History Databases -- General
(see also
History--United States,
Biography,
Social Sciences, and
General.
For history of individual countries, see also:
Culture and Area Studies)
[Indexes]
[Online Books--General & By Period]
[Online Books--By Subject]
[History of Individual Countries]
[History of the United States]
- Indexes to Journals and Books:
- Historical
Abstracts (ABC-Clio)
- Annotated references to the history
of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States
and Canada). Currently over 2,000 journals published
throughout the world
are covered as well as approximately 3,000 citations to
useful historical books and citations to abstracts of dissertations.
Every year over 20,000 new
citations are added.
- Historical
Abstracts (Ebsco)
- Provides indexing of more than 1,700 academic historical journals
in over 40 languages that cover the history of the world
(excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the
present. Includes world history, military history, women's history,
history of education, and more. Coverage extends back to
1955 with additional journals dating back to the 19th century in the
process of being added.
- History
Resource Center: World (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Contains the full text of 110 journals, 27 reference books, and
1800 primary sources, as well as images, maps, and charts, to provide expansive
geographic and chronologic coverage of world history, including ancient Europe,
Latin America, the Far East, the Renaissance, and more.
- LIUCat
on the Web:
- The online public access catalog of Long Island University's
six campuses. This can be searched from any computer. No password is needed.
- Sociological
Abstracts (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts)
- Indexes the international
literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social
and behavioral sciences, drawn from over 1,700 journals, books,
book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers.
Includes culture, economic development, family, social welfare,
political interactions, social development, social psychology,
women's studies, and more. Covers 1952 to the present.
- Online Encyclopedias and Books --
General and Historical Periods:
Ancient & Medieval -
Renaissance & Enlightenment -
Nineteenth Century -
Modern
(For the history of individual countries, see also Culture and Area Studies)
- Andromeda
Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Berkshire
Encyclopedia of World History (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Encyclopedic reference presenting a connected, holistic view of world
history, emphasizing cultural contact and social change over time and place; comparisons
across time and place; and extensive coverage of arts, literature, religion, and science.
Includes 550 articles written by historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, sociologists,
geographers, and other experts from around the world.
- Chambers
Dictionary of World History (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Concise
Atlas of World History, Andromeda (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- ebrary (ebrary)
- Currently
offers over 25,000 full-text books, sheet music titles, maps, reports, and other authoritative documents from more
than 180 leading academic, trade, and professional publishers. The collections are particularly strong in
business, economics, education, computers, technology, science, medicine, history,
language, literature, humanities, politics, and social sciences. Publishers include The McGraw-Hill Companies,
Random House, Penguin Classics, Taylor
& Francis, Yale University Press, John Wiley & Sons, Greenwood, and more.
- Note: to use ebrary, you must first download and install the
ebrary Reader on your computer (more information).
- Encyclopedia
of World History (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Historical
Atlas of the Islamic World (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Geography is vital for the understanding of Islamic history and its
problematic relationship with modernity. The maps in this book illuminate important aspects
of the shifting patterns of state and religious authority that prevailed during the vast sweep
of Islamic history, from the time of the Prophet to the present, by opening windows into
significant areas of the distant and recent past, thereby helping to explain the legacy of
conflicts - as well as opportunities - that the past has bequeathed to the present.
- History
Resource Center: World (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Contains the full text of 110 journals, 27 reference books, and
1800 primary sources, as well as images, maps, and charts, to provide expansive
geographic and chronologic coverage of world history, including ancient Europe,
Latin America, the Far East, the Renaissance, and more.
- Hutchinson
Chronology of World History (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- The
People's Chronology (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- For each year from prehistory through 2004, it describes the major
events that took place in each of the following categories: political events,
human rights & social justice, philanthropy, exploration, colonization, commerce,
retail trade, energy, transportation, technology, science, medicine, religion, education,
communications, media, literature, art, photography, theater, film, music, sports, everyday life,
tobacco, crime, architecture & real estate, environment, marine resources, agriculture,
food availability, nutrition, consumer protection, food & drink, restaurants, and population.
- Ancient and Medieval:
- Ancient
Europe, 8000 B.C. to A.D. 1000: Encyclopedia of the Barbarian World (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Explores the many peoples of early European civilizations responsible
for such accomplishments as the rise of farming in the Neolithic era and the building of
Stonehenge. Coverage expands from prehistoric origins through the early Middle Ages
when tribal movements helped define the end of ancient culture and the rise of the modern
European world.
