Native American Studies Research Guide

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Other Reference Materials

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Reference Materials help to give quick, short information. Below are some print materials available in the Yale Libraries. See also Where To Find Basic Biographical Information and To Check Facts (online) in the Library Research Guide.

America: History and Life (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC Clio, v. 0- 1964- .) 
SML, Main Reading Room, Z1236 +A43 (LC).   
America: History and Life is the primary index to the literature of American and Canadian History, covering over 2,000 journals in 45
     languages. The print volumes are issued in four parts: 
     Part A. Article abstracts and citations 
     Part B. Index to book reviews
     Part C. American History bibliography, books, articles and dissertations
     Part D. Annual Index 
     Volume 0 covers 1954-1963. The CD-ROM covers 1964 to the present. 

The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature. Ed. Mary Beth Norton, Pamela Gerardi. 3rd ed.  (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1995). 2 vols.  SML Main Reading Room Z6201 A55 1995 (LC).  Also in CCL, Reference Z6201 A55 1995 (LC) 

American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation. Eds. David Levinson and Melvin Ember. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. 2 v. SML, Reference: E184 A1 +A63448X 1997. Also in DIVINITY.

American Indian Law Deskbook: Conference of Western Attorneys General. Ed. Joseph P. Mazurek et al. Niwot, CO: UP of Colorado, 1998.
SML, Stacks KF8205 A76X 1998.

American Indian reference book. Portage, Michigan: Earth, 1976.
KLINE, Anthropology E76.2 A43 (LC)

American Indians. Markowitz, Harvey, ed. Pasadena, Calif. : Salem Press, c1995.
SML, Reference E76.2 A436 1995 (LC) v.1-v.

American National Biography contains portraits of men and women from all eras and walks of life.

Biography Index: A Cumulative Index to Biographical Material in Books and Magazines. (New York: H.W. Wilson, 1946-.)
Cumulative index to biographical information in books and magazines. The print volumes cover 1946- present, and the online version goes back to 1984.  SML, Main Reference Room Z5301 B56 (LC) 

Biography Resource Center
Biographical information throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas.

Britannica Online is a free knowledge and learning center for current affairs. Users can simultaneously search the encyclopedia, reviews of the Web sites, articles from leading magazines, and related books. Britannica.com includes the complete, updated Encyclopędia Britannica, selected articles from more than 70 of the world's top magazines--including Newsweek, Discover, and The Economist, a guide to the Web sites includes more than 125,000 sites, and you can also search the text of more than 100 million Web pages to find more information

Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas. New York; Cambridge UP, 1996.
SML, Reference E77 C15 1996.

Cashmore, Ernest. Dictionary of Race and Ethnic Relations. New York: Routledge, 1996.
SML, Stacks GN496 C37X 1996.

Dictionary of American History

Directory of American Scholars

Dictionary of Indian Tribes of the Americas. Newport Beach, CA: American Indian Publishers, 1993.
SML, Stacks E54.5 +D53X 1993.

Encyclopedia of American History. Ed. Richard B. Morris, Jeffrey B. Morris. 7th ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1996. SML, Reference: E174.5 E52 1996.

Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology. Ed. David Levinson, Melvin Ember. New York: Henry Holt, 1996.
SML, Reference GN307 +E52X 1996.

Encyclopedia of Minorities in American Politics Vol. 2: Hispanic Americans & Native Americans. Schultz, Jeffrey D.. 2000. (ebrary : Oryx)

Encyclopedia of North American Indians. Ed. Frederich E. Hoxie. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996.
SML, Reference: E76.2 E53X 1996 (LC).

Ethnic genealogy a research guide edited by Jessie Carney Smith ; foreword by Alex Haley. (Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1983)
SML, Main Reference Room CS49 E83 1983 (LC)

Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. Eds. Judy Galens, Anna Sheets, Robyn V. Young, Rudolph J. Vecoli. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.
SML, Stacks E184 A1 +G245 1995.

