Tips
Encyclopedias are great for:
- choosing a topic
- quick self-education
- perspective on a topic
- variant spellings, vocabulary, terminology
- bibliography
Recommended Medieval Encyclopedias
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Oxford Bibliographies OnlineOffers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on the Middle Ages.
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Oxford Handbooks Online: Scholarly Research ReviewsThe complete texts of the Oxford handbooks in Archaeology, Business and Management, Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, History, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Religion online.
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The Middle Ages: a very short introduction
Publication Date: 2014 -
Cambridge Histories Online
Excellent resource. Full text. Chapters as pdfs. Extremely high quality essays with rich footnotes and bibliography.
Medieval Encyclopedias
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The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England
The only reference work to cover the history, archaeology, arts, architecture, literatures, and languages of England from the Roman withdrawal to the Norman Conquest (c.450 - 1066 AD) -
Medieval England: An Encyclopedia
Publication Date: 1998All aspects of life and culture in medieval England-art, architecture, law, literature, kings, commoners, women, music, commerce, technology, warfare, religion, and many others. -
The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature in Britain
Publication Date: 2018Represents all the literatures of the British Isles including Old and Middle English, Early Scots, Anglo-Norman, the Norse, Latin and French of Britain, and the Celtic Literatures of Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall -
Trade, Travel, and Exploration in the Middle Ages: an Encyclopedia
Publication Date: 2000Covers the peoples, places, technologies, and intellectual concepts that contributed to trade, travel and exploration during the Middle Ages, from the years A.D. 525 to 1492. -
The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe
Publication Date: 2013 -
Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: an Encyclopedia
Publication Date: 2006Examines the daily reality of medieval women from all walks of life in Europe between 450 CE and 1500 CE, i.e., from the fall of the Roman Empire to the discovery of the Americas. Masculinity in the Middle Ages is also addressed. -
Medieval Italy: an Encyclopedia
Publication Date: 2003Online edition:
Volume I : A-K, Volume II : L-Z Cross-disciplinary resource on literature, history, the arts, science, philosophy, and religion in Italy between A.D. 450 and 1375. -
Medieval Islamic Civilization: an Encyclopedia
Publication Date: 2005Online:
Volume I : A-K, Volume II : L-Z Two volumes, illustrated. Covers fields such as Arabic languages, Arabic literature, architecture, art history, history, history of science, Islamic arts, Islamic studies, Middle Eastern studies, Near Eastern studies, politics, religion, Semitic studies, theology, and more. -
Medieval Scandinavia: an Encyclopedia
Publication Date: 1993Religion, education, politics and law, culture and material life, history, literature, and art. A valuable and absorbing volume for students of the Norse sagas, the Viking age, and Old English history and literature, and more. -
The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium
Publication Date: 1991Three-volume, comprehensive dictionary of Byzantine civilization. -
Medieval France: an Encyclopedia
ISBN: 0824044444Publication Date: 1995Covers the political, intellectual, literary, and musical history of the country from the early fifth century to the late 15th. -
Medieval Iberia: an Encyclopedia
Publication Date: 2002Focuses on the Iberian kingdoms from the fall of the Roman Empire to the aftermath of the Reconquista. -
Medieval Jewish Civilization: an Encyclopedia
Publication Date: 2002Medieval Jewish civilization, from the fall of the Roman Empire to about 1492. -
New Catholic Encyclopedia
Publication Date: 2002 -
The Oxford Dictionary of Saints
ISBN: 019860629XConcise accounts of the lives, cults, and artistic associations of over 1,400 saints. -
Encyclopedia of Early Christianity
Publication Date: 2013Bibliographies. Focus on biblical books and philosophical schools, their influence on early Christianity and their use by patristic writers; Jewish and pagan environment of early Christianity; eastern expansion of the faith throughout Asia, including persons and literature; treatment of saints, monasticism, worship practices, and modern scholars; -
Medieval Archaeology: An Encyclopedia
Call Number: Olin Reference D125.M42x 2001+Publication Date: 2000This is the first reference work to cover the archaeology of medieval Europe. No other reference can claim such comprehensive coverage--from Ireland to Russia and from Scandinavia to Italy, the archaeology of the entirety of medieval Europe is discussed. -
Medieval Folklore: An Encyclopedia
Publication Date: 2002Articles focus on myths and legends, daily and nightly, customs and activities, religious beliefs of pagan, Christian, Muslim, and Jew, key works of oral and written literature, traditional music and art, holidays and feasts, food and drink, plants and animals (real and mythical) -
The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages
Publication Date: 2010Four volumes. Key aspects of European history, society, religion, and culture from 500 to 1500. Since neighbouring areas of Asia and North Africa impinged on and helped shape the civilization of the West, relevant aspects ofthe Byzantine Empire, the Islamic dynasties, and Asiatic peoples such as the Avars and the Mongols are included.
Literature
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Literature Resource Center (LRC)A literature database combining biographical, bibliographical, and contextual information on authors and their works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism).
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The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature in BritainAlso available in print in Olin Library Reference, Olin Library Reference, PR260 .E53 2017 .
Superior to Wikipedia on most topics & disciplines:
OED
English Language and its history
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) The dictionary that is scholar's preferred source; it goes far beyond definitions.