Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide,Second Edition

This annotated guide put together by Fritze (history, U. of Central Arkansas), Coutts (library public services, Western Kentucky U.), and Vyhanek (head of social sciences collection, Holland/New Library, Washington State U.) lists 930 major reference works for world history, primarily works in English. Types of works listed include bibliographies, book review indexes, periodical guides and core journals, newspaper collections and indexes, dissertations and theses, government publications and legal sources, dictionaries and encyclopedias, biographical sources, statistical sources, archives and special collections, and microforms. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Library Journal

The authors, two university reference librarians (Brian C. Coutts and Louis A. Vyhnanek) and an academic historian (Fritze), have produced an accurate, current, and reliable work that supersedes Helen J. Poulton's classic but dated The Historian's Handbook ( LJ 5/15/72). The volume is intended to serve as an introduction to the major reference works for all periods of history and for all geographical areas, with particular emphasis on materials published in English on Anglo-American and European history. Special attention is paid to newer types of sources such as microfilms, specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias, interdisciplinary publications, and computerized databases. There are 685 entries divided into 14 chapters, arranged by type of sources, e.g., historiography, book review indexes, core journals, dissertations and theses, and archives and manuscripts. Each chapter includes a brief introduction that provides definitions of terminology and is subdivided primarily geographically, but occasionally by subject. Entries have complete bibliographic citations and evaluative annotations with cross-references to other works in the volume and full citations for sources not found in the guide. The index lists all authors, editors, and titles mentioned in the text; however, subject access is limited. This is a major flaw in an otherwise indispensable source for librarians and all students of history . Brian Coutts is the author of ``Best Reference Books of 1990'' in this issue, p. 39.--Ed.-- Charles C. Hay, Eastern Kentucky Univ. Archives, Richmond