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.

Encyclopedia of European social history from 1350 to 2000      Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference -- HN373 .E63 2000 Encyclopedia of exploration to 1800      Suzzallo Reference, Special Collections -- G80 .H68 2003 Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment Encyclopedia of Western colonialism since 1450 Europe 1450 to 1789: encyclopedia of the early modern world      Suzzallo Reference -- D209 .E97 2004 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 Trade, travel, and exploration in the Middle Ages      Suzzallo Reference -- E111 .C774 1992

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 OCLC WorldCat 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. See Other History-Related Databases for additional options.

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.

America History & Life This is the best database to find articles in U.S. and Canadian history. Also includes citations to selected books, dissertations and reviews. Historical Abstracts This is the best database to find articles dealing with modern world history (1450 onward) excluding American and Canadian history. International Medieval Bibliography Database to articles and chapters dealing with medieval European history. JSTOR JSTOR is a collection of more than 50 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 as well as additional secondary sources. First find a few articles or books related to your topic using the databases listed above and then mine the footnotes and bibliography. You will have the best luck finding published primary sources such as books (including travel accounts, memoirs, published collections of letters, etc.) 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 1500s), books written by participants, published collections of correspondence and other personal writings, memoirs and reprinted collections of primary source material. Keep in mind that not all primary sources will be in English.

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. Example of a keyword search: turkey and Hakluyt society Use special subject terms that designate primary sources: sources, personal narratives, diaries, early works to 1800 Example of a Keyword search: turkey and early works to 1800 exploration and africa and sources maps and early works to 1800 Digitized Book Databases: 15th - 18th centuries English and American publications, for digitized French language publications see the Gallica website. Early English Books Online (EEBO) Database of full-page images 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 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 Other EuroDocs - Western European historical documents Internet Modern History Sourcebook: The Early Modern World

Image: Detail from a 1558 map of the countries around the Indian Ocean, Queen Mary Atlas. Courtesy of the British Library.