Resources on the History of the British Empire

This selection of specialized resources on the history of the British Empire is designed to help you navigate through the wealth of information in Fondren's collections. It is not a comprehensive list.

Indexes & Databases

online | print & other

Online Indexes

Historical Abstracts | includes Full Text

Complete reference guide to the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada, which are covered in America: History and Life). Published since 1954, Historical Abstracts has long been recognized as the leading bibliography for historical study in the world. Currently over 2,000 journals published throughout the world are covered.

Nineteenth Century Index - C19 | includes Full Text

C19 Index is the bibliographic spine of 19th century research, providing integrated access to the most important finding aids for books, periodicals, official publications, newspapers and archives. Users of C19 Index can query its 9 collections simultaneously, or can conduct more detailed research using collection specific search screens. The database includes the following indexes: ArchivesUSA, American Periodicals Series [journals on microfilm], House of Commons Parliamentary Papers [fulltext available], Nineteenth Century [books on microfilm], Nineteenth Century Short Title Catalogue, Palmer's Index to the Times, Periodicals Index Online, Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals. (1800-1899)

Nineteenth Century Masterfile (Series I and V)

Within Series I are the main multi-title, periodical indices, spanning nearly all Anglo-American periodicals of the late eighteenth through early twentieth century. PP reproduces the indexing from: Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (1802-1907), Index to Periodicals (1890-1902) (Ed. William T. Stead), Cumulative Index to a Selected List of Periodicals, Nineteenth Century Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature (1890-1899), ... and many more. Series V provides online access to the Descriptive Catalogue of the Government Publications of the U.S., 1774-1882, Compilation of the Message and Papers of the Presidents (1789-1897), Hansard's Index to Debates, House of Commons (1803-1830) and Hansard's Index to Debates, House of Lords (1803-1830).

Print & Other Indexes

Guardian Index, 1842-1928 (Microfilm)

Call Number:  AI21 .G8 G82  GOVERNMENT PUBS

pt.1: 1842-1880; pt.2: 1881-1904; pt.3: 1905-1928. Includes printed guide.

Index to House of Commons Parliamentary Papers (CDROM)

Holdings:  1801-1997

Call Number:  J301 .I5  REFERENCE DESK

(Other available formats:  Also available online)

Index to the Correspondence of the Foreign Office for the Year ...

Holdings:  1920-1951

Call Number:  CD1051 .A13  STACKS

Palmer's Index to The Times 1790-1905 (CDROM)

Call Number:  AN3 .T5 Index  REFERENCE DESK

(Other available formats:  Times Digital Archive: as of 5/03 coverage back to 1876)

Text Collections

online | print & CDROM

Online Text Collections

Digital Dissertations and Theses from ProQuest/UMI

A comprehensive source for doctoral dissertations from the United States and Canada. Includes citations for dissertations ranging from 1861 to those accepted last semester. A limited number of master's theses is also included. Titles represent authors from North America and Europe, with over a million titles in full text.

Early American Imprints: Series I, Evans (via publisher): 1639-1801 | Early American Imprints: Series I, Evans (via University of Michigan)

Based on the renowned American Bibliography by Charles Evans. The definitive resource for every aspect of life in 17th- and 18th-century America, from agriculture and auctions through foreign affairs, diplomacy, literature, music, religion, the Revolutionary War, temperance, witchcraft, and just about any other topic imaginable. Upon completion, Evans Digital will consist of more than 36,000 works and 2,400,000 images.

Early American Imprints: Series II, Shaw-Shoemaker: 1801-1819

Covering every aspect of American life during the early decades of the United States, this rich primary source collection provides full-text access to the 36,000 American books, pamphlets and broadsides published in the first nineteen years of the nineteenth century.

Early English Books Online (page images only) | Early English Books (full text searchable)

Early English Books Online (EEBO) contains over 125,000 titles listed in Pollard & Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640), Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700), and the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661). The Early English Books Tract Supplements will also be added to EEBO soon. The works in this collection are presented as images, which may be viewed online, or downloaded in PDF format for viewing off-line. To view the images online, you will need the DjVu plugin. Downloaded files are in Adobe Acrobat format.

