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New & Noteworthy: History Books Hot off the Press

Every month Falvey Memorial Library acquires new history books based on faculty recommendations and curriculum needs. Some of the new titles featured in this post have been hand-picked by the Department of History. Take a quick look and maybe one of them will inspire you to read outside your area of expertise. Use the New Items search feature of the library’s catalog to browse the complete list of new history books.

hunsKim, Hyun Jin. The Huns, Rome and the Birth of Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
“This book argues that the steppes of Inner Asia were far from ‘backward’ and that the image of the primitive Huns is vastly misleading. They already possessed a highly sophisticated political culture while still in Inner Asia and, far from being passive recipients of advanced culture from the West, they passed on important elements of Central Eurasian culture to early medieval Europe, which they helped create.”  From the publisher’s web site.
Available online via Cambridge University Press.

thirdRabinbach, Anson, and Sander L Gilman. The Third Reich Sourcebook. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013.
The impressive selection of documents in English translation in this hefty volume (923 pages) covers all aspects of life in Nazi Germany. Its companion volume, The Weimar Republic Sourcebook is likewise available at Falvey. Both titles are part of the Weimar and Now series published by the University of California Press.

suezLaron, Guy. Origins of the Suez Crisis: Postwar Development Diplomacy and the Struggle Over Third World Industrialization, 1945-1956. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 2013.
Origins of the Suez Crisis describes the long run-up to the 1956 Suez Crisis and the crisis itself by focusing on politics, economics, and foreign policy decisions in Egypt, Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Based on Arabic source material, as well as multilingual documents from Israeli, Soviet, Czech, American, Indian, and British archives, this is the first historical narrative to discuss the interaction among all of the players involved-rather than simply British and U.S. perspectives.”  From the publisher’s web site.

ruleMcMahon, Keith. Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China From Han to Liao. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013.
“Keith McMahon, a leading expert on the history of gender in China, draws upon decades of research to describe the values and ideals of imperial polygamy and the ways in which it worked and did not work in real life. His rich sources are both historical and fictional, including poetic accounts and sensational stories told in pornographic detail. Displaying rare historical breadth, his lively and fascinating study will be invaluable as a comprehensive and authoritative resource for all readers interested in the domestic life of royal palaces across the world.”  From the publisher’s web site.

frenchParker, Lindsay A. H. Writing the Revolution: A French Woman’s History in Letters. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Writing the Revolution is a microhistory of a middle-class Parisian woman, Rosalie Jullien, whose nearly 1,000 familiar letters have never before been studied. […] Her correspondence allows readers to enter her private world and see the intellectual, emotional, and familial life of a revolutionary in all of its complexity.”  From the publisher’s web site.
Jullien’s letters were published in Paris in 1881 under the title Journal d’une Bourgeoise Pendant la Revolution. An English translation of her letters appeared in the same year under the title The Great French Revolution, 1785-1793. Both books are available as free PDF files on Google Books.

chicagoDurica, Paul, and Bill Savage. Chicago By Day and Night: The Pleasure Seeker’s Guide to the Paris of America. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, 2013.
Originally published in 1892 for visitors of the 1893 World’s fair. This “unofficial guide to the world beyond the fair [describes] pleasures [that] range from the respectable (theater, architecture, parks, churches and synagogues) to the illicit – drink, gambling, and sex.” From the publisher’s web site.
A digitized version of one of the 1892 copies is freely available from Hathi Trust.

vsiLast but not least, here is a selection of recent additions to the Very Short Introductions series by Oxford University Press: The British Empire, Diaspora, Colonial America, and The Silk Road. I invite you to consult the catalog for a list of titles available at the Library. This series lives up to its promise with concise and up-to-date introductions for the neophyte.


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Medieval History Resources: News & Updates

Manchester Medieval Sources Online

elcidManchester University Press has recently expanded its well-received digital collection of medieval sources to twenty-four titles and updated its online platform. The Manchester Medieval Sources series (MMS) makes primary sources from the Middle Ages accessible to students through carefully translated and annotated editions. Among the thirteen new titles are collections of short primary sources focused on a single subject such as Popular Protest in Late Medieval Europe: Italy, France and Flanders, translated and annotated by Samuel K. Cohn, Jr., as well as single source editions such as Ottonian Germany: The Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseburg, translated and annotated by David A. Warner. Chapters can be downloaded as PDF files. MMS can be searched on the title and the collection levels. Titles can be browsed on the MMS platform as well as in the online catalog.

