Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Research Guide

For help with your research, visit the reference desk (hours) on the second floor of Barnard Library, or contact a Barnard reference librarian:
       Phone: 212-854-3953
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Request a one-on-one consultation with a Barnard reference librarian


Christine de Pisan presenting her work to
Isabeau of Bavaria, British Library,
Harley ms 4431, prob. around 1420
 

Books  |  Reference Works  |  Databases  |  Web Resources 

Books

  • Use CLIO to find books, journals, links to online journals, and other materials, in the Columbia or Barnard libraries.
  • Barnard Library has a significant collection of books and videos related to Medieval Studies

Some examples of subject headings used in CLIO:
   chaucer, geoffrey
   great britain-- history-- medieval period
   literature, medieval
   medicine--medieval
   middle ages
   renaissance--italy
   women-- england-- history-- middle ages
  

Reference Works
available in Barnard Library Reference Area
Title Call Number
Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. 80 vol.+ online PN681.5 .C57
Classical Myths and Legends in the Middle Ages & Renaissance. PN699. B78 1998
Dictionary of Literary Biography. Vol 186: Old & Middle English Literature. PS129. D5
Dictionary of the Middle Ages. 13 vols. D114 .D5 1982
Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature. PN669.E53 2000
Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. online
Encyclopedia of the Renaissance. 6 vols. CB361 .E52 1999
Europe 1450 to 1789 : encyclopedia of the early modern world D209 .E97 2004 & online
European Authors:  The Middle Ages & Renaissance. vol. 1 & 2 PN501 .E9 1983
Guide to the Study of Medieval History. Paetow, + Boyce D117 .P25 1980g
Medieval Archaeology: an Encyclopedia. D125 .M42 2001g
Medieval England: an Encyclopedia. DA129. M43 1998
Medieval Folklore: an Encyclopedia of Myths, Legends, Tales. GR35 .M43 2000
Medieval France: an Encyclopedia. DC33.2 .M44 1995
Medieval Germany: an Encyclopedia. DD126 .M43 2001
Medieval Iberia: an Encyclopedia. DP99 .M33 2003
Medieval Islamic Civilization: an Encyclopedia. DS36.85 .M434 2006
Medieval Italy: an Encyclopedia.  DG443. M43 2004
Oxford Dictionary of the Renaissance CB361 .C27 2003 &  online
Renaissance: an Encyclopedia for Students online
Women in the Middle Ages: an Encyclopedia. HQ1143 .W643 2004

 

Databases
Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index
Indexes journal articles, book reviews and essays about women, sexuality and gender in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East from 450 C.E. to 1500 C.E.

Gender Studies
Women's studies, gender studies, feminist theory and criticism.

Historical Abstracts
World history excluding U.S. & Canada including time period from 1450 to present. Helpful for for late Medieval & Renaissance. Articles, books and dissertations.

Humanities Full Text
Humanities, including history, literature and more, 1984-present.

Humanities & Social Sciences Retrospective, 1907-1984
Humanities and social sciences, including history, literature, sociology, anthropology and other social sciences.

International Medieval Bibliography
All aspects of Medieval Studies with a date range of 400-1500. Europe, Middle East and North Africa, 1967 to present.

Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance (1842 -)
Articles, books and other materials on the Middle Ages and Renaissance (1400-1700).

JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive
 Multidisciplinary, full text database of articles from a large number of scholarly journals, from the beginning of the journal and up to present, but excluding the most recent 3-5 years; includes: history, language and literature, philosophy, classical studies and many more disciplines. Includes Speculum and Renaissance Quarterly.

LION: Literature Online
English and American poetry, drama, prose, biographies, and secondary sources, from the Anglo-Saxon period to the 20th century.

MLA Bibliography
Literature, language, linguistics and folklore. Citations for articles, dissertations, books, book chapters, etc. from 1963 to the present.  

Project Muse
Multidisciplinary, full-text articles from many scholarly journals published by university presses in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Latest 3-5 years of the journal only. Includes: Essays in Medieval Studies, Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies and more.

ProQuest Direct
Multi-disciplinary. Includes many full text journals. Indexes: Medium Aevum, Speculum and more.
 

Additional Databases: Academic Search Premier,ATLA Religion Database, Bibliography of the History of Art, History of Science, Technology and Medicine, Philosopher's Index.

 

Web Resources

 

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  Updated 02/06/09
Karen Dobrusky, Reference Librarian 
 

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