Subject Guide: History
If you need any help with subject resources (books, journals or databases), click here to contact the Academic Liaison Librarian with responsibility for History
If you want to recommend the library buys extra copies of a book or report an item from a reading list that isn't on the library catalogue or you want to recommend a link that should be included on this page, click here
Electronic Resources
As well as the books and journals in the library, there are a number of resources that can be accessed via any computer with internet access. The library facilitates access to e-journals, e-books, bibliographic and full-text databases, past exam papers and more. A majority of resources require logging in via Athens for off-site use. Some resources might require you to use the Athens password when you are on campus and a very few journals or databases require a different password all together. For details on how to access a particular resource from where you are, check the Online Resources link on the Library and Learning Services web pages.
Online reference books: Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
50,000 biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to the year 2000
Oxford English Dictionary Online
A fully searchable online version of the Second print edition of the OED.
Oxford Reference Online: History Collection
Electronic Books
We subscribe to a number of e- book platforms . Just search using any keyword or phrase.
Early English Books Online
Early English Books Online (EEBO) contains digital facsimile page images of virtually every work printed in Britain and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700 . It covers many subject areas, including: English literature, history, philosophy, linguistics, theology, music, fine arts, education, mathematics, and science. Many of the works can be searched from the full text.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online
Digital images of every page of books published during the 18th Century. With full-text searching of millions of pages, the product allows access to critical information in the fields of history, literature, religion, law, fine arts, science and more.
Journals and Newspapers and other full-text resourcesImage Database
Multimedia Collections
ARTSTOR
A digital library of nearly one million images in the areas of art, architecture, the humanities, and social sciences with a set of tools to view, present, and manage images for research and pedagogical purposes.Check here for off campus access
John Johnson Collection
An Archive of Printed Ephemera offering unique insights into the changing nature of everyday life in Britain in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
Journals and Full text Online Journal Collections
Print
History journals are kept in the Roehampton Lane Library. Some older issues are kept in our reserve stack. Check OPAC for full details of holdings.
Full Text Online Collections
JSTOR The complete back runs of almost 400 journal titles and includes many of the core research and society published journals in economics, history, political science, and sociology, language, literature, film studies and education as well as in other key fields in the humanities and social sciences.
Project Muse Humanities and Social Sciences Collection Full text access to over 200 electronic journals in the arts and humanities.
British Periodicals Online Searchable full text of hundreds of periodicals from the late seventeenth century to the early twentieth
Brill Journal Archive Online The Brill Journal Archive Online provides access to over 50,000 articles from more than 80 journals published by Brill before 2000. The main subject areas of Brill's publication programme are Ancient Near East & Egypt, Asian Studies, Biblical Studies & Religious Studies, Classic Studies, Medieval & Early Modern Studies, Middle East & Islamic Studies,
19th Century UK Periodicals A major new multi-part series which covers the events, lives, values and themes that shaped the 19th century world.
Oxford Journals Archive Contents of 142 OUP Journals from their first issue to 1995
Periodicals Archive Online an archive of hundreds of digitised journals published in the arts, humanities and social sciencesan archive of hundreds of digitised journals published in the arts, humanities and social sciences
Online Statistics and Reports
Histpop - The Online Historical Population Reports The Online Historical Population Reports (OHPR) collection provides online access to the complete British population reports for Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1937.
Nineteenth Century House of Commons Parliamentary Papers HCPP is a very important source of information on the 19th Century covering everything officially published concerning the British Parliament and its work. Includes debates, proceedings and reports of their committees and outside bodies on public affairs, and more.
Census Registration Service Register here, before accessing UK Census Data from 1971. This site provides links to the relevant data sets.
19th C English Law Reports Free online law reports from the CommonWealth Legal Information Institute
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913 A fully searchable edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing 197,745 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court.
