*Courtesy of North Carolina State University Libraries
Each of the resources listed below are available to you as students at Georgetown College. You can access each of these from our website, which is located here. Each of these tools can direct you to various tools and resources to help you as you start your research project, as you start to gather your resources, and as you begin the writing process.
Sources for background research
Databases
Reference books are always a great place to start when looking for material on a new subject. The entries located within can help you find dates, places, people, etc. and often include a suggested bibliography for you to explore further. Below is a selection of reference books available to you at the LRC.
Encyclopedia of the American Civil War by
An award-winning and highly recommended comprehensive reference set on the political, social, and military aspects of the American Civil War. * Over 1,600 signed A-Z entries, authored by notable scholars and referenced for further reading * Over 300 contributors, including some of the leading Civil War scholars at work today * More than 500 illustrations, including contemporary photographs, lithographs, and drawings * 75 maps created specifically for this encyclopedia * A chronology, glossary, and exhaustive index * Over 250 primary source documents
The Reader's Companion to Military History by
How did war originate? What makes a war popular or unpopular at home? How common is desertion or mutiny? What makes a successful guerrilla insurgency? How have armies been fed throughout history? The Reader's Companion to Military History addresses these and other intriguing aspects of the most destructive, fascinating, and relentless of human enterprises -- war. Filled with surprising anecdotes, little-known facts, and rare illustrations, The Reader's Companion to Military History covers major events and battles, commanders and theorists, weaponry and technological advances, and strategy and tactics. What makes the volume especially distinctive, however, is the range of thematic articles, covering such topics as courage, discipline, the effects of weather on warfare, military justice, surrender, the role of propaganda, the use of animals in war, the evolution of uniforms, psychological warfare, and morale. Unlike many military histories, the volume covers Asian, African, and South American history as well that of Europe and North America. Subjects range from the Persian Wars of 490 B.C. to such contemporary topics such as the revelations of Robert McNamara, gays in the military, and ethnic cleansing. One hundred fifty distinguished military historians, biographers, and journalists produced this volume under the editorship of Robert Cowley, editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, and Geoffrey Parker, Robert A. Lovett Professor of Military and Naval History at Yale University. The result is a remarkable chronicle of warfare that combines compelling historical narrative with the latest in contemporary scholarship.
A Cumulative Bibliography of Medieval Military History and Technology by
There is perhaps no other more lively area for study in medieval history than medieval military history, with its attendant and complementary field, the history of medieval military technology. In the past twenty years, it seems that more major scholarly inroads have been made in this field than in any other historical genre of medieval studies or chronological period of military history. What this has meant is that it is now more difficult to keep up with all of the trends and sources in the field than ever before. Hence the need for a reference work which covers what has previously been written and which, in turn, can assist the scholar, both the more experienced academic and the beginner, to improve his or her work in medieval military history or the history of medieval military technology.Utilizing library catalogues, bibliographies, and footnotes, this bibliography has compiled the most complete list of secondary references to works in medieval military history and the history of military technology. It keeps fairly strictly to a geography which centers on conventional medieval boundaries-Europe, Byzantium, and the Middle East. However, the chronology does differ from the conventional medieval dates. Because of its influence on the early Middle Ages, references to Late Antiquity, especially to the military history and technology of the third- and fourth-century Roman Empire have been included. For the opposite reason, the influence of the Middle Ages on the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, references to military history and technology up to 1648 have been included as well. This is especially important in the study of the Ottoman Turkish Wars and Arms and Armor, where the end of the fifteenth century as a chronological terminus makes little sense.Also available on cd-rom.
World Military History Bibliography by
Preclassical and indigenous nonwestern military institutions and methods of warfare are the chief subjects of this annotated bibliography of work published 1967-1997. Classical antiquity, post-Roman Europe, and the westernized armed forces of the 20th century, although covered, receive less systematic attention. Emphasis is on historical studies of military organization and the relationships between military and other social institutions, rather than wars and battles. Especially rich in references to the periodical literature, the bibliography is divided into eight parts: (1) general and comparative topics; (2) the ancient world; (3) Eurasia since antiquity; (4) sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania; (5) pre-Columbian America; (6) postcontact America; (7) the contemporary nonwestern world; and (8) philosophical, social scientific, natural scientific, and other works not primarily historical.
American Military History by
"In this companion volume to his 1995 bibliography of the same title, Daniel Blewett continues his foray into the vast literature of military studies." "As did its predecessor, this book covers land, air, and naval forces, primarily but not exclusively from a U.S. perspective, with the welcome emergence of "small wars" from publishing obscurity. In addition to identifying relevant organizations and associations, Blewett has gathered together the very best in chronologies, bibliographies, biographical dictionaries, indexes, journals, abstracts, glossaries, and encyclopedias, each accompanied by a brief descriptive annotation." "American Military History remains a pertinent addition to the general reference collections of public and academic libraries, as well as special libraries, government documents collections, military and intelligence agency libraries, and historical societies and museums."--BOOK JACKET.
International Encyclopedia of Military History by
With its impressive breadth of coverage ¿ both geographically and chronologically ¿ the International Encyclopedia of Military History is the most up-to-date and inclusive A-Z resource on military history. From uniforms and military insignia worn by combatants to the brilliant military leaders and tacticians who commanded them, the campaigns and wars to the weapons and equipment used in them, this international and multi-cultural two-volume set is an accessible resource combining the latest scholarship in the field with a world perspective on military history.
Get familiar with the overall landscape before you select a more focused topic!
Just as General Warren looked over the horizon of Gettysburg until he saw a faint glimmer of sunlight reflecting off Confederate weapons, a good research topic involves preliminary reading to get an overall understanding of a broad subject area. When you find something specific that sparks your interest, go with that topic and then begin your research.