LibGuides: History Research Guide: Encyclopedias / Dictionaries

How are encyclopedias and dictionaries useful?

They are great places to locate:

The meaning of an unfamiliar term
Background information on a concept or topic

Where can I search for encyclopedias and dictionaries?

Below is a selected list of resources in which you can search for information in encyclopedias and dictionaries:

Credo Reference
Contains 270+ reference titles on virtually every subject. Includes such titles as: Chambers Dictionary of World History, Encyclopedia of African History, Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History, Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture, Encyclopedia of the American Civil War, Encyclopedia of Women Social Reformers, Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World, New Encyclopedia of the American West, and Reader's Companion to American History

Gale Virtual Reference Library
Provides access to a number of online, subject specific encyclopedias such as: American Decades, Ancient Greece and Rome, Encyclopedia of American Immigration, Encyclopedia of India, and Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture

Oxford Reference Online
Published by Oxford University Press. A fully-indexed, cross-searchable database of about 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works. Includes such titles as: Dictionary of World History, Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment, Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, Oxford Companion to United States History, Oxford Companion to World War II, Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Oxford Dictionary of the Renaissance, Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, and Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation

Britannica Online
Online version of the well-known and respected encyclopedia. Browse by categories such as "Subjects", "Biographies", or "Quotations"; or search by keyword.

Selected Minnesota Titles

MNopedia
An online encyclopedia administered by the Minnesota Historical Society full of information about MN and its history.

Encyclopedia of Minnesota
Call Number: Reference 977.6 E5644m 2000

Selected American History Titles

Below are examples of encyclopedias containing concise information about American history:

American Civil War by Spencer C. Tucker (Editor)
Features comprehensive coverage of the American Civil War, including significant battles and skirmishes, important civilian and military figures, weaponry, and government relations with Native Americans. The entries also address the events that led to the conflict, the international diplomacy of the war, the rise of the Republican Party, the impact of slavery, the secession crisis, the complex challenges of the war's aftermath, and more.
American Decades (Vol. 1-10)
Cross-disciplinary source for documenting and analyzing periods of contemporary American social history (Vol. 1: 1900-1909; Vol. 2: 1910-1919; Vol. 3: 1920-1929; Vol. 4: 1930-1939: Vol. 5: 1940-1949; Vol. 6: 1950-1959; Vol. 7: 1960-1969; Vol. 8: 1970-1979; Vol. 9: 1980-1989; Vol. 10: 1990-1999)
American Eras: Primary Sources -Early American Civilizations and Exploration to 1600
Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the era of early American civilizations and exploration before 1600.
American Eras: Primary Sources - The Revolutionary Era, 1754–1783
Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the Revolutionary Era in U.S. history.
American Eras: Primary Sources - Development of a Nation, 1783-1815
Includes primary sources documenting events, publications, lifestyles, and individuals important to the early Republic period in U.S. History.
American Eras: Primary Sources - Westward Expansion (1800-1860)
Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the Westward Expansion Era in U.S. history.
American Eras: Primary Sources - Reform Era and Eastern U.S. Development, 1815-1850
Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the Reform Era and eastern United States development in U.S. history.
American Eras: Primary Sources: Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1877)
Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the Civil War and Reconstruction Era in U.S. history.
American Eras: Primary Sources: Development of the Industrial United States (1878-1899)
Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the era of industrial development in U.S. history.
Black Women in America
The second edition of Black Women in America, edited by Darlene Clark Hine, provides expanded coverage of the achievements and contributions of African American women.

Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History
Covers all aspects of the African-American experience from 1619 to the present day.
Encyclopedia of African American History 1619-1895: From the Colonial Period to the Age of Frederick Douglass
Encyclopedia of African American History 1896 to the Present
Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History

Encyclopedia of American Immigration
Offers a clear and innovative approach to immigration history; covers events, laws and treaties, organizations and institutions, and Supreme Court rulings on immigration.
Encyclopedia of American Religious History (Vols. 1-3)
Encyclopedia of American Social History
Call Number: Reference 973.03 E56a

Encyclopedia of North American Indians

Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History
Call Number: Reference 973.7 E5647 2000

Encyclopedia of the American Revolution and Landmarks: Library of Military History

Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era 1760-1850
Call Number: Reference 700.4145 E5647 2004

Working Americans
Call Number: 305.5 D433w (Vols. 1-6)
A look at what kind of work Americans did, the homes they lived in, the goods they bought, the entertainment they sought, and the society and history that shaped their world.

"Blackwell Companions to American History"

Selected World History Titles

Below are examples of encyclopedias and dictionaries covering world history:

Encyclopedia of African History
Call Number: Reference 960.03 E56

Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization
Encyclopedia of the Renaissance
Encyclopedia of World Trade from Ancient Times to the Present
Hutchinson Chronology of World History
Hutchinson Encyclopedia
An authoritative insight into the worlds of science and technology, history, geography, politics and the arts.

Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World
Call Number: Reference 940.05 L351 1999
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures: The Civilizations of Mexico and Central America