Research Guides: Transatlantic Literature 1500-1800: Reference Sources

Reference Sources

There are many types of reference sources, including:

dictionaries
encyclopedias
biographical dictionaries
atlases
chronologies

These sources provide background information on a topic and can quickly prepare you for more in-depth research. They can also lead you to other sources if you read closely and make note of works cited that you might be interested in.

Literature Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature by David Scott Kastan
eBook
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature by Jay Parini, ed.
eBook
A Dictionary of Shakespeare by Stanley Wells
Ebook
Encyclopedia of Travel Literature by Christopher K. Brown
Call Number: G465 .B765 2000
In the Pius Library general collection. Check SLU Libraries Catalog for current availability.
Literature of Travel and Exploration by Jennifer Speake, ed.
Call Number: G465 .L565 2003
In the Pius Library general collection. Check SLU Libraries Catalog for current availability.

History Encyclopedias

Biographical Information

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Find biographies of deceased persons of note (either good or bad) associated with the British Isles from the fourth century BC to 2000. This subscription provides for use by one person at a time.

American National Biography Online
Find biographies of over 17,400 deceased men and women who made significant contributions to building the United States. This subscription provides for use by one person at a time.

English Language Dictionaries

Oxford English Dictionary Online (OED)
The OED traces a word's development in the English language from its date of introduction to the present. Contains current meanings and includes etymologies and historical quotations.
Lexicons of Early Modern English (LEME)
Historical database of monolingual, bilingual, and polyglot dictionaries, lexical encyclopedias, hard-word glossaries, spelling lists, and lexically-valuable treatises surviving in print or manuscript from the Tudor, Stuart, Caroline, Commonwealth, and Restoration periods.

Bibliographies

World Shakespeare Bibliography Online
This searchable bibliography of Shakespeare scholarship provides information about Shakespeare-related publications, theatrical productions, audiovisual materials, and electronic media.

Milton: A Bibliography
"This bibliography tries to bring together all manuscripts and editions of John Milton's works and all studies and critical statements concerning his life and works, all allusions and quotations, and all significant imitations during the years 1624-1799."