Online Newspaper Collcetions (historical and current)
British Library 19th Century Newspapers Contains full runs of 48 newspapers specially selected by the British Library to best represent nineteenth century Britain. This new collection includes national and regional newspapers, as well as those from both established country or university towns and the new industrial powerhouses of the manufacturing Midlands, as well as Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
British Newspapers 1600 - 1900 Search both the Burney Collection and British Library 19th Century Newspapers
Burney Newspaper Collection Collection of 17th and 18th Century English Newspapers, newsbooks, Acts of Parliament, addresses, broadsides, pamphlets, proclamations. Titles from London, British Isles, and colonies
Google News Archive Search This news archive reaches back to middle of the 17th Century. The archive service searches hundreds of different news sources and searches can be expanded to show coverage from a time period, or be narrowed to articles from a particular publication. Search results include both content that is accessible to all users and content that requires a fee. Whilst you may not always be able to access the full text of an article online with Google News Archive this resource is a very useful bibliographic tool that can help you find references for primary resources that you can then access in the British Library Newspaper Reading Rooms in Colindale
Nexis (1985- present) A major source of news and business information. This full text database covers approximately 12,000 international, national and local publications, including UK newspapers.The Archive dates back to the Mid 1980s.
Times Digital Archive (1785 - 1985) Search through the complete digital edition of The Times (London), to retrieve full facsimile images of either a specific article or a complete page. The entire newspaper is captured, with all articles, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories to facilitate searching.
Finding Journal Articles
Historical Abstracts
This is the most specialised historical index, covering the history of all countries in the world, except the United States and Canada. It comes in two parts, Part A covering the period 1450-1914 and Part B covering 1914 to the present. It indexes around 2,100 journals and we hold it from 1984. This is shelved with the Quick Reference section on the ground floor of the Library, in the Abstracts and Indexes section.
Bibliographic databases are used to find journal articles,data sets or primary texts that are relevant to the particular topic you are studying. Some relevant databases are listed below.
For more details on how to search for journal articles quickly and effectively, look at our web page: Finding Articles in Journals. Remember - most of these resources require you to use an Athens password
Arts and Humanities Citation Index This database fully indexes over 1,100 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, from 1981 onwards. Available through the Web of Science gateway.
Bibliography of the History of Art The database surveys the visual arts and material culture from late antiquity to the present. Included are both the fine arts and decorative and applied arts .
British Humanities Index The BHI indexes 300 British journals and newspapers from 1985 onwards, covering subjects such as Art, History, Literature, Music, Philosophy and Religious Studies. Available through the CSA gateway.
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access JournalOpen access to journals spanning a wide range of subjects.
Web of Science Indexes to core journals with coverage back to 1981, available through the Web of Knowledge gateway. The references also contain the bibliographies of articles, so it is possible to search for cited authors or works. Select the two relevant databases to History to search:
- Arts & Humanities
- Social Sciences
Useful web sites
Search or browse the database of History resources which have been selected, evaluated and described by subject specialists.
Institute of Historical Research (IHR-Info)
This site is the major UK history site. As well as giving information about the activities of the Institute of Historical Research it is also a gateway to history sites around the world.
HTA provides original material, links to other sites and electronic reprints of books. It is organised by country and covers a wide range of materials.
Internet Resources for History
This resource by Humbul provides an excellent overview and comment on authoritative Internet resources for History students and researchers.
Here you can find mainly primary historical documents on western Europe, which are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile or translated. It is arranged by country and spans prehistory to the present day.
The National Archives which covers England, Wales and the United Kingdom, was formed in April 2003 by bringing together The Public Record Office, and The Historical Manuscripts Commission.
The Subject Centre for History, Classics & Archaeology
The aim of this site is to encourage and support the use of computers for history teaching and research. The site tells you about their activities and is also a gateway to other sites - particularly interesting is their "Exemplary sites" section.
This image database was developed in partnership between the Imperial War Museum and the Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design at Manchester Metropolitan University. The Project encompasses British, Commonwealth and Western European posters from the First World War to the present day.
Students of history are often aware that there is an ever-increasing amount of material on the Internet, and frequently use it to help them find information for their projects. However, it's often hard to separate reliable sites, accurate information and scholarly interpretation out from the immense numbers of sites available. This tutorial not only introduces learners to a selection of some of the best Web resources for historical study and research, but gives them tips for finding websites to support their own projects and personal interests.
Library of Congress-American Memory
American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.