- Encyclopedia
of Classical Philosophy (Credo/xrefer)
- Presents 270 articles on the philosophy of Greek and Roman antiquity, focusing
on major and minor individual thinkers and their contributions to the traditions of
philosophical thought. Also covers epistemology, ethics, philosophy of mind,
political thought, debate among the ancient thinkers, and history of philosophical
schools, as well as issues of interpretation and debate in the contemporary scholarly
study of the philosophy of the Classical period.
- Encyclopedia
of Medieval Literature (Credo/xrefer)
- Comprehensive guide to English literature written between 500 and 1500
with coverage of major authors, individual works, important themes, and of
entire genres, such as drama, lyric, ballad, debate, saga, chronicle, and
hagiography. Includes entries for historical persons and other topics that would
have affected their creation, such as kings, artists, explorers, religious leaders,
culture, and major historical events. Also covers Islamic, Hispanic, Celtic,
Mongolian, Germanic, Italian, and Russian literature.
- Guide
to the Ancient World, H.W. Wilson (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Late
Antiquity: A Guide to The Postclassical World (Credo/xrefer)
- Covers Roman, Byzantine, Sassanian, and early Islamic cultures, from
the middle of the third century to the end of the eighth, with a broad range
of entries on politics, manufacturing, commerce, the arts, philosophy, religion,
geography, ethnicity, and domestic life. Covers historic figures, places,
institutions, burial customs, food, money, public life, amusements, and more.
- Renaissance and Enlightenment:
- Encyclopaedia
of the Renaissance (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Europe,
1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- 1,150 articles written by eminent scholars explore European
history from 1450-1789, including coverage of major topics in art, government,
and education, along with specific topics such as guilds, key individuals,
food riots, royal mistresses, the Spanish Inquisition, apocalypticism,
Utopia, and more.
- Renaissance:
An Encyclopedia for Students (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- This set has been prepared especially for nonspecialists, focusing on the
Renaissance-era topics that are most studied in art, literature, economics, science, and
world history classes. Entries cover a range of topics, such as Florence, Galileo,
heraldry, Medici family, opera, piracy, Shakespeare, Leonardo Da Vinci, and many others.
Includes a master chronology with topical timelines, a bibliography with age-appropriate
further reading sources, and a comprehensive index.
- Nineteenth Century:
- Encyclopedia
of the Romantic Era, 1760-1850 (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Modern:
- Dictionary
of Contemporary History - 1945 to the present (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Keesing's
World News Archives (Keesing's)
- Combines the full text of over 95,000 articles from
Keesing's Contemporary Archives and Keesing's Record of World Events
from 1931 to the present, adding about 150 articles per month. Drawing from a wide
range of press and other sources in a variety of languages, it provides an overview
of the political news of the world with a commitment to internationalism, accuracy,
objectivity, and permanence. Covers, with their historical context, such topics as
elections, changes of government, wars, treaties, appointments, diplomacy,
terrorism, security issues, legislation, budgets, economic developments,
international agreements, actions by the UN & other international
organizations, natural disasters, environmental issues, and scientific
discoveries.
- Online Encyclopedias and Books --
Specific Subjects in History:
Arts & Humanities -
Labor & Economics -
Primary Sources -
Science & Technology -
Social Issues -
War & Violence
- ebrary (ebrary)
- Currently
offers over 25,000 full-text books, sheet music titles, maps, reports, and other authoritative documents from more
than 180 leading academic, trade, and professional publishers. The collections are particularly strong in
business, economics, education, computers, technology, science, medicine, history,
language, literature, humanities, politics, and social sciences. Publishers include The McGraw-Hill Companies,
Random House, Penguin Classics, Taylor
& Francis, Yale University Press, John Wiley & Sons, Greenwood, and more.
- Note: to use ebrary, you must first download and install the
ebrary Reader on your computer (more information).
- Arts and Humanities:
(See also: Art,
Literature, and
Music)
- Arts
and Humanities Through the Eras (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- For each of the five major periods (Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece & Rome,
Medieval Europe, Renaissance Europe, and the Baroque & Enlightenment), it discusses
architecture & design, dance, fashion, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theater,
and visual arts, profiling milestones, movements, masterworks, and schools of thought in
relation to each other, as well as to history and culture. Includes an overview of each
period with a chronology of major world events and biographical profiles of pioneers, masters,
and other prominent figures in the field.
