History
Whatever your topic, you will want to begin by finding out what other historians have had to say about it. This page will outline some strategies for finding the scholarly literature on a topic in history.
Searching for Books
Historians typically publish books, leverage print collections, and cite older works more than scholars in other disciplines. So, for many history topics, finding books related to your topic is a good place to start.
Search and access books in Macalester's collections using Worldcat
When searching for books in Worldcat, you are searching Macalester collection items along with materials held by other libraries.
Pro-tip Look through footnotes, endnotes, and the bibliography of your book to verify the author's work, and follow the breadcrumbs to other potential sources, including primary sources!
Finding Book Reviews in History
You can find book reviews in Worldcat Discovery. Simply search for the book's title and the author's name to browse related book reviews.
The following journals also provide book reviews in the discipline of history and are available through the database JSTOR. Recent reviews for books published in the last five years are not included:
- Reviews in American History (available from 1973-2017 through JSTOR)
This journal provides an effective means for scholars and students of American history to stay up to date in their discipline. Each issue presents in-depth reviews of over thirty of the newest books in American history—reviews that are far superior to those found in other scholarly journals. Retrospective essays examining landmark works by major historians are also regularly featured. The journal covers all areas of American history including economics, military history, women in history, law, political history and philosophy, religion, social history, intellectual history, and cultural history. - The American Historical Review (available from 1895-2017 through JSTOR)
- The New York Review of Books
Macalester Library has v. 1 (1963) - v. 60 (2013) available on microfiche, located on the lower level of the library. Unsure of how to use microfiche? Chat or email the library for help accessing.
The New York Times (Book Review Section)
Searching for Articles
A quick list of subject-specific databases for history:
- America: History and Life This link opens in a new window
Index of scholarly journals, books, and dissertations covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada from before European contact to the present.
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new windowIs the best database to use when looking for academic journal articles in the field of modern world history including Latin American history for the period 1450 to the present
Pro-tip: American History and Life and Historical Abstracts allows you to search by historical period, which is a powerful way to improve your search results.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowLarge collection of scholarly journals and books from all disciplines, with stronger coverage for the humanities and social sciences. Current issues from journals (the most recent 3-5 years) are generally not available in JSTOR.
Pro-tip: Use the browse feature in JSTOR to view all journals within the history discipline contained in this database.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowAccess to journals in the humanities and social sciences, covering literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, and economics.