Exoticism: Europe & the Early Modern World

Background Sources | Locating Books | Identifying Journal Literature | Primary Sources | Web Resources | Class Syllabus
This webpage provides resources to help you find more information on the themes and topics of the course. Though there is no research component in this course, if you would like to explore topics in the class more in-depth, these reference books, databases and websites will be helpful.

Most of the databases linked from this page are restricted to UW students, staff and faculty. 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.

For research help, please contact Theresa Mudrock, the history librarian 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 for finding additional information. 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    [UW only]
         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: a comprehensive reference guide to the history
         Suzzallo Reference, Special Collections -- G80 .H68 2003
  • Literature of travel and exploration: an encyclopedia
         Suzzallo Reference -- G465 .L565 2003
  • Trade, travel, and exploration in the Middle Ages : an encyclopedia
         Suzzallo Reference -- E111 .C774 1992
  • The Christopher Columbus encyclopedia
         Suzzallo Reference -- DP192 .H57 1990

Locating Books

 Use the following databases 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
    A listing of the books, journal subscriptions and other material available at the University of Washington Libraries.
  • Summit
    Joint catalog of more than 25 academic libraries in Oregon and Washington. Books can be requested and shipped to the UW for pick-up. Especially useful when the book you need is checked-out til December...
  • OCLC WorldCat [UW only]
    Joint catalog of thousands of major libraries in the U.S. and abroad.

Identifying Journal Literature

Use indexes (databases) to find articles (from scholarly journals, popular magazines and newspapers and sometimes books, dissertations, government reports, etc.) on a topic. There are indexes covering all sorts of subjects, use those which 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.

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. Example of a keyword search:
    • china and Hakluyt society
  • Use special subject terms that designate primary sources:
    sources, personal narratives, diaries, early works to 1800
  • Example of a Keyword search:
    • china and su:early works to 1800
    • exploration and su:sources

Digitized Book Databases

Web Resources

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

History Subject Page | UW Libraries | Slides

3 October 2005
Theresa Mudrock