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Researching the Early Middle Ages

Bibliographies

Crosby, Everett U. Medieval studies: a bibliographic guide. NY: Garland, 1983. (Olin Reference ).

Caenegem, R. C. van. Guide to the sources of medieval history. Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company, 1978. (Olin Reference Z6517 .C12)

Powell, James M. Medieval studies: an introduction. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1992. 2d. ed. (Olin Reference Z6517 .M48 1992)

Paetow, Louis John. A guide to the study of medieval history. Millwood, NY: Kraus Reprint, 1980. (Olin Reference Z6203 .P19) and Literature of medieval history, 1930-1975 : a supplement to Louis John Paetow's A guide to the study of medieval history Millwood, N.Y. : Kraus Publications, c1981. (Olin Reference Z6203 .P12 1931 Suppl.)

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Dictionary of the Middle Ages. 12 vols. 1982-1988. (Olin Reference D114 D55+; also Uris Reference) The classic encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, useful for both scholars and students. Bibliographies emphasize material in English.

The Catholic encyclopedia; an international work of reference on the constitution, doctrine, discipline, and history of the Catholic Church. Ed. Charles G. Herbermann, et al. New York, Appleton [c1907-12]. (Also available in print at Olin Reference BX841 .C36) This fifteen volume encyclopedia goes beyond the subject of Catholicism to include science, literature, art and civilization. Particularly good on historical topics and the Middle Ages. Reissued and updated in the 1960s as The New Catholic Encyclopedia (available in print at Olin and Uris Reference). Articles sometimes include bibliography of primary and secondary sources.

Medieval Archaeology : an Encyclopedia. Edited by Pam J. Crabtree. New York: Garland, 2001. (Olin Reference D125.M42x 2001+) A substantive, and very recent, encyclopedia of medieval archaeology, with entries for sites (Sutton Hoo, e.g.), areas (Pre-Viking Scandinavia), ethnic/culture groups (Vikings, Visigoths), artifacts (stoneware) and activities (Hunting, Cloth-making).

The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Edited by Michael Lapidge; with John Blair, Simon Keynes, and Donald Scragg. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 1998. (Olin Reference DA 152 B58x 1998) People, places, social groups. Most articles contain concise bibliographies.

Medieval Scandanavia: An Encyclopedia. 1993. (Olin Reference and Kroch Rare and Manuscripts Reference DL30 .M48 + ). Articles vary in length but all are accompanied by bibliographies.

Medieval England: An Encyclopedia. Ed. Paul E. Szarmach, M. Teresa Tavormina, Joel T. Rosenthal. New York: Garland, 1998.(Olin Reference DA 129 .M43x 1998)

Medieval Ireland : an encyclopedia. Sea´n Duffy, editor ; associate editors, Ailbhe MacShamhra´in, James Moynes. New York : Routledge, 2005. (Olin Library Reference DA933 .M43 2005 +)

Ancient Europe 8000 B.C.--A.D. 1000: encyclopedia of the Barbarian world. Peter Bogucki & Pam J. Crabtree, editors in chief. New York ; London : Charles Scribner's Sons/Thomson/Gale, c2004. Two volumes. (Olin Library Reference D62 .A52x 2004+)

Encyclopedia of barbarian Europe: society in transformation. Michael Frassetto. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2003. (Olin Library Reference D135 .F73x 2003+)

Medieval France: An Encyclopedia. Ed. William W. Kibler, Grover A Zinn. New York: Garland, 1995. (Olin Reference DC 33.2 .M48 1995)

Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia. Ed. John M. Jeep. New York: Garland, 2001.
(Olin Reference DD126 .M43x 2001+ )

Medieval Iberia: An Encyclopedia. E. Michael Gerli, editor ; associate editors, Samuel G. Armistead ... [et al.]. New York : Routledge, 2003. (Olin Reference DP99 .M33x 2003 + ).

Medieval Jewish civilization: an encyclopedia. Norman Roth, editor. New York: Routledge, 2003. (Olin Reference DS124 .M386 2003 +)

Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia. Christopher Kleinhenz, editor. New York : Routledge, 2004. (Olin Library Reference DG443 .M43x 2004) Two volumes.

