Collins Memorial Library: SSI2-105: Imagining the American West: Tertiary Sources

Why Use Subject Encyclopedias?

Building context (and recognizing when you need more context) is an important element in the research process. Tertiary sources, especially subject encyclopedias, are often the best place to start when you are trying to establish some basic historical, social, or cultural context.

Articles in subject encyclopedias are written by scholars who have deep specialization in the topic and the articles themselves go through a stringent editing process. You usually can expect to find the following important information in articles in subject encyclopedias:

A broad overview of a topic that is more in-depth than in general encyclopedias
Discussion of how scholars have approached, explored, and debated the topic over time (historiography)
Words, phrases, names, dates, and events that can be used as keywords when searching a database
Bibliographies in articles to find other sources (both primary and secondary)
Cross-references to find related topics

Practical information:

There's a subject encyclopedia for just about any topic; if you can't find an article that works for you in one of the subject encyclopedias below, just ask a librarian or one of our Peer Research Advisors for suggestions.
Use the index (for print encyclopedias) or the keyword search (for online encyclopedias). This will help you identify instances when the discussion of your specific topic is embedded within a larger discussion.
Explore articles on a single topic in multiple subject encyclopedias. For example, articles on the railroad will have different emphases in subject encyclopedias devoted to Native Americans, Immigration, or Public Relations. Oftentimes these differences can lead to interesting research questions!
Print encyclopedias are located in the reference section on the first floor of the library; you can't take them outside of the library, but you're welcome to use one of the scanners in the Learning Commons to make a copy of the pages you need.
Online encyclopedias can be accessed from any computer with Internet access; if you are located off-campus, be sure to use the links provided on the library's website so that you'll be prompted to enter your University of Puget Sound username and password.

Featured Subject Encyclopedias

The subject encyclopedias listed here are good starting points, but you also should explore the entries in the online collections.

Dictionary of American History, 3rd ed. by Stanley I. Kutler
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
Publication Date: 2003
Standard reference work for U.S. history.
Encyclopedia of American History by Gary B. Nash (Editor)
Call Number: E174 .E53 2003 v. 1-11 Reference
Publication Date: 2003
Each volume covers a different period in American history with an alphabetical list of entries. A chronology of important events for that period, reprints of important documents, and an index specific to each volume are included.
The New Encyclopedia of the American West by Howard R. Lamar (Editor)
Call Number: F591 .N46 1998 Reference
Publication Date: 1998
Contains histories of places and events; biographies of notable persons in American western history; descriptions of American western geography and places; a chronology or timeline of the American west; a complete list of contributors; and illustrations credits.
Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century by Paul Finkelman (Editor)
Call Number: E169.1 .E626 2001 v. 1-3 Reference
ISBN: 9780684805009
Publication Date: 2001
While other resources focus on different aspects of the 19th century, such as the Civil War or immigration, this is the first truly comprehensive treatment to cover all aspects of 19th-century history including: population, politics and government, economy and work, society and culture, religion, social problems and reform, everyday life and foreign policy.
Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History by Mary Kupiec (Editor); Peter W. Williams (Editor); Mary K. Cayton (Editor)
Call Number: E169.1 .E624 2001 v. 1-3 Reference
ISBN: 9780684805610
Publication Date: 2001
Provides rich thematic essays on many aspects of American life.
American History Through Literature 1820-1870 by Janet Gabler-Hover and Robert Sattelmeyer
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9780684314600
Publication Date: 2005
These interdisciplinary works provide a standard reference for American literature in its broadest cultural context, offering a comprehensive overview of American history through a literary lens. The first set presents a unique overview of the critical period, which spans the early national era through the Civil War, and which witnessed the birth of a truly American literature.
American History Through Literature 1870-1920 by Tom Quirk and Gary Scharnhorst
Call Number: Click on title above for online access
ISBN: 9780684314648
Publication Date: 2005
These interdisciplinary works provide a standard reference for American literature in its broadest cultural context, offering a comprehensive overview of American history through a literary lens. The second set covers the era following the Civil War through to the emergence of the United States as a world power at the end of the First World War.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social History by Lynn Dumenil (Contribution by); Paul Boyer (Contribution by)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9780199743360
Publication Date: 2012
Social structures and the environment that shaped American life, including family, work, leisure, social movements, and patterns of mobility and settlements, are central to this encyclopedia, as are themes of race, gender, ethnicity, and class. Includes over 450 articles by expert scholars, with numerous cross references as well as additional sources for further study.
Encyclopedia of Women in the American West by Gordon Morris Bakken (Editor); Brenda Farrington (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9780761923565
Publication Date: 2003
The Encyclopedia of Women of the American West captures the lives of more than 150 women who made their mark from the mid-1800s to the present, contextualizing their experiences and contributions to American society. Including many women profiled for the first time, the encyclopedia offers immense value and interest to practicing historians as well as students and the public.
Encyclopedia of Politics of the American West by Steven L. Danver (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9781608719099
Publication Date: 2013
This work covers not only the significant events and actors of Western politics, but also deals with key institutional, historical, environmental, and sociopolitical themes and concepts that are important to more fully understanding the politics of the West over the last century.
Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America by Thomas Riggs (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
Publication Date: 2014
This work includes 23 new ethnic groups and contains 152 revised ethnic entries on specific minority groups in the U.S., with an emphasis on culture (religions, holidays, customs, language) in addition to information on historical background and settlement patterns.
Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West by Gordon Morris Bakken (Editor); Alexandra Kindell (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9781452265346
Publication Date: 2006
Provides a complete and definite history of racial and ethnic groups that populated the American West. The volumes cover the settling of the West and include coverage of movements of native American tribes, African Americans and the often underreported role of women in the West's development.
The Borderlands by Andrew G. Wood (Editor)
Call Number: F786 .B74 2008 Reference
ISBN: 9780313339967
Publication Date: 2008
The more than 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border is a focus of intense interest today, as immigration, security, and environmental issues dominate the headlines. This is the first A-to-Z encyclopedia to overview the unique and vibrant elements that make up the borderlands. More than 150 essay entries provide a solid sense of the U.S.-Mexico border history, culture, and politics.
A Native American Encyclopedia: history, culture, and peoples by Barry M. Pritzker
Call Number: E76.2 .P75 1998 Reference
ISBN: 9780195138771
Publication Date: 2000
Dispelling myths, answering questions, and stimulating thoughtful avenues for further inquiry, this highly absorbing reference provides a wealth of specific information about over 200 North American Indian groups in Canada and the United States.
The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes by Sharon Malinowski (Editor)
Call Number: E77 .G15 1998 Reference
ISBN: 9780787610852
Publication Date: 1998
Providing essays on the history, culture and current status of approximately 400 Native American groups, this work is divided into four geographic volumes. An overview essay introduces each of the ten regions covered, giving a geographic perspective on the tribes covered, as well as insights on cultural and tribal communalities. Individual tribal entries follow alphabetically.
Encyclopedia of United States Indian Policy and Law by Paul Finkelman (Editor); Tim Alan Garrison (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9781933116983
Publication Date: 2009
An essential reference on the reciprocal role that U.S. and Native policy and law have played in American political development.

