LibGuides: JAN 349: The Writer's Workout (Dr. Revels): Historical Sources

Daily Life in Historical Times

Salem History This link opens in a new window
Salem History has a great series, American Decades, that contains encyclopedias of current events and popular culture broken out by decades (the 1940s, 1990s, and so forth). The Great Events from History series can also be helpful.

The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life by Joyce E. Salisbury (Editor); Gregory S. Aldrete (Editor); Andrew E. Kersten (Editor); Lawrence Morris (Editor); Peter Seelig (Editor)
Call Number: [Ref] GT31 .G74 2004 v.1-6
Publication Date: 2004
Six volumes arranged by era: Ancient World, Medieval World, 15th and 16th Centuries, 17th and 18th Centuries, 19th Century, and The Modern World.
Everyday Life in Medieval England by Christopher Dyer
Publication Date: 2001
A Writer's Guide to Ancient Rome by Carey Fleiner
Publication Date: 2021

The library has many books in the Everyday Life in... and the Writer's Guide to... series. Search in OneSearch and limit to books to see them all!

Historical Clothing

Costumes and Styles by Henry Harald Hansen
Call Number: [Ref] GT510 .H33
Publication Date: 1956
Images of everyday dress arranged chronologically.
The Complete Costume Dictionary by Elizabeth J. Lewandowski
Call Number: [Ref] GT507 .L49 2011 and ebook
Publication Date: 2011
Encyclopedia of World Costume by Doreen Yarwood
Call Number: [Ref] GT507 .Y37
Publication Date: 1979
The Encyclopaedia of Fashion by Georgina O'Hara; Carrie Donovan
Call Number: [Ref] GT507 .O53 1986
Publication Date: 1986
Dress in the Middle Ages by Françoise Piponnier; Perrine Mane; Caroline Beamish (Translator)
Call Number: GT575 .P5613 2000
Publication Date: 2000

Historical Images

Try searching Google for "historical photos" plus the name of a city or state.

ArtStor This link opens in a new window
Subscription database of images, including historical photographs. Use the date limiter to narrow your search.

Historical Newspapers

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index This link opens in a new window
Full page scans of every page of every issue of the New York Times. Great for looking up reactions to historical events, "hearing" the language of an era, and finding advertisements for current products.
Proquest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Select American and international newspapers from 1764-present, including The Irish Times, The Jerusalem Post, The Korea Times, The Times of India, and local papers from Cleveland, Dayton, Cincinnati, and San Francisco.
Chronicling America This link opens in a new window
The best source for very early American newspapers (1789-1943). The search is clunky; be persistent!

General Ideas for Historical Sources

Historical Societies, Archives, and Special Collections - Google one of these phrases plus the name of a country, city, or state
Archive.org, Project Gutenberg, and Google Books have digitized books from before 1923 (think cookbooks, etiquette books, travel guides)