Empire Online: 1492-1962

This project is being published in five sections between 2003 and 2007 offering over 60,000 images of original documents linked to essays by leading scholars in the field. These are: Section I: Cultural Contacts, 1492-1969 (March 2003); Section II: Empire Writing and the Literature of Empire (March 2004); Section III: The Visible Empire (Winter 2004/5); Section IV: Religion and Empire (Winter 2005/6); and Section V: Race, Class and Colonialism, c1783-1969 (Winter 2006/7).

House of Commons Parliamentary Papers: 1801-1900

The origins of HCPP online lie in the Chadwyck-Healey microfiche edition of the nineteenth century House of Commons Sessional Papers. The microfiche edition includes filmed images of 79,527 papers, covering 4.2 million pages. The accompanying 5 volume index, Peter Cockton's Subject Catalogue of the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, 1801-190, was the first thematic listing of the complete set of parliamentary papers. HCPP online brings these two resources together. HCPP online will be published in a series of releases from summer 2005 to early 2006. This initial release comprises of the index to all 79,257 papers. This will be followed in September with the first one million pages of full text, covering the years 1840-1859. Subsequent substantial releases will complete the file by early 2006.

Print & CDROM Text Collections

British Documents on Foreign Affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Series B: The Near and Middle East.

Call Number:  See Description  STACKS

Part I: 1860-1914: JX632 .B734; Part II: 1914-1939: JX632 .B75; Part III: 1940-1945: JX632 .B83; Part IV: 1946-1950: JX632 .B832

British Documents on Foreign Affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office Confidential Print. Series D: Latin America.

Call Number:  See Description  STACKS

Part I: 1845-1914: JX632 .B736; Part II: 1914-1939: JX632 .B766

British Documents on Foreign Affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Series E: Asia.

Call Number:  see Description  STACKS

Part I: 1860-1914: JX632 .B737; Part II: 1914-1939: JX632 .B767; Part III: 1940-1945: JX632 .B8315; Part IV: 1946-1950: JX632 .B835

British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Series G: Africa.

Call Number:  See Description  STACKS

Part I: 1848-1914: JX632 .B7416; Part II: 1914-1939: JX632 .B769; Part III: 1940-1945: JX632 .B8316; Part IV: 1946-1950: JX632 .B837

Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919-1939.

Call Number:  DA566.7 .A18  STACKS

Microform Sets

Abolition & Emancipation

Call Number:  E 449.A14  microfilm

Library Catalog Access:  series title with reference from individual authors

Guide:  Detailed listing and brief biographies; Online guide at http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/digital_guides/abolition_emancipation_part_1/index.aspx

Guides for parts 1-6

Anti-Slavery Collection 18th-19th Centuries (Society of Friends)

Call Number:  HT 857 .A5 1978  microfilm

Library Catalog Access:  series title

Guide:  none

British Trials 1660-1900

Call Number:  KD 370.B74  microfiche

Library Catalog Access:  series title

Guide:  Comprehensive index; Online information at http://www.proquest.com/products_umi/descriptions/British-Trials-1660-1900-265.shtml

Received as published.

Church Missionary Society Archive

Call Number:  BV 2500.C48A3  microfilm

Library Catalog Access:  series title with general reel guide

Guide:  Guides for each section. Online information at http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/digital_guides/church_missionary_society_archive_general/editorial%20introduction%20by%20rosemary%20keen.aspx

Sec.1 East Asia, Sec.2 Missions to Women, Sec. 3 Central Records, Sec. IV Africa, Sec. V The Americas, Sec. VI Asia

Colonial Discourses

Call Number:  DA 16.8.C65  microfilm

Library Catalog Access:  series title with general reel guide in contents

Guide:  Series 1,pt.1 only; Online guide at http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/digital_guides/colonial_discourses_series_one/index.aspx

Series One: Women, travel, and empire, 1660-1914. Part 1: Early travel accounts by women and women's experiences in India, Africa, Australasia, and Canada. Parts 2 & 3: Women and the Orient. Series Two: Imperial adventurers and explorers. Part 1: Papers of Sir Richard Burton. Series Three: Colonial Fiction, 1650-1914. Part 1: Fiction from India.

