Below is a selection of books on the discipline of History. Some of the titles listed here provide an overview of the subject, whereas others offer in-depth analysis on specific topics. As a student, you will mostly be using books on historical and critical analyses. This page will focus and list titles in the Library's collection that fall under the areas of handbooks, dictionaries, and encyclopedias. This is a selection aims to provide you with a starting place for research.
The books included here comprises of both print and e-books. For print books, a call number is included so that you can find them in the library.
To browse more titles, please visit our library catalog, or ask a librarian for a recommendation.
Short on time? Quick links to books in the Library's collections are listed here:
Why are dictionaries useful?
The definitions of specific literary jargon can be confusing, and are sometimes used in other humanities or social sciences (like in Mass Communication, or Linguistics) but with a different meaning.
Dictionaries provide you with proper context of how a term is used in History, and saves you the embarrassment of submitting an essay based on a mistaken definition. There are many dictionaries specific for literary criticism beyond those listed below in our collection.
Why not Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is actually just an online, general encyclopedia. So should you use Wikipedia in your academic work?
The answer is no. Encyclopedias published by academic publishers are curated and vetted by authorised academics and experts, and aim to provide detailed examinations and analyses on very specific topics. Wikipedia, on the other hand, is curated by anonymous contributors or unverified experts, and aims to provide general knowledge for the public.
Do use the encyclopedias in the Library's collection instead of Wikipedia to get access to well-rounded and detailed examinations of core concepts and theories that can help you develop your arguments and essays, to lend more weight and authority to your arguments.