Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide - Hardcover

Fritze, Ronald H.; Coutts, Brian E.; Vyhnanek, Louis A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0874361648 ISBN 13: 9780874361643

Publisher: Abc-Clio Inc, 1990

Synopsis

Designed to update and expand Poulton's standard The Historian's handbook (1982). Describes nearly 700 major reference and information sources from all periods of history, with emphasis on North American, British, and European history. Organized by the type of source, provides evaluative annotated entries for books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, periodicals, dissertations and theses, guides to archives and manuscript collections, indexes and abstracts, bibliographies, government publications, and works on microforms. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

About this title

Reviews

The authors, two university reference librarians (Brian C. Coutts and Louis A. Vyhnanek) and an academic historian (Fritze), have produced an accurate, current, and reliable work that supersedes Helen J. Poulton's classic but dated The Historian's Handbook ( LJ 5/15/72). The volume is intended to serve as an introduction to the major reference works for all periods of history and for all geographical areas, with particular emphasis on materials published in English on Anglo-American and European history. Special attention is paid to newer types of sources such as microfilms, specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias, interdisciplinary publications, and computerized databases. There are 685 entries divided into 14 chapters, arranged by type of sources, e.g., historiography, book review indexes, core journals, dissertations and theses, and archives and manuscripts. Each chapter includes a brief introduction that provides definitions of terminology and is subdivided primarily geographically, but occasionally by subject. Entries have complete bibliographic citations and evaluative annotations with cross-references to other works in the volume and full citations for sources not found in the guide. The index lists all authors, editors, and titles mentioned in the text; however, subject access is limited. This is a major flaw in an otherwise indispensable source for librarians and all students of history . Brian Coutts is the author of "Best Reference Books of 1990" in this issue, p. 39.--Ed.
- Charles C. Hay, Eastern Kentucky Univ. Archives, Richmond
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Abc-Clio Inc
• Publication date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0874361648
• ISBN 13: 9780874361643
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 319