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United States History

Primary and secondary sources for the study of US History

Encyclopedias

Listed below is a selection of the most recent encyclopedias included in the Research Library Reference Reading Room. To find more sources in the same topic areas, open the catalog record by clicking on the link below. Then click on the Subject Heading(s) in the record.

Dictionaries

The UCLA Library has dictionaries of all kinds, ranging from the familiar look-up-a-word type like the Oxford English Dictionary or Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary to very specialized dictionaries for particular fields. You can find these dictionaries in UC Library Search. Here is a list of general dictionaries for historical research.

Introductory Works

The Charles E. Young Research Library holds a large selection of print and electronic reference resources for historical research, including encyclopedias, historical and biographical dictionaries, bibliographies, gazeteers, and atlases.

Biographical Information

History scholars often need reference materials related to biographical information and this information can sometimes be difficult to track down. You find some of this information in the encyclopedias and dictionaries listed on the left. Here are some other places to start when looking for these materials. Don't forget to try newspapers that are contemporary to the individual in question.