Goldsmiths'-Kress Colonies

Call Number:  JV420 .C64 1995  microfilm

Library Catalog Access:  series title only

Guide:  Printed guide; Online information and guide at http://www.gale.com/servlet/ItemDetailServlet?region=9&imprint=745&titleCode=PSM1&type=2&id=N432

The Colonies subset of Goldsmiths' Library of Economic Literature. Contains material in Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish and Swedish.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy, 1904-1950: the papers of Sir Ronald Storrs (1881-1956) from Pembroke College, Cambridge

Call Number:  DD469 .G7 S754  microfilm

Library Catalog Access:  series title

Guide:  Guide

Papers of Sir Ronald Storrs from Pembroke College, Cambridge

Nineteenth Century: General Collection

Call Number:  CB 415.N56  microfiche

Library Catalog Access:  series & individual titles

Guide:  Contents list thru latest unit received; also CD-ROM index at (General) Reference Desk, call # AP 4.N72

Received as published. Use CD or guide for access.

Parliamentary Papers (Great Britain)

Call Number:  J 301…  microfiche, microfilm

Library Catalog Access:  series titles

Guide:  General guide at http://www.rice.edu/fondren/gov/bpp.html

KD call # is for laws

Wilberforce--slavery, religion and politics

Call Number:  DA522 .W6 A2  microfilm

Library Catalog Access:  series title with contents notes

Guide:  Printed guide to Ser. 2 only; Online information and guides at http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/search/search.aspx?mainsearch=wilberforce&kw=WILBERFORCE+SLAVERY%2c+RELIGION+POLITICS%3a+Series+One

Women and Victorian Values, 1837-1910

Call Number:  HQ 1593.W558  microfilm

Library Catalog Access:  series title

Guide:  Guide includes index by title & reel guide. Online information and guides at http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/search/search.aspx?mainsearch=women%20and%20victorian&kw=WOMEN+%26+VICTORIAN+VALUES%3a+Advice+Books%2c+Manuals

Women's Autobiographies from Cambridge University Library

Call Number:  HQ 1593.A3W65  microfilm

Library Catalog Access:  series title

Guide:  A list of contents is at beginning of each reel and also in the online catalog record. No printed guide. Online guides at http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/search/search.aspx?mainsearch=WOMEN'S%20AUTOBIOGRAPHIES&kw=WOMENS+AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

Newspapers

Microforms are located in the Government Publications Department (Fondren basement).

Observer

Print Holdings:  current 4 months

Call Number:  AN4.L8 O3

Microform Holdings:  1791-1971 on microfilm

Times (London)

Print Holdings:  current issues retained until microfilm received

Call Number:  AN3 .T5

Microform Holdings:  1785- on microfilm

Online Coverage for Rice:  currently 1785-1985 full-image via Times Digital Archive; 7/1985-current full-text via Academic Universe

Notes: Further indexing: microfilm index covers back to 1790; Palmers Index (CDROM) covers 1790-1905 (Ref-Desk)

Reference Works

Dictionary of British History. 2d ed. ed. John Cannon. Oxford University Press : 1971.

Available Online

Call Number:  DA34 .S7 1971   REFERENCE

55BC to present

Dictionary of British Place-Names. A.D. Mills. Oxford University Press: 2003.

Available Online

Call Number:  DA645 .M55 2003   STACKS

Kings and Queens of Britain. John Cannon and Anne Hargreaves . Oxford University Press : 2001.

Available Online

Call Number:  DA28.1 .C36 2001    REFERENCE

This dictionary presents English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish monarchs, from mythical and Romano-British rulers to the House of Windsor.

Websites

Transliteration Tables for Non-Roman Scripts

A useful resource from the Library of Congress.