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Early China
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Reference Desk (413) 774-1509 |
Selected Reference Sources
Use reference sources to choose a topic, locate background information, and identify good search terms.
- ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PHILOSOPHY R 103 E56 2005
- DICTIONARY OF PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION: EASTERN AND WESTERN THOUGHT R103 R329d
- ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION R 203 E56 2005
- RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD R 291 R382
- GUIDE TO THE GODS R 291.211 L434g
- COUNTRIES AND THEIR CULTURES R 306.03 C855
- ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MANKIND R 306.03 I29
- TRADITIONAL FESTIVALS R 394.26 R888tr
- GODS, GODDESSES, AND MYTHOLOGY R 398.03 G559
- FACTS ON FILE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD MYTHOLOGY AND LEGEND R 398.03 M553f
- LAROUSSE WORLD MYTHOLOGY R 398.09 G861la
- WORLD MYTHOLOGY R 398.09 W927
- HANDBOOK OF CHINESE MYTHOLOGY R 398.0951 Y22ha
- MYTHOLOGY: A VISUAL ENCYCLOPEDIA R 398.2 F745my
- MILESTONES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R 509 M928a
- WORLD OF INVENTION R 609 W927
- DICTIONARY OF ART R 703 D554tu
- ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD ART R 703 E56
- GREAT LITERATURE OF THE EASTERN WORLD R 895 G786
- COLUMBIA CHRONOLOGIES OF ASIAN HISTORY AND CULTURE R 950 C726
- ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ASIAN HISTORY R 950 E56
- CAMBRIDGE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHINA R 951 C178h
- ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHINA R 951 P448en
- CULTURAL ATLAS OF CHINA R 951 B658c
- HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF TAIWAN R 951.249 C785hi
Finding Books in the Online Catalog
Books accumulate and synthesize information from various sources. Identify appropriate terms to use for keyword and subject searches in the catalog. Common subheadings such as Economic Conditions, History, Politics and Government, Social Life and Customs are used after the names of countries.
Use history books on China (951) to identify a topic of interest and locate background information. Recommended subject headings are:
- CHINA - HISTORY - CHIN DYNASTY, 221-207 B.C.
- CHINA - HISTORY - 960-1644.
Search tips:
- Keep track of the variant spellings. African languages generally do not have an alphabet.
- After a topic from African history and culture has been identified, search that topic as a subject in the online catalog to identify titles in other areas of the collection (art, religion, political science, etc.).
- If your topic has multiple concepts, try a keyword search. See Boolean Logic for more information on constructing keyword searches and using Boolean operators.
- Use the bibliographies or reference lists in the books you find to identify other books and articles on the topic.
Finding Periodical Articles
The library owns current and back issues of periodicals (magazines and newspapers) which include articles about China, such as National Geographic and the New York Times. Primary documents are articles published at the time an event occurs. Use an index or database to identify articles on a subject about Chinese history and culture.
When you locate a useful periodical citation, use the Periodical List to determine whether the library owns the periodical cited and where these publications are located in the library. Some articles may be available in research databases. The Periodical List provides direct links to issues of periodicals by year.
Finding Articles in Research Databases
(go to DA Orgs/Library for off-campus access)
- History Study Center includes information about the countries of the world plus primary documents and offers three study units on this period of Chinese history:
China before the Mongols
The Mongol Empire, 1206-1368
Late Imperial China - History Reference Center
Search for information on Early China by typing China in the search window and limiting your search by time period using the Timeline - Grove Art Online
Online access to the full text of The Dictionary of Art (1996) and The Oxford Companion to Western Art (2001) --includes images, drawings, links to image databases (Art Resource, Bridgeman Art Library), and selected links to thousands of images on museum and gallery websites around the world - CountryWatch
Provides information on each of the 192 recognized countries of the world including:
CountryReviews--demographic, political, economic, business, cultural and environmental information;
Also features CountryWatch Data (statistics), the CountryWatch Map Gallery, CountryWatch@School (curriculum based resources), and the weekly Global News Update. - Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
Includes country information from the complete encyclopedia and the Britannica Student Encyclopedia, plus the Britannica Book of the Year--also includes 300,000 links to websites selected by the editors - General Databases such as Academic Search Premier and General OneFile will include articles about countries and their cultures. If possible, search by subject and browse the subheadings under the subject for specific information. For older articles, try JSTOR or and for citations only try the Readers' Guide Retrospective.
Try the Countries & Cultures Research Guide
for recommended websites for country information
Also, try the World History Research Guide
Need help with citing sources?
MLA Citation Style Guide
NoodleBib (citation management tool)