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History

East Asian History Research Guide

Books

  1. Reference Books:
    Reference books (listed below & housed in the Denison University Library) give you a general overview of a person or topic. They can be a good starting point, useful to peruse for topics of interest, since the entries are written by leading scholars in the field and entries often include bibliographies.
    Oxford Reference Online is an online index to reference books where you can search the indexes as well as the text of selected reference books such as some of those listed below. Reference Universe is a similar tool.

    • East Asia (General)
      • Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture / DS33 .C63 2000
      • The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature / PL493 .C55 2003
      • A Dictionary of Asian Mythology / BL1005 .L46 2001
      • Encyclopedia of Asian History / DS31 .E53 1987
      • Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy / B121 .E53 2001
      • Encyclopedia of Modern Asia / DS4 .L48 2002 (6 vols.)
      • RoutledgeCurzon Encyclopedia of Confucianism / BL1840 .R68 2003 (2 vols.)
    • China
      • The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China / DS705 .C35 1991
      • Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy / B126 .E496 2003
      • Twentieth Century China / DS706 .T92 2003 (2 vols.)
      • The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature / PL2264 .I53 (1986 & 1998 vols.)
      • Modern Chinese Society / DS721.5 .M62 (3 vols.)
      • Chinese History: A Manual / DS735 .W695 2000
      • Early Chinese Literature / PL2280 .W3
    • Japan
      • Biographical Dictionary of Japanese History / DS834 .B56 1978
      • Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan / DS805 .K633 1983 (8 vols.)
      • The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan / DS805 .C36 1993
      • Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan / DS833 .P3 948

  2. Bibliographies:
    Once you understand your topic and have defined it, a bibliography can lead you to more books and journal articles. Some bibliographies are housed in the Reference Collection; others are in the Main stacks. Here are a few examples:

    • Bibliography of Asian Studies:
      Contains more than 410,000 records for articles and books on all subjects pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia published worldwide from 1971 to the present.
      Also in print, 1969-1991: DS501 .F274
    • Japan and Korea: A Critical Bibliography / Z3301 .S55
    • China: A Critical Bibliography / Z3101 .H8
    • The New Religions of Japan / BL2210.5 .J3 E2
    • Shinto-Bibliography in Western Languages / BL2220 .S38 1986
    • Chinese Religions: Publications in Western Languages
      [Note that some volumes have a slightly varient title]
      Volume 1 [through 1980]: BL1802 .T55 1985
      Volume 2 [through 1990]: BL1802 .T55 1993
      Volume 3 [1991-1995]: BL1802 .T55 1998
      Volume 4 [1996-2000]: BL1802 .T55 2002
    • Guide to Chinese Religion / BL1802 .Y8 1985
    • Religion in Postwar China / BL1802 .Y83 1994

  3. Finding More Books...
    You can find more bibliographies, along with other books on your specific topic, by searching these library catalogs:
    1. CONSORT Catalog
      Searches Denison, Ohio Wesleyan, Kenyon, & College of Wooster. Request items directly from the catalog, using the "Request this Item" button.
    2. OhioLINK Catalog
      Searches the combined holdings of 83 academic libraries in Ohio. Request items directly from the catalog, using the "Request this Item" button.
    3. WorldCat
      Searches libraries all over the world. Request books via Interlibrary Loan.

Indexes and Databases

Indexes and databases are similar to bibliographies, because they also lead you to articles in magazines, journals, and newspapers. Some of these databases are online, while others are in print format. Also, some databases give only citations, while others provide abstracts of articles. Some databases even provide an online version of the whole article ("full text").

Web Pages