Medieval Islamic civilization: an encyclopedia. Josef W. Meri, editor. New York: Routledge, c2006. (Olin Library Reference DS36.85 .M434 2006 +) Two volumes.

 

Chronologies and Histories

The New Cambridge Medieval History. 7vols Edited by Rosamond McKitterick. Cambridge, [England] ; New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press, 1995- (Olin Reference and Uris Stacks D117 .N48x 1995). A textbook of sorts in which each chapter has been written by a specialist and each volume concludes with an extensive bibliography. The emphasis is on political and economic history. Other multi-volume sets cover ancient history (Uris D57 .C17 1970; also Olin Reference) and modern history (Uris D208 .N53 1957; also Olin Reference).

Storey, R. L. Chronology of the Medieval World 800 to 1491. New York: David Mackay, 1973.(Olin Reference D118 .S88 1973) This chronology focuses on western Europe, but an attempt has been made to show contemporary developments in other continents as well.

Mackay, Angus with David Ditchburn, eds. Atlas of Medieval Europe. London ; New York : Routledge, 1997. (Uris Reference G1791 .M2x 1997)

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FIND BOOKS

Click on the image to connect to the Cornell Library online catalog:
 
The Cornell Library Catalog currently includes all items from all Cornell libraries in Ithaca.

Searching library catalogs is particularly challenging for medievalists. In the Cornell Library Catalog, use a guided keyword search-- type middle medieval in the first box, choose "any of these" in the middle pull-down menu (which tells the system to look for either medieval or middle ages in the title, subject, notes, etc.), and leave the last pull-down menu on keyword anywhere, then use the other search boxes to add additional terms. For example:

Sample Library of Congress subject headings (and terms) for medieval research:

Vikings
Vikings--Ireland--Dublin
Great Britain History Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066
America--Discovery and exploration--Norse

TIP: To retrieve a browsable list of subject headings for the medieval period of a modern nation (especially early medieval) --using the basic search in the CU online catalog, choose subject heading, then type the nation, then history. This will produce a list containing such essential headings as:

Denmark History To 1241
Ireland History To 1262
Dublin (Ireland) History
Scandinavia History Sources
Great Britain History Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066

Be aware that additional material, sometimes better material, can be found using the medieval (or ancient) name of a place as a subject or keyword, for instance--Gaul, Northumbria, Holy Roman Empire, Florence.

Help Using the Cornell Library Catalog.

Library of Congress Classification: Understanding Library of Congress Call Numbers

Whenever you cannot locate the material you need, ask at the reference desk for assistance.

Interlibrary Loan Services
If Cornell does not have material you need, request a loan from a non-CU library.


Borrow Direct
If Cornell owns a book you need but it is checked-out, try requesting another copy through Borrow Direct, a rapid request and delivery system.

 

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FIND ARTICLES

Bibliography of Old Norse-Icelandic studies (BONIS). (Library Catalog). BONIS includes selective scholarship on Old Norse philology (literature, language and history) and related subjects such as West Norse runology, Viking Age studies, Archaeology, art history, ecclesiastical and legal history published anywhere in the world.

International Medieval Bibliography (IMB). (Library Gateway's Find Databases)

video tutorial

Indexes articles and books. Covers all aspects of medieval studies within the date range of 400 to 1500.

Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance (Library Gateway's Find Databases) Indexes articles and books, pertaining to the Middle Ages and Renaissance, 400-1700.

Feminae (Medieval Feminist Index).(Library Gateway's Find Databases) An index to journal articles, book reviews, and essays in books. Covers gender and sexuality, masculinity and male homosexuality.

MLA International Bibliography. (Library Gateway's Find Databases) Indexes articles on languages, literature, folklore and linguistics.

Royal Historical Society bibliography (Online) (Library Catalog) British and Irish history, including books, articles in journals and collective volumes, and review articles.

Proquest Research Library. (Library Gateway's Find Databases) Indexes and abstracts over 1600 general interest magazines and scholarly journals.

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FIND PRIMARY SOURCES

 

Primary Sources in English Translation

Finding and using primary sources for the Middles Ages is particularly challenging, and the definition of primary source can be quite different than, for instance, that for twentieth century US history. When in doubt, always consult faculty or TA.

