Outline of this guide: Reference Works Primary Sources Secondary Sources

Other resources & guides: Course Reserves/E-Reserves for this Class Book Review Sources Microfilm: How to Use It RefWorks RefWorks: A Guide Research Log Research Planner Text a Librarian Web Resources: Evaluation

• Office hours:
  • Monday 1:00-3:00 pm
  • Tuesday, 12:30-1:30, 3:30-5:00 pm
  Location: Consultation Room (directly behind the reference desk)
• Also available by appointment.

• Style Guides
  • Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago, IL: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2003.
    Reference Desk REF PN171 .F56 2003
    Note: up to ten people can search the online version at any one time.
    See also the Chicago Citation Quick Guide.
  • A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. Mary Lynn Rampolla. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007.
    Reference Desk REF D13 .R295 2007
• Biographical Works
  • American National Biography. Ed. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes. 24 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999-2002.
    Reference R 920.073 A512
  • Biography Reference Bank. H.W. Wilson, 2003- .
  • Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. ed. H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. 60 vols. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2004.
    Reference R 920 N2111
• Language Dictionaries
  • The Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Ed. J.A. Simpson and E.S.C. Weiner. 2nd ed. 20 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.
    Reference R 423 O98m
    The online version also contains entries being prepared for the third edition.
    The first edition of the OED is still a useful resource; see A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, edited by A.H. Murray et al. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1888–1928), shelved in Reference at call number R 423 O98.
• Colonial History
  • Colonialism: An International, Social, Cultural, and Political Encyclopedia. Ed. Melvin E. Page. 3 vols. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2003.
    Reference R 325.3 C719
  • Encyclopedia of Colonial and Revolutionary America. John Mack Faragher. New York: Facts on File, 1990.
    Reference R 973.3 E56
  • Encyclopedia of the North American Colonies. Ed. Jacob Ernest Cooke. 3 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1993.
    Reference R 973.1 E56
  • Encyclopedia of the Renaissance. Ed. Paul F. Grendler. 6 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1999.
    Reference R 940.2 E56
  • Gale Virtual Reference Library
    A collection of over 150 electronic reference books, including:
    • Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 10 vols. New York: Scribner's, 2003.
      Reference R 973 D554 2003
    • Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Ed. Jay Kinsbruner and Erick D. Langer. 2nd ed. 6 vols. New York: Scribner's, 2008.
    • Encyclopedia of the New American Nation. Ed. Paul Finkelman. 3 vols. Detroit, MI: Scribner's, 2006.
    • Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450. Ed. Thomas Benjamin. 3 vols. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference, 2007.
    • Europe 1450-1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. Ed. Jonathan Dewald. 6 vols. New York: Scribner's, 2004.
      Reference R 940.2 E89
    • History of World Trade Since 1450. Ed. John McCusker. 2 vols. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference, 2006.
    • ... and more!
  • Historical Atlas of Central America. Carolyn Hall and Héctor Pérez Brignoli. Norman, OK: Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 2003.
    Reference R 911.72 H174h
  • Historical Dictionary of European Imperialism. Ed. James S. Olson. New York: Greenwood, 1991.
    Reference R 903 H673
  • Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Empire, 1402-1975. Ed. James S. Olson. New York: Greenwood, 1992.
    Reference R 914.6 H673
  • Historical Dictionary of Tudor England, 1485-1603. Ronald H. Fritze. New York: Greenwood, 1991.
    Reference R 942.04 H673
  • Tudor England: An Encyclopedia. Arthur F. Kinney and David W. Swain. New York: Garland, 2001.
    Reference R 942.05 T912
• Maritime & Naval History
  • The American Navy, 1789-1860: A Bibliography. Myron J. Smith, Jr. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1974.
    Reference R 016.359 A512 v.2
  • Atlas of Maritime History. Christopher Lloyd. New York: Arco, 1975.