- Cambridge
World History of Food (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Covers the full spectrum of foods that have been hunted, gathered,
cultivated, and domesticated from prehistoric times to the present, offering a geographical
perspective on the history and culture of food and drink. Includes nutritional makeup,
prejudices, fads, taboos, policy issues, toxins, additives, labeling, entitlements, impact
on cultures & demography, brief histories of over 1000 plant foods, and much more.
- Cambridge
World History of Food (Credo/xrefer)
- Encapsulates the history of food and nutrition from prehistoric times to the food-related
policy issues of today. Covers the full spectrum of foods that have been hunted, gathered, cultivated,
& domesticated; their nutritional makeup & uses; and their impact on cultures &
demography as well as geographical perspectives, plants, fads, prejudices, taboos, toxins,
additives, labeling, and entitlements.
- Encyclopedia
of Clothing and Fashion (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Covers clothing and different forms of body adornment - including
makeup, tattoos, and piercing - examining the origins of clothing, the development of
fabrics & technologies, the social meanings of dress, costumes from a wide variety
of historical eras, histories of specific garments, techniques & manufacturing, and
important persons & institutions. Discusses contexts of class, gender, sumptuary
laws, as well as advertising, fashion careers, uniforms; costume design for stage &
screen, and more. Includes a timeline.
- Fashion,
Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Provides a broad overview of costume traditions of diverse cultures from prehistoric
times to the present day, examining more than 430 items of human decoration and adornment. Explores
how and why items were created, the people who made them, their uses, and how clothing reflects the
different cultural, religious, and societal beliefs.
- Holocaust
Literature: An Encyclopedia of Writers and Their Work (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- New
Dictionary of the History of Ideas (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Comprehensive, multidisciplinary work that provides diverse, cross-cultural
perspectives from thinkers around the globe on the main ideas and movements of human concern,
ranging from ideas created by humanity several millennia ago to contemporary concepts, in order
to make the often complex history of "what we think" accessible to readers. Its chronological
scope permits examination of the timeless questions about the individual and society over centuries
of development, focusing not only on the ideas themselves but also on the cultural environments
within which those ideas arose, on the transformations and intermingling of the ideas, and on the
ideas' influences, far in time or place, from their site of origin. Covers such topics as animism,
communication, deconstruction, physics, postmodernism, race theory, sexual harassment,
untouchability, and more.
- Reference
Guide to Holocaust Literature (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Provides biographical and critical essays on 223 writers connected to or
concerned with the Holocaust, as well as separate essays on 307 of their works.
- Labor and Economics:
(See also: Economics and
Business)
- Encyclopedia
of the Great Depression (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Comprehensive, multidisciplinary overview of such topics as
Depression-era politics, government, business, economics, literature,
the arts, society, and culture.
- Historic
Events for Students: The Great Depression (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Each article covers a specific issue or incident related to the Great
Depression, with an introduction, issue/incident summary, an exploration of different
historical perspectives, excerpts from primary source documents, a bibliography, and a
summary of key political, social, & economic influences that combine basic facts
and background with global perspectives.
- History
of World Trade Since 1450 (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Examines the complex interactions between peoples, from the beginning of
the European expansion during the Age of Exploration to the present day, as people sought
to exchange goods and services for their own benefit throughout all regions of the world.
Explores how the hunt for new resources and markets during this period resulted in the
establishment of colonies, the expansion of slavery, the rise of capitalism, the Industrial
Revolution, and the ending of the very empires that started and initially prospered from
the expansion. Covers the people, places, developments, and ideas that were global in
their reach and are global in their implications to this day, such as the effects of imperialism
on the global economy. Includes a glossary and primary source documents.
- St.
James Encyclopedia of Labor History Worldwide: Major Events in Labor History and Their Impact (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Provides in-depth analysis of more than 300 key events in labor history over
the last 200 years, focusing on the relevance of these events to both the labor movement as a
whole and to societal changes around the world. Each entry, written and signed by an expert in
the field, is three to five pages in length and includes a description of the event, information
about the key players involved and discusses the event in historical context.
- Primary Sources:
(See also: News and Current Events)
- Chambers
Classic Speeches (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Governments
of the World: A Global Guide to Citizen's Rights and Responsibilities (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Provides multidisciplinary background information on the governments,
political issues, and citizen politics in every independent nation of the world (and several
non-independent territories), covering both their structure and how they affect citizens in the
daily exercise of their rights and responsibilities. Includes historical surveys on different
types of political systems; sidebars that explore key people, themes, & events;
biographical sketches; a selection of primary documents; the intricacies of international
relationships in a global environment; and the roles of international courts &
supranational institutions such as the United Nations & the European Union.