Brill’s Medieval Reference Library

brillFalvey has acquired three online reference titles from Brill’s Medieval Reference Library:

The Encyclopedia of Medieval Dress and Textiles in the British Isles, c. 450-1450, edited by Gale Owen-Crocker, Elizabeth Coatsworth & Maria Hayward. This resource covers all aspects of medieval textile production from weaving technology to the wimple and from sumptuary laws to fashion.
(Sample entry: Scarlet)

The Encyclopedia of Medieval Pilgrimage, edited by Larissa J. Taylor et al. Coverage extends to all aspects of medieval pilgrimage from pilgrimage sites to the economy and from pilgrimage narratives to miracles and reliquaries.
(Sample entry: Urban tourism)

The Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle, edited by Graeme Dunphy. Entries cover about 2,500 medieval chronicles and chroniclers as well as layout and manuscript production.
(Sample entry: Women chroniclers and chronicles for women)

As with all online reference titles, a simple keyword search quickly retrieves the desired information. Each encyclopedia entry has a short bibliography which often lists relevant primary sources. Cross-references link to related content.
Access the online encyclopedias via the library’s catalog as well as via the  Medieval History Reference list on the history subject guide.

International Medieval Bibliography (Brepols)

Last but not least, a quick update about recent changes to the International Medieval Bibliography (IMB). To improve current and retrospective coverage, Brepols is increasing the number of new entries added from 11,000 to 16,000 per year.

brepols

A new metrics component features journal and author profiles and subject trends in medieval history. The journal profiles can identify the most suitable journals for your latest research.
If you have never set up an email alert for your favorite journals, maybe it is time to take another look. IMB will manage and email table of content alerts for your favorite journals.

Questions or comments? Contact me directly (jutta.seibert@villanova.edu) or post your comments online.

 


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*NEW* Encyclopedia of Ancient History

The long awaited Encyclopedia of Ancient History is now available after repeated publication delays. Unparalleled in scope with over 5,000 original, peer-reviewed articles, the Encyclopedia covers subjects ranging from the ancient Near East to Pharaonic Egypt, the Roman Republic, and Late Antiquity. Five general editors, twenty-three area editors, and a total of 1,827 scholars collaborated on this project. Villanova University’s own Christopher Haas, PhD, contributed articles on Axum and Hypatia. Although available in thirteen print volumes, the Encyclopedia was conceived and planned as a digital reference work. Its content will be continually updated, and new articles will be added over time. Readers are encouraged to contact the editorial board with corrections and suggestions for additional entries.

Searching and browsing the contents of the Encyclopedia seems unnecessarily complicated. A first-time user will be tempted to simply use the search box on the start page, which will retrieve keyword matches from all Wiley-Blackwell titles. Only upon closer inspection will the reader notice the “Search in this Book” link beneath the search box. The “Find Articles” options on the left menu are barely noticeable as well. Articles are organized in twenty-two topical categories to facilitate browsing. The scope of the Encyclopedia makes it easy to compare topics between various ancient civilizations. A good example is the seven different entries on calendars.

Articles vary in length but rarely exceed ten pages. PDF files of articles are available for downloading. Each article lists references and suggested readings. A good number of references are written in foreign languages, but available English language translations are included as well. A “How to Cite” link generates a basic citation for each article. Alternatively, citations can be exported to RefWorks or EndNote. Overall, this is an excellent new reference title and a good starting point for undergraduate and graduate students alike.

You may also be interested in the following new e-reference works from the Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World Series:
A Companion to Women in the Ancient World
A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East
A Companion to Tacitus

Questions or comments? Contact me directly (jutta.seibert@villanova.edu) or post your comments online.


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Intimate Insights: Primary Sources of the American Founding Era

 

Are you or your students working on projects related to James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Dolley Madison, Eliza Lucas Pinckney or Harriott Pinckney Horry? When you need to consult the print sets, do you typically need it at a time when the library is closed? Are you frustrated by the limitations of print indexes? If you answered in the affirmative to one or all of the above questions, then you will be glad to hear that the papers and correspondence of these five founding-era individuals are now available online via the American Founding Era digital collection. Published online by the University of Virginia Press, the content of the collection is based on the most recent critical editions, such as the 27 volumes set of the Papers of Alexander Hamilton edited by Harold C. Syrett, and it includes all editorial annotations. Also available are the papers of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams and documents related to the History of the Ratification of the Constitution. The papers of John Jay, John Marshall and Andrew Jackson will be added in the near future and will further enhance the value and importance of the collection.

Each collection includes an introduction to the digital edition with detailed information about content sources and editorial history. Collections can be browsed in chronological order or by corresponding print volume. Aside from 24/7 access, the digital editions present unique opportunities to scholars and students alike, making it easy to locate keywords and names in individual collections as well as to search simultaneously across the complete American Founding Era collection. Results are tagged with collection-specific icons which identify the source collection (see image at right). Each document includes the page numbers of the original print edition in brackets together with a page icon which will open a jpeg image of the print page (). Each document also includes a reference to the print volume, a canonical URL and a recommended citation.