The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Eds. Sharon Malinowski, et al. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. 4 v.
SML, Reference E77 +N368 1998.

Gale Literary Databases Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, and Dictionary of Literary Biography

Gale's Ready Reference Shelf includes:

Encyclopedia of Associations: National Associations
Encyclopedia of Associations: International Associations
Encyclopedia of Associations: Regional, State, and Local Associations
Encyclopedia of Governmental Advisory Organizations
Publishers Directory
Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media
Directories in Print
Newsletters in Print
Gale Directory of Databases
Gale Guide to Internet Databases
Directory of Special Libraries and Information Centers
Research Centers Directory
Government Research Centers Directory
International Research Centers Directory
Encyclopedia of American Religion

Green, Rayna with Melanie Fernandez. The British Museum Encyclopedia of Native North America. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1999.
SML, Reference E76.2 +G74 1999.

Handbook of North American Indians. Ed. William C. Sturtevant. (Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1978).
SML Reference: E76.2 +H36 (LC). Also in CCL, Reference.
An encyclopedic summary of what is known about the prehistory, history, and cultures of the aboriginal peoples of North America. Each volume comprises essays by specialists on specific aspects of Indian life, with extensive bibliography and detailed index.

Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Ed. Stephan Thernstrom. (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 1980).
SML, Reference: E184 A1 +H358 (LC). Also in
CCL, Reference. *
Consists of signed essays on ethnic groups which touch on origins, migration, arrival, settlement, economic and social life, religion, culture, education, politics, and maintenance of ethnicity
.

Harvard Guide to American History. Ed. Frank Freidel. Rev. ed. Cambridge; Harvard University Press, 1974. 2 vols.  SML Main Reading Room Z1236 H37 1974 (LC).  Also in CCL, Stacks Z1236 H37 1974 (LC) and SML, Andrews Study Z1236 H37 1974B (LC) 

Historical Abstracts (Santa Monica: ABC-Clio, 1955- )
SML, Main Reading Room, Index Cases D1 +H48 (LC) / D1 +H482 (LC).  
Abstracts of articles from over 2,000 U.S. and foreign periodicals, and Festscriften, covering world history and culture (not U.S. and Canada). It also includes citations of dissertations and selected book, film, and video reviews. The print volumes go back to 1955.  In 1971, Historical Abstracts split into two sections:
     Historical Abstracts. Part A: Modern History Abstracts, 1450-1914
     Historical Abstracts. Part B: Twentieth Century Abstracts, 1914- 

H-Net Humanities and Social Sciences Online
SML Main Reading Room E174 J64 (LC).  Also in CCL Reference, E174 J64 (LC) and Andrews Study E174 J64 (LC) 
H-Net is an interdisciplinary organization of scholars dedicated to developing the educational potential of the Internet.  The site provides access to discussion networks, reviews, teaching resources, academic announcements, and a job guide. 

Humanities Index. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1974-. 
SML Main Reading Room Index Cases A11 H84 (LC)
An author and subject index to journal articles and book reviews from 400 English language periodicals covering "archaeology and classical studies, area studies, folklore, history, language and literature, performing arts, philosophy, religion and theology, and related subjects" (Prefatory Note).  Book reviews listed separately under name of author. 

Johnson, Michael. The native tribes of North America : a concise encyclopedia. 1st U.S. ed. New York : Macmillan; Toronto: Maxwell Macmillan Canada, 1994.
SML, Reference E76.2 J64X 1994 (LC)+

Klein, Barry T. Reference encyclopedia of the American Indian. 11th ed. Nyack, N.Y.: Todd Publications, 2004.
SML, Reference E76.2 .R44 2004 (LC).

Native America in the twentieth century : an encyclopedia. Ed. Mary B. Davis. New York : Garland Pub., 1994.
DIVINITY, Day Missions Room, Reference E76.2 N36 1994 (LC) +

Native Americans: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Peoples. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1998.
SML, Stacks E77 +P758 1998.

