Exploration & Empire: The Art and Science of Global Power, 1300-1800

Background Sources | Books | Journal Articles | Primary Sources | Web Resources

This webpage provides resources to help you find more information on the themes and topics of the course.

Most of the databases on this page are restricted to UW students, staff and faculty. These are marked with a lock . To connect to these databases from home you will need to first click on the Off-Campus Access link in the upper-right hand corner and login.

Have questions or need research help? Please contact Theresa Mudrock, the history librarian via email at mudrock@u.washington.edu.

Background Sources

Encyclopedias and dictionaries provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms when searching research databases and catalogs. More importantly, because encyclopedias often cover the major issues surrounding the subject, they can help you narrow your research from a broad “who, what, where, when” topic to a “how or why” question. In addition many encyclopedia articles include short bibliographies that will lead you to the major works on the topic.

Europe 1450 to 1789: encyclopedia of the early modern world      Suzzallo Reference -- D209 .E97 2004 Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment      Suzzallo Reference -- B802 .E53 2003 Encyclopedia of European social history from 1350 to 2000      Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference -- HN373 .E63 2000 Encyclopedia of exploration to 1800      Suzzallo Reference -- G80 .H68 2003 Encyclopedia of Western colonialism since 1450 Literature of travel and exploration: an encyclopedia      Suzzallo Reference -- G465 .L565 2003 Oxford Companion to World Exploration Oxford encyclopedia of maritime history      Suzzallo Reference -- VK15 .O84 2007 Reader's guide to the history of science      Natural Sciences Reference -- Q125 .R335 2000 Trade, travel, and exploration in the Middle Ages      Suzzallo Reference -- E111 .C774 1992 The Christopher Columbus encyclopedia      Suzzallo Reference -- DP192 .H57 1990

Books

Use the following catalogs to locate books in the UW Libraries and in other libraries around the region, nation and world. Books unavailable at the UW can be requested through Summit (if available at one of the member libraries) or through Interlibrary Loan.

UW Libraries Catalog Use the catalog to find books in the UW Library system as well as to find out if the library has a subscription to a magazine or journal. Summit Use Summit to request books that are not available, or are checked out, from other Northwest academic libraries. Beta Catalog/WorldCat Local Beta version of the catalog that simultaneously searches the UW Libraries Catalog, Summit and libraries worldwide plus an article database. Best used for topical searches; facilitates requesting books from other libraries.

Journal Articles

Use research databases to find articles on a topic. Since most databases cover a specific subject area, choose those that best fit your research topic. For a complete list of databases see Research Databases on the UW Libraries Homepage.

To find a copy of the article, use the Check for UW Holdings button available on most databases to locate a copy in the library. If there is no button, search the UW Libraries Catalog for the title of the journal to locate a copy. Be sure to have the complete citation (author, title, journal name, volume, pages and year) of your article.

Articles from journals which the UW does not own can be requested via Interlibrary loan.

Academic Search Complete This is a good general beginning database to find articles on all subjects. America History & Life This is the best database to find articles dealing with all aspects of American and Canadian history. Also includes citations to selected books, dissertations and reviews. Historical Abstracts This is the best database to identify articles in world history (excluding US and Canada). History of Science, Technology & Medicine Use this database to find articles dealing with scientific and medical history. International Medieval Bibliography Use this database to find articles on medieval history. Also try Iter (the UW Libraries has cancelled this database to early modern history but we still have access as of 4/8/2008). JSTOR JSTOR is a collection of more than 40 full-text history-related journals. For another collection of searchable electronic journals related to history see Project Muse.

Using Secondary Sources to Find Primary Sources

Secondary sources, scholarly journal articles and books, are a great source for identifying potential primary sources. Find a few articles, books or dissertations related to your topic and then mine the footnotes and bibliography. You will have the best luck finding published primary sources such as books, government reports, newspapers and magazines within the UW Libraries. Use the UW Libraries Catalog to determine if we have the primary source.

Finding Primary Sources -- Books

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of books (in print, microform and electronic) that can be considered primary sources for history. These include books written during the period for your topic (i.e., during the 1600s), books written by participants, published collections of correspondence and other personal writings, memoirs and reprints of collections of primary source material.

Using the UW Libraries Catalog Limit your search by publication date. Search for books written by key participants and organizations. For example the Hakluyt Society publishes reprints and translations of early travel accounts; the Landmarks of Science is a microfilm collection of early science works. Examples of keyword searches: china and Hakluyt society landmarks of science and botany Use special subject terms that designate primary sources: sources, personal narratives, diaries, early works to 1800 Example of a Keyword search: china and early works to 1800 africa and exploration and sources Digitized Book Databases Early English Books Online (EEBO) EEBO is a full-image database of more than 80,000 works published between 1475 and 1700 in England and its colonies. Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) ECCO is a full-image database of more than 150,000 books published primarily in Great Britain during the 18th century. Evans Digital Edition Evans is a full-image database of more than 30,000 works published in America between 1639 and 1800.

Web Resources

Maps Charts and Maps - National Maritime Museum (UK) David Rumsey Historical Map Collection Kaartencollectie Map Collections 1500-2004 - Library of Congress American Memory Travel Accounts American Journeys Columbus 1498 Basel Letter Endeavour Project George Raper Collection Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Matthew Flinders Project Papers of Sir Joseph Banks South Seas: Voyaging and Cross-Cultural Encounters in the Pacific Voyages en Afrique Other Echo Research Center EuroDocs: Western European Primary Historical Documents Internet History of Science Sourcebook Internet Modern History Sourcebook

Image: Detail of a 1595 map, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. Courtesy of the British Library Images Online.