Collins Memorial Library: History 113: Europe & the Mediterranean World, c. 1050-1650: A History in 100 Objects: Getting Started: Subject Encyclopedias

What Are Subject Encyclopedias?

Subject encyclopedias are a type of tertiary source in which entries are written by experts to provide an overview of a topic. In the field of history, tertiary sources often provide not just an overview of the topic, but also discuss how a topic has been analyzed, interpreted, and argued about among scholars over time (historiography). Most entries also provide short bibliographies of sources for further reading.

Whenever you have questions about the people, places, events, documents, and themes in the primary sources you are analyzing, subject encyclopedias should be your go-to source.

Print Subject Encyclopedias

Several excellent subject encyclopedias on various aspects of medieval history are available in the print reference section on the first floor of Collins Library. A few highlights:

Medieval Islamic Civilization by Josef W. Meri; Jere L. Bacharach (Editors)
Call Number: DS36.85 .M434 2006, v.1-2, Print reference (first floor)
Publication Date: 2005
Covers Islamic civilization from 622 CE to the early eighteenth century.
New Catholic Encyclopedia by Catholic University of America Staff
Call Number: BX841 .N44 2003 Print Reference
Publication Date: 2002
Includes entries relevant to the study of medieval history in Europe.
Women and Gender in Medieval Europe by Margaret C. Schaus (Editor)
Call Number: HQ1147.E85 W66 2006 Print reference (first floor)
Publication Date: 2006
A cross-disciplinary resource, this encyclopedia examines the daily reality of medieval women from all walks of life in Europe between 450 CE and 1500 CE.
Women in the Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia by Katharina M. Wilson (Editor); Nadia Margolis (Editor)
Call Number: HQ1143 .W643 2004 v.1-2, Print reference
ISBN: 9780313330162
Publication Date: 2004
This encyclopedia offers coverage of the myriad roles, experiences, and contributions of women in the medieval world.

Online Subject Encyclopedia Collections

The following links will take you to large digital collections of subject encyclopedias.

Gale eBooks
Provides full text online access to Gale electronic books, including encyclopedias and other reference resources.
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.
ABC CLIO eBooks This link opens in a new window
This eBook Collection contains encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and guides from ABC-CLIO, Greenwood Press, Libraries Unlimited, and Praeger.
SAGE Knowledge
The social sciences platform for SAGE and CQ Press books, reference materials and other content.
Art Online (Oxford)
Covers all aspects of Western and non-Western visual art. Includes the full text of 'The Dictionary of Art,' and gives users access to subject entries, biographies, bibliographic citations, image links and images contained within Grove Art Online, as well as entries and images from the 'Oxford Companion to Western Art,' the 'Concise Dictionary of Art Terms,' and 'Oxford’s Encyclopedia of Aesthetics.' Thematic timelines and learning resources are also included.

Access limited to 3 simultaneous users.

Online Subject Encyclopedias

Arts and Humanities Through the Eras by Edward Bleiberg
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access.
ISBN: 9780787656959
Publication Date: 2005
Profiling milestones and movements in the arts, literature, music and religion from a specific period, each volume in this five-volume set helps students and researchers understand the various disciplines of the humanities in relation to each other, as well as to history and culture. An overview of the period and a chronology of major world events begin each volume. Nine chapters follow, covering the major branches of the humanities: architecture and design, dance, fashion, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theater and visual arts. Chapters end with significant primary documents from the period.
The Byzantine Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 Volumes] by James Francis LePree (Editor); Ljudmila Djukic (Editor)
Call Number: Click title for online access. (Limit of 1 simultaneous user)
Publication Date: 2019
Through reference entries and primary source documents, this encyclopedia provides essential information about the Byzantine Empire from the reign of Diocletian to the Fall of Constantinople. The reference entries are grouped in eight topical sections on the most significant aspects of the history of the Byzantine Empire.
Encyclopedia of Consumer Culture by Dale Southerton (Editor)
Call Number: Click on title above for online access.
Publication Date: 2011
Relevant entries include an overview of medieval consumption; sumptuary laws; the Church's views on materialism; and brief accounts of medieval technologies of work, travel, and leisure.
Medieval France by William W. Kibler (Editor); Grover A. Zinn (Editor); John Bell Henneman (Editor); Lawrence Earp (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9780824044442
Publication Date: 1995
Covers the political, intellectual, literary, and musical history of the country from the early fifth century to the late 15th.
The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium by Alexander P. Kazhdan (Editor)
Call Number: Click title for online access.
Publication Date: 1991
The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium is a three-volume, comprehensive dictionary of Byzantine civilization.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages by Robert E. Bjork (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access.
ISBN: 9780198662624
Publication Date: 2010
The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages is a major new reference resource for all key aspects of European history, society, religion, and culture from circa 500 CE to circa 1500 CE.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare & Military Technology by Clifford J. Rogers; William Caferro; Shelley Reid (Editors)
Call Number: Click on title for online access
Publication Date: 2010
Examines all aspects of warfare and military technology in medieval times.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation by Hans J. Hillerbrand (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access.
ISBN: 9780195064933
Publication Date: 1996
Entries discuss the entire range of religious and social changes that altered the face of Europe in the sixteenth century, encompassing not only issues of church polity and theology but also developments in politics, economics, demographics, art and literature. This broadly cast, interdisciplinary definition allows for a comprehensive social and intellectual history of early modern Europe.
The Silk Road Encyclopedia by Jeong Su-il, editor
Call Number: Click title for online access.
Publication Date: 2016
This encyclopedia aims to rectify the common misconception of the Silk Road being a simple trade route and shed light on the aspect of an interconnected global circuit of inter-civilizational exchange.