    Reference Atlas Stand R 911 L793a
  • Atlas of Maritime History. Richard Natkiel and Antony Preston. New York: Facts on File, 1986.
    Reference R 912 N278a
  • A Bibliography of American Naval History. Comp. Paolo E. Coletta. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1981.
    Reference R 016.359 C694b
    Note: See also Coletta's A Selected and Annotated Bibliography of American Naval History (Lanham, MD: Univ. Press of America, 1988), shelved in Reference at call number R 016.359 C694s.
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. 8 vols. Washington, DC: Navy Dept., 1959-1981.
    Reference R 623.8 U58d
  • English/British Naval History to 1815: A Guide to the Literature. Eugene L. Rasor. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2004.
    Reference R 016.359 R225b
    Chapter 12 covers "Piracy, Plunder, and Privateering." Also consult the index.
  • Great Sailing Ships: An Illustrated Catalogue and History of 150 Extant Barks, Barkentines, Brigs, Brigantines, Frigates, Schooners, and Other Large Sailing Vessels Built since 1628. Otmar Schäuffelen. Trans. Inge Moore. New York: Praeger, 1969.
    Reference R 387.2 S313g
  • Historical Dictionary of the United States Navy. James M. Morris and Patricia M. Kearns. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 1998.
    Reference R 359 M876h
  • Naval & Maritime History: An Annotated Bibliography. Robert Greenhalgh Albion. 4th ed. Mystic, CT: Marine Historical Association, 1972.
    Reference R 016.35 A337n
    See also A Supplement (1971-1986) to Robert G. Albion's Naval & Maritime History: An Annotated Bibliography, by Benjamin W. Labaree (Mystic, CT: Mystic Seaport Museum, 1988), shelved in Reference at call number R 016.35 A337n-S.
  • Naval Warfare: An International Encyclopedia. Ed. Spencer C. Tucker. 3 vols. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2002.
    Reference R 359 N318
  • Navies in the American Revolution: A Bibliography. Myron J. Smith, Jr. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1973.
    Reference R 016.97 S655n
  • The Oxford Companion to Ships & The Sea. Ed. I.C.B. Dear and Peter Kemp. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2005.
    Reference R 623 O98
  • The Sailor's Word-Book: An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms. W.H. Smyth. Rev. E. Belcher. 1867. London: Conway Maritime Press, 1991.
    Reference R 623.8 S667s
  • Ships of the World: An Historical Encyclopedia. Lincoln P. Paine. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
    Reference R 623.8 P145s

• General Tools
  See also the bibliographies of primary sources in the reference works listed above.
  • Library Catalog
    To locate primary sources, do a keyword search and add one or more of the following words:
    • sources
    • correspondence
    • diaries
    • personal narratives
    You can also do a keyword search and limit your search by publication date.
  • WorldCat
    To locate primary sources, do a keyword search and add one or more of the following words:
    • sources
    • correspondence
    • diaries
    • personal narratives
    Note: Rare and archival materials cannot be borrowed on interlibrary loan. You can sometimes locate microfilm or microfiche copies of these documents in WorldCat; try doing an advanced search, enter your keywords or subject terms, and then apply a "subtype limit," choosing "Microform" as the format.
• Contemporary Books, & Pamphlets (1475-1860)
  In addition to the Library Catalog and WorldCat, try the following:
  • Archive of Americana
    (c. 1639-1980) A collection of digital facsimiles of American books, broadsides, pamphlets, newspapers, and government documents. Includes:
    • American Broadsides & Ephemera
      (c. 1760-1900) Contains more than 30,000 digital facsimiles of broadsides and ephemera, including advertisements, handbills, trade cards, theatre and music programs, stock certificates, menus, and many other works.
    • Early American Imprints
      • Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800
        Contains digital images of over 37,000 books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in the British American colonies, and later the United States.
      • Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819
        Contains digital images of over 36,000 American books, pamphlets, and broadsides.