- Historic
Events for Students: The Great Depression (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Each article covers a specific issue or incident related to the Great
Depression, with an introduction, issue/incident summary, an exploration of different
historical perspectives, excerpts from primary source documents, a bibliography, and a
summary of key political, social, & economic influences that combine basic facts
and background with global perspectives.
- History
Resource Center: World (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Contains the full text of 110 journals, 27 reference books, and
1800 primary sources, as well as images, maps, and charts, to provide expansive
geographic and chronologic coverage of world history, including ancient Europe,
Latin America, the Far East, the Renaissance, and more.
- History
of World Trade Since 1450 (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Examines the complex interactions between peoples, from the beginning of
the European expansion during the Age of Exploration to the present day, as people sought
to exchange goods and services for their own benefit throughout all regions of the world.
Explores how the hunt for new resources and markets during this period resulted in the
establishment of colonies, the expansion of slavery, the rise of capitalism, the Industrial
Revolution, and the ending of the very empires that started and initially prospered from
the expansion. Covers the people, places, developments, and ideas that were global in
their reach and are global in their implications to this day, such as the effects of imperialism
on the global economy. Includes a glossary and primary source documents.
- Terrorism:
Essential Primary Sources
(GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Contains approximately 200 international primary source documents, such
as speeches, memoirs, letters, interviews, novels, essays, magazine &
newspaper articles, and much more that focus on the issue of terrorism in the last
three centuries. Part of the Social Issues Primary Source Collection.
- Science and Technology:
(See also: Science and
Technology)
- Cambridge
Historical Dictionary of Disease (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Interdisciplinary histories and descriptions of the world's major
diseases, past and present, from AIDS to yellow fever.
- Reader's
Guide to the History of Science (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Science
and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery
(GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- (See database page for description)
- Science in Dispute (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- vol.01,
vol.02,
vol.03.
(See database page for description)
- Ships
of the World, Houghton Mifflin (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Social Issues:
(See also: Social Sciences)
- Encyclopedia
of Children and Childhood in History and Society
(GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- (See database page for description)
- Encyclopedia
of Social Welfare History in North America
(GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- (See database page for description)
- New
Dictionary of the History of Ideas (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Comprehensive, multidisciplinary work that provides diverse, cross-cultural
perspectives from thinkers around the globe on the main ideas and movements of human concern,
ranging from ideas created by humanity several millennia ago to contemporary concepts, in order
to make the often complex history of "what we think" accessible to readers. Its chronological
scope permits examination of the timeless questions about the individual and society over centuries
of development, focusing not only on the ideas themselves but also on the cultural environments
within which those ideas arose, on the transformations and intermingling of the ideas, and on the
ideas' influences, far in time or place, from their site of origin. Covers such topics as animism,
communication, deconstruction, physics, postmodernism, race theory, sexual harassment,
untouchability, and more.
- Who's
Who in Gay and Lesbian History, Routledge (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- War and Violence:
(See also: Criminal Justice,
Government & Politics, and
Terrorism & Homeland Security)
- Encyclopedia
of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Explains the issues behind genocide, crimes against humanity, and human
rights abuses both in individual countries and the world at large, tracing the history of events,
profiling perpetrators and heroes, and explaining international laws and legal proceedings aimed
at ending them. Also covers depictions and manifestations of the phenomenon, such as propaganda,
literature, film, and sociological & philosophical explanations.
- History
Behind the Headlines: The Origins of Conflicts Worldwide (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Presents in-depth information on conflicts appearing in today's
headlines. Users are provided with historical background and analysis to
events to give a greater understanding of the politics, players, and
layers of current affairs.
- Reader's
Companion to Military History (Credo/xrefer)
- (See database page for description)
- Reference
Guide to Holocaust Literature (GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Provides biographical and critical essays on 223 writers connected to or
concerned with the Holocaust, as well as separate essays on 307 of their works.
- Terrorism:
Essential Primary Sources
(GVRL) (InfoTrac/Gale Group)
- Contains approximately 200 international primary source documents, such
as speeches, memoirs, letters, interviews, novels, essays, magazine &
newspaper articles, and much more that focus on the issue of terrorism in the last
three centuries. Part of the Social Issues Primary Source Collection.
Database descriptions are adapted from each database's website.
NOVEL (New York Online Virtual
Electronic Library) is a statewide virtual library provided free to
the public by the New York State Library.
It is currently a pilot project funded through a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)
grant to the NY State Library by the Federal Institute of
Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
HTML by Robert Delaney
robert.delaney@liu.edu
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