Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias attempt to summarize the state of knowledge in a field of inquiry. A good encyclopedia can be a valuable starting point for your research.
Two online reference collections that students often find useful are:
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowCredo Reference provides access to a large collection of encyclopedias and dictionaries published by major publishers. It includes important reference works in History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and related fields.
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowA very extensive collection of useful reference works published by Gale and affiliated publishers, including major general and subject-specific encyclopedias.
- Oxford Reference150 core reference works from Oxford University Press, mostly encyclopedias and dictionaries.
- Historical Dictionary of the Petroleum Industry byCall Number: 665.503 V448hISBN: 0810859939Publication Date: 2009
- International petroleum encyclopediaCall Number: Q. 338.27 In872ISBN: 0148-0375Issued yearly; 1970-present.
- Encyclopedia of energy byIncludes a substantial section on historical perspectives.
Encyclopedia of World Environmental History by Call Number: Q. 304.203 En192ISBN: 0415937329Publication Date: 20043 vols.- Historical dictionary of United States-Middle East relations byISBN: 0810855496
- Historical dictionary of Middle Eastern intelligence byCall Number: 327.1256003 K12hISBN: 081085953X
- Encyclopedia of Russian History byCall Number: 947 ONLINEISBN: 0028656938Publication Date: 2004Online version of the 4 volume original.
- The Historical Dictionary of the 1960s byCall Number: 973.923 H629ISBN: 031329271XPublication Date: 1999
- The Historical Dictionary of the 1970s byCall Number: 973.924 H629ISBN: 0313305439Publication Date: 1999
- Historical Dictionary of Nigeria byCall Number: 966.900321 Oy3h 2009ISBN: 0810856158Publication Date: 2009
- Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa byCall Number: 956 ONLINEISBN: 0028657691Publication Date: 20042nd ed. Online version of the 4 volume original. Also available in print through our catalog. "Coverage includes culture and society, religion and ethnicity, history and politics, war and treaties, geography, and economics, generally from 1800 to the present. The work emphasizes countries or issues specifically relevant to Western readers [...] An open gateway to current knowledge about an important region in world affairs" (from the Choice review by F. H. Dagher).
- Historical Dictionary of the Gulf Arab States byCall Number: 953.6003 P334h2008ISBN: 0810854635Publication Date: 2007
- Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt-Truman Era byCall Number: 973.91703 W992WhISBN: 9780810856165Publication Date: 2008
- International Security and the United States: An Encyclopedia byCall Number: 355.0330003 In821ISBN: 0275992535Publication Date: 2007-12-012 vols. and online. See also the Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy edited by Alexander DeConde, Richard Dean Burns, and Fredrik Logevall (Call No. 327.73003 En1902 2002), and the Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations edited by Bruce W. Jentleson and Thomas G. Paterson (Call No. Q. 327.7303 EN15).
- American Decades Series byCall Number: 973.91 ONLINEISBN: 0787650765Publication Date: 1994-200110 vols. covering 1900-1999. Each volume gives detailed overviews of significant events, trends, people, and so forth, organized by broad topic like "Business and the Economy", "Politics and Government", or "Science and Technology". See also the companion set, American decades primary sources (also online.
Handbooks & Guides
- Unnatural disasters : case studies of human-induced environmental catastrophes byCall Number: 304.28 G956uISBN: 0313319995
- The Middle East, abstracts and indexCall Number: 016.95605 MIISBN: 0162-766XCoverage: 1978-present. Indexes periodical literature, editorials, research reports, press releases, annual reports, speeches, news conferences, dissertations, statistics, and books.
- Conflicts over natural resources : a reference handbook byISBN: 1598840150
- Geologists and the history of geology : an international bibliography from the origins to 1978 byCall Number: 016.550922 SA73GISBN: 0405104693
- Chronological History of U.S. Foreign Relations byCall Number: 327.73 B835c 2003ISBN: 0415939143Publication Date: 2002
- The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature byCall Number: 016.9 G9411995ISBN: 0195057279Publication Date: 19952 vols. Online resource. Also available in print through our catalog. A little old, but still highly regarded, and useful as a starting point into just about any historical topic. An excellent introduction to historiographical themes and seminal works.
Statistics
- Basic Petroleum Data Book: Petroleum Industry Statistics byCall Number: 338.27 AM3BGlobal coverage dating back to 1947.
- BP statistical review of world energy.Includes historical statistics going back to 1965.
- Historical Statistics of the United States, Earliest Times to the PresentCompiled from the U.S. Decennial Census returns, and other published sources. Includes excellent, explanatory essays by expert demographers. Also includes a detailed subject index.
- International Historical Statistics: The Americas, 1750-2000 byCall Number: Q. 310 M692in2003ISBN: 0333994108Publication Date: 2003
- Statistical Abstract of the United States byCall Number: 317 Un3sISBN: 0081-4741Publication Date: 1878-2012Annual digest of statistics, drawn from the census and other sources. Most volumes have been digitized. Published every year from 1878 to 2012. Continued by: ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States.
- International Historical Statistics: Africa, Asia & Oceania, 1750-2000 byCall Number: Q. 315 M69i2003ISBN: 0333994124Publication Date: 2003
- International Historical Statistics: Europe, 1750-2000 byCall Number: Q. 314 M69e2003ISBN: 0333994116Publication Date: 2003Population, labor and industry, trade, and so forth. Few of the statistics here begin before 1800. Still, a good overview of the kind of statistical information available.
- EIU Country IntelligenceYearly country profiles with in-depth statistical reports. Online version goes back to 1996. Print reports sometimes cover back to the 1970s (search the Online Catalog for these). Reports include economic forecasts through the year 2030.
Atlases
- The State of the Middle East: An Atlas of Conflict and Resolution byCall Number: 912 Sm54sISBN: 0520248686
- Atlas of the Middle East byCall Number: 912.56 At6522008ISBN: 1426202210Publication Date: 2008"National Geographic provides extraordinary coverage of the region, rich with history and culture but ravaged by war and conflict [...] A variety of themes are presented, from religion, population, and ethnic and linguistic groups to oil, fresh water, and development indicators such as trade, foreign aid, infant mortality, urbanization, and education." (from CHOICE review by P. J. Beegle)