  • British Piracy in the Golden Age: History and Interpretation, 1660-1730. Ed. Joel H. Baer. 4 vols. London: Pickering & Chatto, 2007.
    Little library Stacks 910.45 B862
  • Early English Books Online (EEB0) (1475-1700)
    Includes over 125,000 books, pamphlets, broadsides, proclamations, almanacs, and other publications printed in Great Britain, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and British North America from the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries.
    Note: Does not include periodicals or newspapers.
    To print more than one page of a document, you need to "Add this Document Images set to your marked list," view your "Marked List," and then download the document images (not the citation). Once the document is downloaded, you can print out a range of pages or the entire document using the print function in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  • Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) (1701-1800)
    Includes the full text of over 185,000 books, pamphlets, almanacs, advertisements, songs, and other materials published in Great Britain and British North America during the eighteenth century; also includes digital facsimiles of each of the works.
  • Goldsmiths'-Kress Library of Economic Literature [microfilm]
    Microfilm cabinets C-15
    Guides:
    • Reference R 016.33 G624
    • Author and reel listings are also available online
    The Library has the following portions of this collection:
    • Social
    • Trades and Manufacturers
    • If you need items on reels in other portions of the collection, request the reels on interlibrary loan.
    Based on the collections of the Kress Library at Harvard and the Goldsmiths' Library at the University of London, this microfilm collection includes books from the late fifteenth century through 1850; most works are British, but the collection does include French, German, Italian, Spanish, and other foreign-language materials. Covers a wide variety of topics related to economics, including social conditions, commerce, finance, industry-specific information, trade and manufacturers, and more.
    Many titles on piracy are listed in the "Commerce" portion of the guide; the library does not have the Commerce section of this collection, but the reels are available on interlibrary loan.
    Many of the British titles in this collection are also in EEBO and ECCO.
  • Google Books
    Be sure to limit your search to "Full view only" or "Public Domain only" in order to find books that you can view cover-to-cover and/or download.
  • Travels in the Old South [microfiche]
    Microfiche cabinet A-3
    Guide: Reference R 016.975 C595t
    A collection of travelers' accounts of their visits to the Old South (1607-1860).
    Also consult the bibliography on which this collection is based:
    • Travels in the Old South: A Bibliography. Ed. Thomas D. Clark. 3 vols. Norman, OK: Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1956-1959.
      Reference R 016.917 C59tr
      Vol. 1: The Formative Years, 1527-1783
      Vol. 2: The Expanding South, 1750-1825
      Vol. 3: The Ante Bellum South, 1825-1860
  • Works Issued by the Hakluyt Society
    The Hakluyt Society, founded in 1846, publishes narratives of voyages, travels, and expeditions as well as other early works on geography, navigation, and exploration. Works originally written in other languages are translated into English. To date, more than 270 titles have been published in three series.
    Library has:
    • First Series: microfiche cabinet A-1A
    • Second Series: microfiche cabinet A-1A (2nd ser. nos. 1-107) and Little Library Stacks 910.8 H15w (2nd ser. nos. 109-190 plus misc. earlier nos.)
    • Third Series: Little Library Stacks 910.8 H15w (nos. 1- ) [ongoing]
      
    To find works in these series, do a keyword search in the Library Catalogue; add the phrase "works issued by the hakluyt society."
    Example: barbados and "works issued by the hakluyt society"
• Government Records & Legal Documents
  England / Great Britain | North American Colonies / United States
  • England / Great Britain
    • Acts of the Privy Council of England, Colonial Series, Volumes 1-6: 1613/1680-1783. 6 vols. 1908-1912. Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus Reprint, 1966.
      Little Library Stacks 942 G78a
    • Britain and the Independence of Latin America, 1812-1830: Select Documents from the Foreign Office Archives. Ed. C.K. Webster. 2 vols. New York: Octagon Books, 1970.
