Content developed by:
Rob Faleer, Reference Librarian /
History Bibliographer
Phone: (989) 774-3835
E-mail: robert.faleer@cmich.edu

Print Resources | Reference Sources | Print Indexes and Abstracts | Online Databases | Web Sites

Last Updated: 11/24/08

Selected Print Resources (Main Stacks)

There are an enormous number of print and online resources relating to medieval history. This list of resources, while by no means exhaustive, provides a basic starting point for research in medieval history.

• Cambridge Medieval History, 8 vols., 1913-1967.
  An excellent reference history, written by specialists, with full bibliographies at the end of each volume.
  D 117 .C3 1913x (1st Floor)
• New Cambridge Medieval History, 7 vols., 1995- .
  A completely revised work, but on the same lines as its predecessor above. Includes a bibliography in the back of each volume that lists published primary sources and secondary works that correspond to each chapter.
  D 117 .N48 1995 (1st Floor)
• English Historical Documents, 12 vols., 1950-1959(?).
  Presents excerpts from major documents of British culture in literature, life and history. Coverage is from 500 to 1914.
  DA 26 .E55 (1st Floor)

Selected Print Reference Sources (Reference Collection, 2nd Floor)

• Dictionary of the Middle Ages, 13 vols., 1982-1989.
  Includes nearly 5000 signed articles, with bibliographies, on all aspects of medieval civilization from about 500 to 1500 AD.
  Reference D 114 .D5 1982
• The Annotated index of medieval women, 1992.
  An extensive biographical dictionary with useful bibliographic notes.
  Reference CT 3220 .A56 1992
• Encyclopedia of women in the Middle Ages, 2001.
  Covers the period from 500-1500.
  Reference HQ 1143 .L38 2001
• Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia, 2 vols., 2004.
  A cross-disciplinary resource for information on literature, history, the arts, science, philosophy, and religion in Italy between A.D. 450 and 1375.
  Reference DG 443 .M43 2004
• Who's Who in the Middle Ages, 2001.
  Covers the 5th to the 15th century. Provides insight into the men and women who made this era distinctive. Each biographical entry contains references and pronunciation help where needed.
  Reference CT 114 .S56 2001
• Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages (Fitzroy Dearborn), 2 vols., 2000.
  Covers the fields of archaeology, art, architecture, economics, education, geography, history, institutions, languages, literature, philosophy, religion, theology, law, science and politics from the 7th century to the 15th century.
  Reference D 114 .E53 2000t
• Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages (Facts on File), 1995.
  Concentrates on names of people, places, and events rather than social concepts or philosophies. Serves as a good starting point for research.
  Reference D 114 .B86 1995
• A Dictionary of Medieval Heroes: Characters in Medieval Narrative Traditions and Their Afterlife in Literature, Theatre, and the Visual Arts,
  Presents a treasury of medieval tales about the great heroes of the Middle Ages, each entry giving an outline of the story, how it spread through Europe, and modern re-telling of the stories.
  Reference PN 682.C5 V3513 1998
• Medieval Art: A Topical Dictionary, 1996.
  A source for quickly identifying and comprehending the subjects, stories, symbols and themes represented in art of the Middle Ages. Includes both sacred and secular topics in medieval art and literature.
  Reference N 7850 .R67 1996
• Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, 1995.
  Reference DC 33.2 .M44 1995
• Medieval Scandinavia : An Encyclopedia, 1993.
  The geographical regions covered include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
  Reference DL 30 .M43 1993
• Medieval Philosophers, 1992.
  Volume 115 of the Dictionary of Literary Biography series.
  Reference PS 21 .D5 v.115
• The Atlas of the Crusades, 1991.
  Reference G 1034 .R5 1991
• A Companion to the Medieval Theatre, 1989.
  Reference PN 2152 .C66 1989
• Atlas of Ancient and Medieval Warfare, 1982.
  Reference G 3201.S1 B36 1982x

Selected Print Indexes and Abstracts

• CRIS: The Combined Retrospective Index Set to Journals in History, 1838-1974. 8 vols.
  Provides a combination of subject and keyword indexing to articles from approximately 240 English-language journals in the field of history from their first issue through 1974. Each article appears under one or more of the 342 subject categories, which are then sorted by keyword and date.
  Index D 1 .C18
• Historical Abstracts, 1955-1970.
  Index D 299 .H5
• International Index to Periodicals, 1907-1955.
  Index AI 3 .R49
• International Index, 1955-1965.
  Index AI 3 .R49
• Social Sciences and Humanities Index, 1965-1974.
  Index AI 3 .R49
• Humanities Index, 1974-1996.
  Index AI 3 .H85x

Selected Online Databases

• Humanities Abstracts - CMU users only
  A selective database covering 465 journals in the humanities from 1984 to the present. Accessible via FirstSearch.
• ATLA Religion - CMU users only
  A selective database covering 1550 sources dealing with all aspects of religion from 1949 to the present. Accessible via FirstSearch.
• Social Sciences Abstracts - CMU users only
  A selective database covering 550 journals in the social sciences from 1983 to the present. Useful for obtaining information some socio-economic aspects of medieval life. Accessible via FirstSearch.
• Philosopher's Index - CMU users only
  A database covering a wide range of topics directly related to the study of philosophy. Particularly useful for access to research material dealing with medieval philosophy and religion.
• J-STOR - CMU users only
  Full-text articles from more than 120 scholarly journals, including history-related journals. Includes Full-text, images, abstracts, citations. Accessible via the Libraries' homepage through Virtual Reference Collection or CENTRA.
• Historical Abstracts - CMU users only
  Presents annotated references to historical writings covering the years 1450 to the present. Provides access to over 420,000 journal articles, over 24,000 dissertations, and more than 51,000 book citations published from 1973 to the present. Includes over 499,000 entries in more than 50 languages. Accessible via the Libraries' homepage through Find an Article or CENTRA.

Selected Online Medieval History Resources

These websites serve as a good starting point for research into medieval history. Each one of the sites presents a wealth of historical information, plus numerous links to other very useful medieval-related websites.

• The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies
  The Labyrinth provides free, organized access to electronic resources in medieval studies through a World Wide Web server at Georgetown University. The Labyrinth's easy-to-use menus and links provide connections to databases, services, texts, and images on other servers around the world.
• Internet Medieval Sourcebook
  Part of the Internet History Sourcebooks project, sponsored by the Department of History at Fordham University, a highly useful collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts for educational use. The site and its documents, under the editorship of Dr. Paul Halsall, are well organized and the breadth of materials is quite extensive. Part of ORB (Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies).
• The ORB: Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies
  According to the website, "the ORB is an academic site, written and maintained by medieval scholars for the benefit of their fellow instructors and serious students. All articles have been judged by at least two peer reviewers. Authors are held to high standards of accuracy, currency, and relevance to the field of medieval studies."
• NetSERF: The Internet Connection for Medieval Resources
  An extensive compilation of links to online medieval sites of varying quality. Use this site very carefully and with a critical eye!
• Christian Classics Ethereal Library
  Includes many early and medieval Christian Texts, plus useful biographical information. Currently hosted by Calvin College.
• The Online Medieval and Classical Library
  Part of the Berkeley Digital Library, OMACL is a collection of some of the most important literary works of Classical and Medieval civilization.
• Images of Medieval Art and Architecture
  According to site developer Dr. Alison Stones, professor at the University of Pittsburg, the purpose of this site is to promote education and research in medieval art and architecture. The site includes a large number of detailed photographs and architectural plans of various European medieval buildings.