reference set contains nearly 1200 clearly written articles of varying length by over 600 international contributors. Written with both the student and scholar in mind, the encyclopedia cover the period from approximately 1350 to the eve of the 30 Years' War in 1618. The Renaissance is treated as both a specific period in history and a cultural movement.
R 940.2503 E56 2003
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment, 4 vols. (2003)
Defining the Enlightenment as the "long eighteenth century," the Encyclopedia focuses on the entire range of philosophic and social changes engendered by the Enlightenment.

Social History or Cultural History - Print Reference Sources

Social history explores the changes and continuities in the lives of ordinary people. Note that many of these titles are in the 300s and not in the 900’s! In Dewey, the 300's contain works about groups of people.

R 306.094 E564 2001
Encyclopedia of European Social History from 1350 to 2000
"Covering the period from the beginning of the Renaissance to the present, this encyclopedia consists of 209 signed articles and nearly 300 biographical entries. The set is thoroughly indexed, amply illustrated, and a joy to read. "
R 306.097 B365 2001
Beacham’s Encyclopedia of Social Change, 4 v
races the evolution of social ideas and values in the United States during the twentieth century, using such indicators as advertising, crime and justice, family life, fashion, music, race and class, sex and gender, and work.
R 306.097 S6785 2009
Social History of the United States, 10 v
Social History of the United States is a cornerstone reference that tells the story of 20th-century America, examining the interplay of policies, events, and everyday life in each decade of the 1900s with unmatched authority, clarity, and insight.
Publisher's description
R 307.2408 E563 2006
Encyclopedia of the Great Black Migration, 3 v
Nearly 400 entries address the issues, people, housing and living conditions, employment, and cultural life of the migrants. The first two volumes comprise alphabetically arranged entries. Volume three provides the user with primary documents.
R 325.303 E564 2007
Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism, 3 v
These 400 alphabetically arranged articles provide detailed accounts of how Western maritime empires and their customs and values spread to all corners of the globe, ultimately shaping the development of non-European societies. Each one presents not only facts, but also interpretations of the impact of European colonialism and is well supported by charts, tables, maps, and black-and-white illustrations.
School Library Journal
R 910.03924 E565 2007
Encyclopedia of Judaica, 2ed, 22 v
Set provides extensive coverage of historical topic and individuals along with entries about culture and society.
R 903 G816 2004
Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life, 6 v.
Each one of the six volumes covering a distinct time period: The Ancient World, The Medieval World, 15th and 16th Centuries, 17th and 18th Centuries, 19th Century, and The Modern World. Primary documents are included in each volume.

Unique Work Examples

R330.03 O98
Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History, 5 vols. (2003)
Provides excellent supplement to standard historical topics providing a strong economic element.

The Cambridge World History of Food
Call Number: 641.309 C178 2000
"This outstanding work of scholarship explains what we eat and why we eat it. The multidisciplinary articles discuss both individual foods and topics such as food fads, famine, and eating disorders."--"Outstanding Reference Sources," American Libraries, May 2001.

R 901.9 D554 2005
New Dictionary of the History of Ideas, 6 vols.
Unique work that traces the development of ideas or intellectual history across cultures and time periods.
R 909 K786D
Historical Documents
Our holdings begin with 1972. Each volume is arranged in chronological order and international in scope . A wide variety of documents such as speeches, court cases, letters, and news reports are included.
R 909.829 M663N
Nations without States
Excellent resource for researching ethnic groups without a state such as Tibetans and Kurds. Examines concepts of national identity, struggle for recognition on the global stage and struggle to keep a cultural identity.
R 910.3 R773p
Place-Name Changes Since 1900
Valuable for students researching parts of the world where political change produces name changes. Think names changes in Africa following the colonial period or Russia after the Revolution.