      Little Library Stacks 980.02 W378b
    • British Naval Documents, 1204-1960. Ed. John B. Hattendorf et al. Brookfield, VT: Gower, 1993.
      Little Library Stacks 942.006 N327p v.131
    • British Piracy in the Golden Age: History and Interpretation, 1660-1730. Ed. Joel H. Baer. 4 vols. London: Pickering & Chatto, 2007.
      Little library Stacks 910.45 B862
      Includes some facsimiles of several popular accounts of trials.
    • British Royal Proclamations Relating to America, 1603-1783. Ed. Clarence Brigham. New York: B. Franklin, [1968].
      Little Library Stacks 970.02 G78b
    • Calendar of State Papers: Colonial Series. 43 vols. 1860-1939. Vaduz: Kraus Reprint, 1964.
      Little Library Stacks 942 G78c
      Time period covered: 1513-1737.
      A collection of documents on the British Colonies; includes correspondence to and from colonial governors and covers topics such as piracy, slavery, business and economy, agriculture, boundary disputes, and more.
    • Early English Books Online (EEBO) (1475-1700)
      See above for full description.
      Contains a number of early collections of English statutes as well as some popular accounts of trials. You can search EEBO by title, keyword, or subject.
      See also:
      • A Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland & Ireland and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640. Comp. A.W. Pollard and G.R. Redgrave. 2nd ed. London: Bibliographical Society, 1976-1986 (Reference R 015.42 P77s2).
        To find lists of English statutes, look in volume 1. Titles of general collections of statutes appear on pages 416-419. Titles of collections of statutes on special subjects appear on pages 419-420. Titles of statutes published during particular reigns are listed on pages 420-436.
      • Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America and of English Books Printed in Other Countries, 1641-1700. Comp. Donald Wing. 2nd ed. 4 vols. New York: Modern Language Association, 1972-1998 (Reference R 015.42 W76s2).
        To find lists of English statutes, look in volume 1 on pages 849-853; acts of Parliament are listed on pages 855-931.
    • Journal of the Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, Preserved in the Public Record Office. 14 vols. 1920-38. Liechtenstein: Kraus Reprint, 1969-1970.
      Little Library Stacks 942 G78j
      Covers 1704-1782.
    • Parliamentary Debates: The Official Report (Hansard)
      Recent volumes of Hansard are online (1988 to present [House of Commons]; 1995 to present [House of Lords]). A prototype digitized historical Hansard (1803-2005) is also available; this site is under development, so be sure to consult the print version too.
      Library has:
      • Series 1: vol. 1 (1803) - vol. 41 (Feb. 1820)
        Little Library Stacks 328.42 G78pa Ser. 1-3 Ser.1
        General Index: Little Library Stacks 328.42 G78pa Index 1803-1830
      • Series 2: vol. 1 (April 1820) - vol. 25 (July 1830)
        Little Library Stacks 328.42 G78pa Ser. 1-3 Ser.2
      • Series 3 : vol. 1 (Oct. 1830) - vol. 88 (Aug. 1846); vol. 161 (Feb. 1861)- vol. 332 (Dec. 1888)
        Little Library Stacks 328.42 G78pa Ser. 1-3 Ser. 3
      • Series 5
        • House of Commons: vol. 666 (Oct. 1962) - vol. 1000 (March 1981)
          Little Library Stacks 328.42 G78pa-c
        • House of Lords: Series 5: vol. 245 (Dec. 1962) - vol. 650 (July 2003) [missing vols. 247-257, 260-262, 264, 293-296, 407, 452, 526-527, 530, 564-571]
          Little Library Stacks 328.42 G78pa-L
      • Series 6
        • House of Commons: Series 6: vol. 1 (March 1981) - vol. 404 (May 2003) [missing vols. 180, 192-193, 232]
          Little Library Stacks 328.42 G78pa-c
    • The Proceedings of the Old Bailey London, 1674 to 1834
      Provides the full text of the proceedings of over 100,000 trials along with original page images and background information on trial procedures, verdicts, and the types of crimes tried. The Old Bailey was the central criminal court for the City of London and the County of Middlesex.