Correspondents are indexed as authors and recipients. The correspondent search function has an auto-complete feature which brings up matching names and the number of available documents for each author and recipient (see image at left).

The records for the print editions in the library’s catalog include links to the online collection. A link to the American Founding Era collection has been added to the Databases A-Z list.

Questions or comments?  Contact me directly (jutta.seibert@villanova.edu) or post your comments online.


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Slavery and the Law: Court Petitions and Slavery Statutes

Race, Slavery and Free Blacks, a primary source collection of court petitions and slavery statutes which was originally published on microfilm by University Publications of America, has received a second lease on life as a digital collection.  It has been re-released in Proquest’s History Vault and is now called Slavery and the Law.

The collection covers the years 1777-1867 and consists of petitions to state legislatures and Southern county courts as well as state slavery statutes.  The reproductions of the handwritten petitions are accompanied by petition analysis records (PAR) to facilitate access to the document.  Each PAR contains an abstract of the petition besides dates, location, names of petitioners and defendants, the repository of the original document and subjects.  As an added bonus the collection also includes the contents of two classical scholarly works related to the subject:  Judicial Cases Concerning American Slavery and the Negro (1926) by Helen Catterall and James Hayden and The Law of Freedom and Bondage in the United States (1862) by John Hurd.

Slavery and the Law is now available as a trial until November 22, 2012.
Questions or comments?  Contact me directly (jutta.seibert@villanova.edu) or post your comments online.

 

 

 

 

 


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AAS Historical Periodicals Collection on Trial

The Historical Periodicals Collection of the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) is currently available on trial basis.  Described as “the most comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1691 and 1877,” the collection includes more than 7,600 magazines and journals with more than seven million digitized pages. The digitization of series 5 which extends coverage up to 1877 has just been completed.

Series 1: 1691-1820
Series 2: 1821-1837
Series 3: 1838-1852
Series 4: 1853-1865
Series 5: 1866-1877
Series 1-5: 1691-1877

Don’t miss the twelve collection overview essays which can be found on the lower right hand corner of the results screen via the Reference Shelf link.  The essays discuss the research value of the AAS periodicals collection. Included are titles such as Doing Women’s History at the American Antiquarian Society and An Overview of the American Antiquarian Society Periodicals Collection. The essay on the periodical literature in the Revolutionary War Era includes detailed descriptions of selected periodicals.

The Publications link at the top of the search screen brings up a complete title list with publication start and end dates. Search results can be limited by types of publication, document and image. The collection is available on the familiar EBSCO platform.

The trial will run until April 2.  Give the AAS Historical Periodicals Collection a try and let me know what you think.  Your feedback is important.  Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments that you may have.


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Black Abolitionist Papers on Trial

Local book author and Philadelphia Inquirer journalist Dan Biddle teaches a course on 19th century civil rights in the Honors Program this fall.  His students are using a range of primary sources from the library’s collection.  Although much is available online, some primary sources remain hidden away on microfilm reelsThe Black Abolitionist Papers and the Papers of the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society are a case in point.  For a limited time students and faculty have access to the online version of the Black Abolitionist Papers until the trial ends on October 14.  The online collection includes over 15,000 items which can be browsed by document type, name, source, location and date.  It covers the period 1830-1865 and contains the correspondence of major African American leaders, selected speeches, lectures and sermons, as well as articles from more than 200 newspapers.  Interested faculty and students are strongly encouraged to review the online version and send their feedback to Jutta Seibert.  The library will endeavor to add the Black Abolitionist Papers to its permanent collection if there is enough interest.

Biddle’s students will also be working with the African American Newspapers collection, the African American Studies Center and the American Periodicals Series to name but a few of the many digital collections available at Falvey.  Find more resources related to 19th century civil rights with the help of the library research guide Discovering 19th Century Civil Rights.  Many of you will remember Dan Biddle from the 2011 Black History Month Lecture at Falvey.  He and his co-author Murray Dubin discussed their book Tasting Freedom: Octavius Catto and the Battle for Equality in Civil War America.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments that you may have.


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Hidden treasures in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set

When most people think of government documents, they think of boring, hard-to-read reports that go on for pages and pages. So you might think the American State Papers, 1789-1838 and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994 are nothing to get excited about. In actuality, however, these sets both contain a wealth of information and images that are both interesting and informative.

U.S. Congressional Serial Set

The American State Papers, 1789-1838 contain legislative and executive documents from the first fourteen U.S. Congresses. Reports, documents, and journals of the 15th through 103rd Congresses are available in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994. These materials cover more than just American government history – they also include fascinating glimpses of American and world history on a variety of subjects, such as botany, ethnography, travel, natural history, and lots more.

