Encyclopedia and Background Sources
Encyclopedia and Background sources (sometimes referred to as "Reference sources") are extremely useful for providing authoritative overviews and background information on a topic. They will give you the terminology and the key names, dates and concepts that can be used when conducting online searches for scholarly articles, books, as well as for searching for primary sources and historical newspapers. Many reference sources also provide extensive bibliographies that list the important and influential scholarship on a given topic.
Online Background Sources (Selected Titles)
The Companion to British History by ISBN: 9781317400400Publication Date: 2015-07-30First published in 1996, this comprehensive guide to the history of Britain and its peoples will be indispensable reading for the general enthusiast, as well as students.
A dictionary of British History by ISBN: 0191758027Publication Date: 2015Written by over 100 specialist contributors, this dictionary describes the people and events that have shaped and defined domestic, political, social, and cultural life in Britain since 55 BC.
Dictionary of Irish Biography by ISBN: 0521633311Publication Date: 2009Published in collaboration with the Royal Irish Academy, the Dictionary of Irish Biographyis the most comprehensive and authoritative biographical reference work available both in print and online for Ireland.
Encyclopedia of Irish History and Culture by ISBN: 9780028659022Publication Date: 2004Spans Irish history from prehistoric times to the present, treating both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in detail. Entries represent an inclusive, cross-disciplinary approach, written by specialists and covering history, archaeology, anthropology, geography, politics, economics, the Irish and English languages and literatures, the visual arts, and other fields.
Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyPublication Date: 2004The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford DNB) is the national record of men and women who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century.
Reader's Guide to British History by ISBN: 9781579582425Publication Date: 2003The Reader's Guide to British History is the essential source to secondary material on British history. This resource contains a significant number of A-Z entries on the history of Britain, from ancient and Roman Britain to the present day. Each entry lists 6-12 of the best-known books on the subject, then discusses those works in an essay of 800 to 1,000 words prepared by an expert in the field.v
Print Background Sources (Selected Titles)
Early Peoples of Britain and Ireland: An EncyclopediaCall Number: Doheny Library FRIENDSHLL DA135 .E27 2008Publication Date: 2008
Encyclopedia of the Victorian EraCall Number: Doheny Library REFERENCE DA550 .E527 2004Publication Date: 2004
The Penguin Atlas of British and Irish HistoryCall Number: Doheny Library REFERENCE G1812.21.S1 P46 2002Publication Date: 2002
The Oxford history of the British EmpirePublication Date: 2001