    • The Statutes, from the Twentieth Year of King Henry the Third to the [Tenth Chapter of the Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Years of King George the Sixth,] A.D. 1235-[1948]. Ed. Robert Drayton. 3rd rev. ed. 32 vols. London: HMSO, 1950.
      Reference Extension 346 G78s
      Also known as The Statutes Revised, Third Edition. Covers British statutes dating from 1235-1948 and still in force, or not repealed, in 1948. This is therefore an incomplete set of British statutes. Each volume does contain a subject index as well as a useful chronological table of statutes omitted in whole or part, with information on year and session of repeal, where appropriate.
      If you know the title of the statute, if the statute dates from before 1700, and if it does not appear in this set, try the search tips listed under EEBO, above.
  • North American Colonies / United States
    General | Specific Colonies/States
    • General
      • American Archives, from the Northern Illinois University Libraries
        Covers the time period 1774-1776.
        The library also has the print version of this title:
        • American Archives: Consisting of Authentick Records ... Forming a Documentary History of the Origin and Progress of the North American Colonies. Peter Force. 9 vols. 1837-1853. New York: Johnson Reprint Corp., 1972.
          Dewey Oversize F 973.3 A5124
      • Archive of Americana
        (c. 1639-1980) A collection of digital facsimiles of American books, broadsides, pamphlets, newspapers, and government documents. Includes:
        • American State Papers
          (1789-1838) Contains the fully-searchable text of early American Congressional and Executive Department documents.
        • U.S. Congressional Serial Set
          (1817-1994) Contains the fully-searchable text of the Serial Set, a rich collection of primary source materials on all aspects of U.S. political, military, cultural, economic, ethnic, and social history. Includes U.S. Senate and House of Representatives reports, documents, and journals.
      • Calendar of State Papers: Colonial Series. 43 vols. 1860-1939. Vaduz: Kraus Reprint, 1964.
        Little Library Stacks 942 G78c
        A collection of documents on the British Colonies; includes correspondence to and from colonial governors and covers topics such as piracy, slavery, business and economy, agriculture, boundary disputes, and more.
      • A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
        From the Library of Congress's American Memory project. Contains the full text of American State Papers (1789-1838), Statutes at Large (1789-1875), Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774-179, and a wealth of other resources.
      • Early American Imprints
        See above for full description.
        Contains a handful of American publications of individual British statutes and laws as well as some popular accounts of trials.
      • Early English Books Online (EEBO) (1475-1700)
        See above for full description.
        Contains a number of early collections of English statutes as well as some popular accounts of trials. You can search EEBO by title, keyword, or subject.
        See also:
        • A Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland & Ireland and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640. Comp. A.W. Pollard and G.R. Redgrave. 2nd ed. London: Bibliographical Society, 1976-1986 (Reference R 015.42 P77s2).
          To find lists of English statutes, look in volume 1. Titles of general collections of statutes appear on pages 416-419. Titles of collections of statutes on special subjects appear on pages 419-420. Titles of statutes published during particular reigns are listed on pages 420-436.
        • Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America and of English Books Printed in Other Countries, 1641-1700. Comp. Donald Wing. 2nd ed. 4 vols. New York: Modern Language Association, 1972-1998 (Reference R 015.42 W76s2).
          To find lists of English statutes, look in volume 1 on pages 849-853; acts of Parliament are listed on pages 855-931.
      • LexisNexis Congressional
        Indexes Congressional documents and includes the full text of:
        • The Congressional Record (1789 to present)
        • Published and unpublished committee hearings (1824-2003), with selected transcripts from 2004 to present
        Note: many of the early records and statutes are available full-text through A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation (for a full description, see above) and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set (see above). The Davidson College Library also has print copies of American State Papers (1789-1838) and the Annals of Congress (1789-1824).