Native American studies. Compiled by the Choice editorial staff. Middletown, CT : Choice, 1992.
SML, Stacks Z1209.2 N67 N38X 1992 (LC)+

Native America : portrait of the peoples. Duane Champagne, ed. Detroit : Visible Ink Press, 1994.
CCL, Stacks E77 N354 1994 (LC)

The New Encyclopedia of the American West. Ed. Howard R. Lamar. New Haven: Yale UP, 1998.
SML, Reference F591 +R38 1998 Also in CCL, Reference, and Beinecke, Reference.

Nies, Judith. Native American History: A Chronology of the Vast Achievements of a Culture and Their Links to World Events. (New York: Ballantine Books: 1996).
SML, Reference: E77 N56X 1996 (LC)

Johnson, Thomas E. Oxford Companion to American History. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1966). 

The New Encyclopedia of the American West. Ed. Howard R. Lamar. New Haven: Yale UP, 1998. SML, Reference: F591 +R38 1998. Also in CCL, Reference, and Beinecke, Reference.

19th Century Index includes indexes such as the Nineteenth Century Short Title Catalogue, The Wellesley Index, Periodicals Index Online, Periodicals Index Online and American Periodicals Series.

Nineteenth Century Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, 1890-1899. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1944. 2 vols. 
SML, Main Reading Room Index Cases AI3 R43 (LC)
An author, subject, and illustrator index to articles and reviews appearing in 51 periodicals published in the U.S. and U.K. between 1890 and 1899. "Fourteen titles were indexed beyond 1899 in order to make the indexing of each title complete from the year 1890 to the time it was added to the list of one of the current Wilson indexes" (Preface).  Broad subject coverage. Book reviews are listed under author only. 

Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1907.
Rev. ed. Gloucester: P. Smith, 1963. 7 vols. 
SML, Main Reading Room Index Cases AI3 P656 1963 (LC)
An index to articles covering a wide-range of subjects and reviews appearing in 479 periodicals published in America and the United Kingdom between 1802 and 1907. Arranged alphabetically by subject of article only. Names of writers of articles are indexed in Cumulative Author Index for Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1906, which is shelved next to this title. 

Readers Companion to American History. Ed. Eric Foner, John Garraty. (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1991).  SML Main Reading Room E174 R43 1991 (LC).  Also in CCL, Reference E174 R43 1991 (LC) 

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature Index/ Abstracts/ Full Text and Readers' Guide Retrospective
Readers' Guide Full Text and Readers' Guide Retrospective together offer comprehensive indexing and abstracting of some 375 of the most popular general interest periodicals published in the United States and Canada since 1890, plus the full text of over 120 of those periodicals from 1994 - present. They cover news, current events, and all subject areas, including business, fashion, politics, crafts, food, education, sports, history, and science. The abstracts average 125 words in length. Two types of abstracts are included. Informative abstracts convey the content, scope, and complexity of the source article, and are the predominant form used. Indicative abstracts describe the subject of the source article and are reserved for how to articles, humorous essays, personal accounts, and recipes. Full-text coverage begins in January 1994 for most titles.

Writings on American History, 1902-1989/1990. Washington: American Historical Association, 1908-1990. 
SML, Main Reading Room Z1236 W75 (LC).  Also in SML, Andrews Study Z1236 W75 (LC) 
A classified listing of journal articles and dissertations on American history followed by an author index. Citations selected primarily from Recently Published Articles, published by the American Historical Association. No bibliographies published for 1904-05, 1941-47.  Volumes to 1935 include books and articles on the history of the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Pacific Islands; from 1935 coverage includes only U.S. and its possessions. Inclusion of book citations was discontinued beginning with the volumes covering 1962-73. There is a cumulative author and subject index for 1902-1940. This title serves as the only significant indexing source in the field of American history prior to the publication of Historical Abstracts in 1955. The majority of journals indexed by Writings on American History are also indexed by Historical Abstracts and America: History and Life.

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