Be prepared, you may find the best sources have never been translated from Latin (or Greek), or that translations exist in languages other than English.

ORB (see below under selected www sites) provides a selection of excerpts of sources translated into English full-text online arranged chronologically and geographically. Internet Medieval Sourcebook is helpful for getting a sense of the types of medieval sources and for bibliography.

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: The Online Resource for Irish history, literature and politics

Celtic Literature Collection

For a selection of the writings of the Church Fathers in English full-text online, see The Catholic Encyclopedia online's new Fathers section.

Ferguson, Mary Anne. Bibliography of English translations from medieval sources, 1943-1967. New York, Columbia University Press, 1974. (Olin Library Room 404 and Olin Reference Z6517 .F35) and Bibliography of English translations from medieval sources, by Clarissa P. Farrar and Austin P. Evans. New York, Columbia University Press, 1946. (Olin Library Room 404 and Olin Reference Z6517 .F24). These guides are quite outdated and superseded and must be used with caution, but they can still be useful on occasion, especially for brief works (a single letter or poem) or excerpts of longer works contained within books or articles.

For book-length translations, try the database Worldcat through the Library Gateway's Find Databases.

Selected Primary Sources in Original Languages

Acta Sanctorum: the full text database (Library Catalog) Lives of the Saints in Latin.

Patrologia Latina Database (Library Catalog) The writings of the Church Fathers in Latin.

Library of Christian Latin Texts: CLCLT (Library Catalog) Selections from the patristic writings in Latin.

Monumenta Germaniae Historica online (eMGH) (Library Catalog) A selection of medieval historical texts in Latin.

The Vulgate The medieval Latin Bible.

Saganet Sagas, mostly in Old Norse.

The Electronic Text Center. Located on the first floor of Olin Library, includes CD-Roms of searchable full texts of: Archive of Celtic-Latin Literature (in Latin) The Electronic Beowulf (in Old English) The Hereford Mappa Mundi The Sagas of the Icelanders (In Old Norse) The Lindisfarne Gospels (in Latin)

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Find Web Sites

Find Internet Resources Search engines (such as the highly rated Google) can be useful. Be cautious with material and information freely available on the web (not to be confused with online material through Cornell-restricted web-based databases). Evaluating Web Sites is a helpful guide to using web resources.

Selected reputable Websites:

Medieval Sourcebook

ORB: The Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies.

Norse links

BBC History: Vikings

Smithsonian Museum: Vikings

The Viking Answer Lady

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CITE WHAT YOU FIND

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 5th ed. Chicago: U Chicago P, 1987. (Uris and Olin Reference PE 1478 T92 1987) A newly revised and expanded version by B. Honigsblum, of Kate Turabian's standard guide for student writers. Fourteen chapters cover everything you've ever wanted to know about putting a paper together, from its introductory chapters to its bibliography. online version

MLA citation style

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (5th ed.) CU Library Reference locations include Olin and Uris Libraries at call number: LB 2369 .G53x 1999.

MLA citation style (Library Gateway Help)

MLA Style (MLA's web site)

 

Managing Information using RefWorks

RefWorks is a web-based program that allows you to easily collect, manage, and organize bibliographic references by interfacing with databases. RefWorks also interfaces directly with Word, making it easy to import references and incorporate them into your writing, properly formatted according to the style of your choice. For more information and to sign up for an account: http://www.refworks.cornell.edu

 

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Get Research and Reference Help

Library Gateway Help

CU Library Catalog Help

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Olin Kroch Uris Reference e-mail address: okuref@cornell.edu

Reference Desk Directory

Reference Desk Schedules in Olin and Uris Libraries

Olin Library Reference phone number: 255-4144

Uris Library Reference phone number: 255-2339

 

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Februrary 12, 2007

Questions? Suggestions? Contact Virginia Cole Created by Virginia Cole, Ph.D. Olin Uris Reference Services

IM buddy name: vac11Librarian

Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853
PSA: Public Services and Assessment
Information and reference: 607-255-4144, okuref@cornell.edu
Circulation: (Olin) 607-255-4245, (Uris) 607-255-3537, olincirc@cornell.edu