Pictures and maps are scanned from original prints; documents are now scanned from original prints as well (previously they were scanned from microfilm). In addition to the usual search parameters, the search interface allows for searching by bill or resolution number and congress number. You can also browse by subject, type of publication, personal name, act name, geographic name, and standing committee name. Researchers can export information to RefWorks and create their own personal collections on the database.

 

Search screen of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set.

Search screen of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set. (Click to see a larger version.)

Below are just a few examples of research topics using materials from these sets.

Around the World in 80 Documents: 19th-Century Publications on Europe, Africa and Asia in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set by Steve Daniel, Senior Editorial Consultant, ReadexIllustration of silkworms from the U.S. Congressional Serial Set.

Resolving a Stolen Past: The General Allotment Act, Individual Indian Money Accounts, and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set by Charles D. Bernholz, Professor and Government Documents Librarian, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Promoting Silkworms: Using Electronic Texts and Digital Images for a Historical Exhibition by Dana Dauterman Ricciardi, Curator, Framingham Historical Society and Museum

Transcontinental Railroad Construction and Chinese Laborers in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set by Suping Lu, Professor and Liaison Librarian, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Take a look and see what interesting things you can discover!

When most people think of government documents, they think of boring, hard-to-read reports that go on for pages and pages. So you might think the American State Papers, 1789-1838 and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994 are nothing to get excited about. In actuality, however, these sets both contain a wealth of information and images that are interesting,

 

The American State Papers, 1789-1838 contain legislative and executive documents from the first fourteen U.S. Congresses. Reports, documents, and journals of the 15th through 103rd Congresses are available in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994. These materials cover more than just American government history – they also include fascinating glimpses of American and world history on a variety of subjects, such as botany, ethnography, travel, natural history, and lots more.

 

Pictures and maps are scanned from original prints and documents are now scanned from original prints as well (previously they were scanned from microfilm). In addition to the usual search parameters, the search interface allows for searching by bill or resolution number and congress number. You can also browse by subject, type of publication, personal name, act name, geographic name, and standing committee name. Researchers can export information to RefWorks and create their own personal collections on the database.

 

Below are just a few examples of research topics using materials from these sets.

 

Around the World in 80 Documents: 19th-Century Publications on Europe, Africa and Asia in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set

By Steve Daniel, Senior Editorial Consultant, Readex

 

Resolving a Stolen Past: The General Allotment Act, Individual Indian Money Accounts, and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set

By Charles D. Bernholz, Professor and Government Documents Librarian, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 

Promoting Silkworms: Using Electronic Texts and Digital Images for a Historical Exhibition

By Dana Dauterman Ricciardi, Curator, Framingham Historical Society and Museum

 

Transcontinental Railroad Construction and Chinese Laborers in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set

By Suping Lu, Professor and Liaison Librarian, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 

Take a look and see what interesting things you can discover!


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Eyewitness to the Civil War and Reconstruction: Historic Newspaper Added Through Alumnus James Mason’s Bequest


By Alice Bampton.
Falvey recently received a bequest from the estate of James L. Mason, a 1964 Villanova graduate (B.S. in Education) who died in 2009. His cousin, Gail Ciociola, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the English department, said, “[I]t comes as no surprise to me that Jim left a bequest to Villanova and, in particular, to the library. He loved the university and with his passion for reading knew there was no better way to serve it in his passing than to honor the library where he likely spent so much of his time.”

Mason’s gift was used to purchase the Christian Recorder, which began regular publication in Philadelphia in 1861.

Find the complete story on Library News.


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New Content in Grove Art Online

By Alice Bampton

Oxford University Press, the publisher of Grove Art Online, the foremost scholarly art encyclopedia, has made numerous updates as part of an on-going major commitment “to uphold [its] … relevance and scholarly integrity.” Among these changes are:
• updated bibliographies of more than 550 Italian Renaissance entries,
• the addition of new and revised essays and biographies about late 20th and early 21st century artists who include certain aspects of science in their art, included in the science and contemporary art, bio art, and science and art entries, (See, for example, Joseph Beuys, Critical Art Ensemble, or Stelarc.)
• access to new articles in the forthcoming Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art, such as Arthurian legends in medieval art, Bohun manuscripts, and female monasticism,
• access to new articles in the forthcoming Grove Encyclopedia of American Art. Highlights from this work include Laylah Ali, Broadacre City, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and more.
Grove Art Online contains the full text of the 34-volume Grove Dictionary of Art (1996), with over 45,000 articles written by internationally famous scholars plus links to over 130,000 images. Coverage includes all types of visual arts from prehistory to contemporary from all parts of the world making it a core reference for art history. You can search topics by culture, civilization, period, style, artist and more; the database is extremely user friendly.


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Last Modified: February 22, 2011

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