        Search Syntax:
        • Truncation: use an exclamation point !
        • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
        • Wildcard: use an asterisk *
      • Naval Documents of the American Revolution. Ed. William Bell Clark. 10 vols. Washington, DC: USGPO, 1964- .
        Government Information Stacks D 207.12
    • Specific Colonies/States
      • Connecticut
        • Colonial Connecticut Records, 1636-1776, from the University of Connecticut Libraries
          Contains The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, from April 1636 to October 1776 (15 vols; Hartford, CT: Brown & Parsons, 1850-1890).
      • Georgia
        • The Colonial Records of the State of Georgia. Comp. Allen D. Chandler. 26 vols. Atlanta, GA: C.P. Byrd, 1904-1916.
          Little Library Stacks 975.8 C71
      • Maryland
        • Archives of Maryland Online, from the Maryland State Archives
          (c. 1637 to the present) Contains fully-searchable page images of the Archives of Maryland, a series of documents related to the constitutional, legal, legislative, judicial, and administrative history of Maryland.
      • North Carolina
        • Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, from Documenting the American South, the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
          Contains the full text of The Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, edited by William Saunders and Walter Clark (26 vols.; Nash, 1886-1907).
          The Little Library also has copies of the print set:
          • The Colonial and State Records of North Carolina. Ed. William Saunders and Walter Clark. 26 vols. Goldsboro, NC: Nash, 1886-1907.
            Little Library Stacks 975.6 N8r
      • Pennsylvania
        • Pennsylvania Archives, from Footnote.com
          Contains the full text of Colonial Records (16 vols.) and Pennsylvania Archives, series 1-9, which cover the time period 1664-1935.
      • South Carolina
        • Colonial Records of South Carolina. 14 vols. Columbia: Historical Commission of South Carolina, 1951- .
          Little Library Stacks 975.7 S721j
        • The Statutes at Large of South Caroline. Ed. Thomas Cooper, Columbia, SC: A.S. Johnston, 1836-1837. 2 vols. [n.p.]: South Carolina Bar Association, 1970.
          Little Library Stacks 345.22 S726s
          Contains acts from 1682 to 1716.
      • Virginia
        • Calendar of Virginia State Papers and Other Manuscripts. 11 vols. Richmond: R.F. Walker, 1875-1893.
          Little Library Stacks 975.5 V81c
          Index: Virginia Historical Index, Reference R 016.975 S97v
        • The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia, from the First Session of the Legislature, in the Year 1619. William Waller Hening. 13 vols. Richmond, VA: Samuel Pleasants, 1809-1823.
          Little Library Rare Book Room 345.12 V8s
          Contains acts from 1619 to 1792.
          See also:
          • The Laws of Virginia; Being a Supplement to Hening's The Statutes at Large, 1700-1750. Comp. Waverly K. Winfree. Richmond, VA: Virginia State Library, 1971.
            Little Library Rare Book Room 345.12 V8s-L
          • The Statutes at Large of Virginia, from October Session 1792 to December Session 1806 [1807]. Samuel Shepherd. 3 vols. 1835. New York: AMS Press, 1970.
            Little Library Stacks 345.12 V8s, 1970
          • Index: Virginia Historical Index, Reference R 016.975 S97v
        • Virginia Colonial Records Project, from the Library of Virginia
          An index of over 15,000 survey reports that describe documents related to colonial Virginia; the original documents are housed in libraries and archives in Great Britain, Ireland, and France. Note that while the survey reports are available online, the actual documents are not; many were microfilmed, though, and the microfilm reels may be available on interlibrary loan.
• Diaries
  See also the library's guide to diaries.
  • American Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of Published American Diaries and Journals. 2 vols. Laura Arksey et al. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1983-1985.