Online Reference Collections

Not sure where to look? Each of these online collections will introduce you to a wealth of dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Gale eBooks
Provides full text online access to Gale electronic books, including encyclopedias and other reference resources.
Literature Resource Center
Contains articles from academic journals and literary magazines as well as excerpts from scholarly monographs, literary correspondence and diaries.
African American Studies Center (Oxford)
A comprehensive collection of full-text materials focusing on the lives and events which have shaped African and African American history and culture.
Note: Access is limited to 3 simultaneous users.
Oxford Reference
Contains the complete texts of many Oxford companions, encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference titles in a fully indexed, cross-searchable database. Included in addition to articles are images, maps, timelines, bibliographies, photographs and much more.
SAGE Knowledge
The social sciences platform for SAGE and CQ Press books, reference materials and other content.

Additional Tertiary Sources

The Cambridge Companion to Literature of the American West by Steven Frye (Editor)
Call Number: PS271 .C36 2016 Print Books
ISBN: 9781107095373
Publication Date: 2016
A comprehensive introduction to one of the most vibrant and expansive traditions in world literature. The American West occupies a unique place in the global imagination, and the literature it produced transcends the category of 'region' in theme and form. Written by prominent international scholars, the essays cover a diverse group of key texts and authors, including major figures in the Native American, Hispanic, Asian American, and African American movements.
Native American Literature: a very short introduction by Sean Teuton
Call Number: PS153.I52 T465 2018 Print Books
ISBN: 9780199944521
Publication Date: 2018
Teuton skillfully traces its evolution from the ancient role of bringing rain and healing the body, to its later purpose in resisting European invasion and colonization, into its current place as a world literature that confronts dominance while celebrating the imagination and resilience of indigenous lives.
The Cambridge History of Native American Literature by Melanie Benson Taylor (Editor)
Call Number: PS153.I52 C365 2020 Reference
ISBN: 9781108482059
Publication Date: 2020
This Cambridge History endeavors to capture and question the contested character of both Indigenous texts and the way they are evaluated. This book has a chronological structure. There is a balance between a History of canonical authors and traditions, introducing less-studied works and themes, and foregrounding critical discussions, approaches, and controversies.