Discover Local (Library's Catalog)
One way to find books (and other materials) that could be primary sources is to search Discover Local (the library's catalog). Try using your topic and one of these keywords:
- archival materials
- correspondence
- diaries
- interviews
- manuscripts
- papers
- personal narratives
- sources
For example, see the results you get with this search: Spain "personal narratives" (The quotation marks tell the search engine to look for the two words together.) Many of the results are memoirs of people in the Spanish Civil War.
Worldcat: Get Books from Other Libraries
Search the Worldcat database to find books held by other libraries. Worldcat is an international catalog of books and other materials owned by thousands of libraries.
You may borrow (interlibrary loan) materials through the Worldcat database. Interlibrary loan is free! But give yourself time for a book to come through the mail.
Please note that occasionally the Worldcat database indicates that the OU library owns an item when Discover Local (our catalog) does not list that item. Usually, the item has been reported lost or missing and is no longer available from our library. Please contact me if you have any questions: lscrivener@ou.edu
Ancient and Medieval History
For instructions on searching the catalog for texts of ancient sources, click here.
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Acta Sanctorum (1643-1940)Provides access to an electronic version of the complete printed text of Acta Sanctorum, including prefaces, original texts, critical apparatus, and indices. This collection of documents examines the lives of saints, arranged according to each saint's feast day.
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Archive of Celtic-Latin LiteratureContains over 1300 Celtic-Latin texts from the period 400-1200 A.D. Access to this resource has been underwritten by the OU College of Arts and Sciences.
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Aristoteles LatinusMedieval Greek-Latin translations of Aristotle's works.
Access to this resource has been underwritten by the OU College of Arts and Sciences. -
Library of Latin Texts (Series A and B)Series A consists of Latin texts from the beginning of Latin literature through the Second Vatican Council; Series B provides access to Latin texts of all periods and genres. Access to this resource has been underwritten by the OU College of Arts and Sciences.
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Loeb Classical LibraryProvides access to important works of ancient Greek and Latin literature. Access to this resource has been underwritten by the Classics Department.
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Monumenta Germaniae HistoricaAccess to published sources for the study of German history from the end of the Roman Empire to 1500.
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Patrologia LatinaFull text of the 221 volumes of Jacques-Paul Migne's Patrologia Latina (1844-1855 and 1862-1865).
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Tables of Contents of Journals of Interest to Classicists (TOCS-IN)Tables of contents of a selection of Classics, Near Eastern Studies, and Religion journals. OU Link to Article does not work in this database. You must search the catalog for the title of the journal to see if we own it.
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Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG)The Thesaurus Linguae Graecae is a digitized collection of most literary texts written in Greek from Homer to the fall of Byzantium in AD 1453. *** Individual user registration is required to access subscribed material. ***
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Translated Texts for Historians E-LibraryProvides a wide variety of texts from 300-800 AD, translated from Greek, Latin, Syriac, Coptic, Arabic, Georgian, Armenian and Old Irish, as well as notes on content, interpretation and debates. Library has access to volumes 1-67.
Finding Ancient Texts
To find translations of ancient texts try searching Discover Local for:
- The language name and the truncated version of the word "translation."
- For example: Sumerian translat*
- The words "ancient" "texts" and the truncated version of the word "translation."
- For example: ancient texts translat*
- The language name and the phrase "translations into English."
- For example: Egyptian "translations into English"
See this guide from the University of Kansas for hints on finding ancient Chinese sources. Search the titles mentioned by Kansas in Discover Local (the catalog)
Databases
Another way to find books from earlier time periods is to use a database.
- Most of the following databases contain digitized versions of books.
- Many of the individual titles in these databases are also listed in Discover Local.
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African History and Culture, 1540-1921 (Readex/Newsbank)More than 1,300 books, pamphlets, almanacs, broadsides and ephemera.
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Afro-Americana Imprints, 1535-1922 (Readex/Newsbank)Full text of more than 12,000 printed books, pamphlets and broadsides recording African American history, literature and culture from the early 16th to the early 20th century.
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America's Historical Imprints (1639-1900; Readex/Newsbank)Full text of books from Early American Imprints, the Evans Series (1639-1800), the Shaw-Shoemaker Series (1801-1819), and full text of broadsides, 1820-1900, (large sheets of paper usually printed on one side), and ephemera,1760-1900 (things like invitations, lottery announcements, menus, stock certificates, etc.) from American Broadsides and Ephemera.
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ARTFLFull text of classic works of French literature, non-fiction prose, and technical writing from the 12th through the 20th century.
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ATLA Historical Monographs Collection (13th century-1923; EBSCO)Full text of titles focused on religion and theology, in English and other languages. NOTE: This link takes you to series 1, 13th century - 1893. You must click "choose databases" and select series 2 to see materials 1894 -1922.
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Black Authors: 1556-1922 (Readex/Newsbank)Works by authors of African or African-American descent. Compiled by the curators of the acclaimed Afro-Americana Imprints collection.
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Black Thought and Culture (1700-2006; Alexander Street Press)Full text of interviews, journal articles, letters, etc. Non-fiction published works of leading African Americans. Includes Black Panther newspaper.
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Caribbean History and Culture, 1535-1920 (Readex/Newsbank)Covers the diverse history of Caribbean islands over nearly 400 years. Includes books, pamphlets, almanacs, broadsides and ephemera.
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Early English Books Online (EEBO, 1473-1700; Proquest)Full text of English-language books published in Great Britain or British North America.
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Early European Books (pre 1701; Proquest)Full text of all works printed in Europe before 1701, regardless of language, together with all pre-1701 works in European languages printed further afield.
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Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO, 1701-1800; Gale)Full text of English-language and foreign-language books published primarily in the UK.
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English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC; British Library)Catalog of books published in English, 1475-1800. Full text often available in EEBO, ECCO, described above.
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HathiTrust Digital LibraryShared digital repository of library books and journals converted from print owned by research institutions. HathiTrust Digital Library does not permit download or viewing the full text of books that are still under copyright (typically published since 1923). Only materials that are no longer under copyright may be viewed online or downloaded.
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London Low Life (Adam Matthew)Digital images of rare books, ephemera, maps, and other materials relating to 19th and early 20th century London such as posters, advertising, playbills, ballads and broadsides, penny fiction, cartoons, Swell’s guides to London prostitution, gambling and drinking dens, tourist guides, etc.
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Making of Modern Law (1800-1926; Gale)Full text of more than 22,000 Anglo-American works from casebooks, local practice manuals, form books, works for lay readers, pamphlets, letters, etc.
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Making of the Modern World: The Goldsmiths'-Kress Collection of Economic Literature (1450-1850; Gale)Full text of more than 59,500 titles including books, serials, pamphlets, and more.
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Nineteenth Century Collections Online (Gale)Full text of books, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, photographs, statistics, and other kinds of documents in both Western and non-Western languages. Includes four archives:
1. Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange
2. British Politics and Society (History Sleuth students: This unit includes more than 400 documents on the "Jack the Ripper" killings. Scroll down to the "Whitechapel Murders Papers.")
3. British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture
4. Corvey Collection of European Literature: 1790-1840. -
Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500–1926 (Gale)Full text of works about the Americas published in America and Europe.