    Reference R 016.92 A721a
    Vol. 1: Diaries Written from 1492 to 1844
    Vol. 2: Diaries Written from 1845 to 1980
  • American Women's Diaries [microfilm]
    Microfilm cabinet C-2
    This collection includes handwritten diaries from the colonial period through the beginning of the twentieth century. It is in three parts of this collection: New England Women (8 diaries), Southern Women (32 diaries), and Western Women (600 diaries).
    Guides:
       Segment 1, New England Women: Reference R 016.973 A5121n
       Segment 2, Southern Women: Reference R 016.973 A5121s
       Segment 3, Western Women: Reference R 016.973 A5121w
  • And So to Bed: A Bibliography of Diaries Published in English. Patricia Pate Havlice. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1987.
    Reference R 016.92 H388a
  • North American Women's Letters & Diaries
    This collection provides the full text of letters, diaries, and excerpts of diaries from the colonial era to the mid twentieth century. The texts were written contemporaneously; memoirs are not included.
• Periodicals
  Newspapers | Other Periodicals
  • Newspapers
    Collections & Individual Titles | Bibliographies & Guides
    • Collections and Individual Titles
      • 17th & 18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers
        (c. 1603-1800) Contains digital facsimiles of approximately 1,270 seventeenth and eighteenth-century English newspapers from the British Library's Burney Collection; includes many London papers as well as some English provincial, Scottish, Irish, and colonial North American papers. The full text of these newspapers, including all articles, advertisements, and other contents, is keyword-searchable.
      • America's Historical Newspapers (1690-1922)
        Contains digital facsimiles of over 1,375 seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth-century newspapers; the full text of these newspapers, including all articles, advertisements, and other contents, is keyword-searchable.
        Based on Brigham's History and Bibliography of American Newspapers and Gregory's American Newspapers 1821-1936: A Union List of Files Available in the United States and Canada, listed below.
      • Individual Titles
        Newspapers in our collection include:
        • Aurora General Advertiser (1794-1812) [microfilm]
        • Cape Fear Mercury (1769-1775) [microfilm]
        • Georgia Gazette (1797-1802) [microfilm]
        • The New York Time (1851 to present)
          
          • 1851-2006: Historical Newspapers: The New York Times
          • 1851 to present: microfilm
          • Index (1851 to present): Reference Index Area R 071 N53
            Personal Name Index: Reference Index Area R 071 N53p
        • Newbern Gazette (1798-1804) [microfilm]
        • North Carolina Gazette (1789-1798) [microfilm]
        • Raleigh Register (1799-1886) [microfilm]
        • Virginia Gazette (1790-1809) [microfilm]
        • The [London] Times (1785 to present) [microfilm]
          Index: Reference Index Area R 070 T58
        • Washington Gazette (1796-1821) [microfilm]
        • The Wilmington Gazette (1797-1815) [microfilm]
    • Bibliographies & Guides
      • American Newspapers, 1821-1936: A Union List of Files Available in the United States and Canada. Ed. Winifred Gregory. New York: Kraus, 1967.
        Reference R 016.05 A51
      • British Newspapers and Periodicals, 1641-1700: A Short-Title Catalogue of Serials Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, and British North America. Carolyn Nelson. New York: Modern Language Association, 1987.
        Reference R 015.42 N425b
      • A Census of British Newspapers and Periodicals, 1620-1800. R.S. Crane and F.B. Kaye. New York: Johnsonian Reprint Corp., 1963.
        Reference R 016.05 C891
      • A Checklist of American Eighteenth Century Newspapers in the Library of Congress. Henry S. Parsons. New ed. New York: Greenwood, [1968].
        Reference R 015.73 U58c
      • Guide to North Carolina Newspapers on Microfilm. Comp. Roger C. Jones. 5th rev. ed. Raleigh, NC: Dept. of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History, 1982.
        Reference R 016.07 N86 1982
      • A Hand-List of Irish Newspapers, 1685-1750. R.L. Munter. London: Bowes & Bowes, 1960.
        Reference R 016.07 M971h
      • History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820. Clarence Saunders Brigham. 2 vols. Worcester, MA: American Antiquarian Society, 1947.
        Reference R 016.07 B85h
        See also
        • Additions and Corrections to History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820 (Worcester, MA: American Antiquarian Society, 1961), shelved in Reference at call number R 016.07 B85h
      • Pennsylvania Newspapers: A Bibliography and Union List. Ed. Ruth Salisbury. Pittsburgh, PA: Pennsylvania Library Association, 1969.
        Reference R 016.07 S 167p
      • South Carolina Newspapers, 1732-1782. Charleston, SC: Charleston Library Society, 1956.
        Reference R 016.07 S726
      • Union List of North Carolina Newspapers, 1751-1900. Ed. H.G. Jones and Julius H. Avant. Raleigh, NC: State Dept. of Archives and History, 1963.
        Reference R 016.07 N86u
      • Virginia Gazette Index, 1736-1780. Lester J. Cappon and Stella F. Duff. 2 vols. Williamsburg, VA: Institute of Early American History and Culture, 1950.
        Reference R 016.07 V817
  • Other periodicals
    • 19th-Century Masterfile
      Indexes articles in 479 British and American periodicals published in the nineteenth century.
      Note: The print version of Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (1802-1906), which is part of 19th-Century Masterfile, is available in the Reference Index Area at call number R 050 P82.
    • Making of America
      Contains the full text of journals and books from the antebellum period through reconstruction.
      Note: There are two sites for the Making of America:
      • University of Michigan site
      • Cornell University site
    • Periodicals Index Online
      (c. 1665-1995) Indexes journal and magazine articles as well as book reviews in a broad array of humanities, social sciences, and science subjects.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: automatic
• Other Examples
  • B.F. Stevens's Facsimiles of Manuscripts in European Archives Relating to America, 1773-1783. Benjamin Franklin Stevens. 25 vols. Wilmington, DE: Mellifont, 1970.
    Dewey Oversize: F 973.3 S844f
  • Black Culture Collection from Atlanta University. Wooster, OH: Bell & Howell, 1972-1973.
    Microfilm cabinet C-7
    Library has:
    • South America & the West Indies
    • Slavery in History
    Guide: Reference R 016.972 A881b
    Includes eighteenth, nineteenth, and early-twentieth century books and pamphlets.
  • Guide to the Manuscripts in the National Maritime Museum. Ed. R.J.B. Knight. 2 vols. London: Mansell, 1977.
    Reference R 016.35 G786g
  • Hakluyt, Richard. The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation. 12 vols. 2nd ed. rev. New York: AMS Press, 1965.
    Little Library Stacks 910.8 H15p
    The original 1589 edition is available online through EEBO. The 1907 Dunt edition is also available online through Perseus.
  • Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping
    Reference R 387 L79
    Library has volumes for 1764, 1776, 1790, 1800, 1812, 1820.
  • New American World: A Documentary History of North America to 1612. Ed. David B. Quinn. 5 vols. New York: Arno Press, 1979.
    Little Library Stacks 970.01 N532
  • New Iberian World: A Documentary History of the Discovery and Settlement of Latin America to the early 17th Century. Ed. John H. Parry and Robert G. Keith. 5 vols. New York: Hector & Rose, 1984.
    Little Library Stacks 980.01 N532
  • A Reference Guide to the Literature of Travel: Including Voyages, Geographical Descriptions, Adventures, Shipwrecks and Expeditions. Edward Godfrey Cox. 3 vols. New York: Greenwood, [1969].
    Reference R 016.91 C877r
  • Purchas, Samuel. Purchas his Pilgrimes: Contayning a History of the World in Sea Voyages and Lande Travells by Englishmen and Others. 20 vols. New York: AMS Press, 1965.
    Little Library Stacks 910.8 P98h
    The original 1617 edition is available online through EEBO as are several other early editions.