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Finding Primary Sources for History Research
How to find books, documents, magazine articles, newspaper articles and other first hand or eyewitness accounts.
America's Historical Imprints, 1639-1819This is comprised of three component databases: all can be searched simultaneously.
American Broadsides & Ephemera, 1760-1900. Provides fully searchable facsimile images of approximately 30,000 broadsides & ephemera.
Early American Imprints: Series I, 1639-1800. Is a full text facsimile collection consisting of more than 37,000 books, pamphlets & broadsides.
Early American Imprints: Series II, 1801-1819 provides full-text facsimile access to 36,000 American books, pamphlets & broadsides.
American Periodicals, 1740-1900Contains full text facsimile access to over 1,100 popular & scholarly periodicals published between 1740 and 1900, including special interest & general magazines, literary & professional journals, children’s & women’s magazines, & many other historically-significant periodicals.
California Newspaper ArchiveFull text facsimile content of California newspapers from 1846 to date. Includes Long Beach newspapers, 1938-1977, Orange County Register 1913-2016 and many other regional California newspapers.
Harper's Bazaar Archive (1867 - current)The Harper’s Bazaar Archive includes the backfiles of the US and UK editions of Harper’s Bazaar. In combination, these publications comprise almost 500,000 pages of content from 1867 to the present, representing a vast and indispensable resource for the study of fashion and related fields.
Historical Chicago Defender, 1905-1975A full text African American newspaper available from 1905-1975. It is important for historical research on civil rights, segregation, African American migration to the industrial states, anti-lynching legislation, and the modern civil rights movement. The Defender also published the works of African American authors, such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes.
Historical Los Angeles TimesFull text, facsimile content of the Los Angeles Times starting from 1881 to the present, (last 13 years excluded). Includes complete articles, photographs, advertisements, classified ads, legal notices, comics, editorials, commentary, letters to the editor, sports, radio and television schedules. See also database: Los Angeles Times (1985-current)
Historical New York TimesFull text facsimile content of the New York Times from 1851 up until the previous three years. Includes all articles, reviews, commentary, literary criticism, comics, obituaries, classifieds, and display ads. More photographs may be viewable using the “full page PDF” viewing option.
Humanities and Social Sciences Index Retrospective, 1907-1984Indexes over 1200 scholarly journals, primarily in English published from 1907 – 1984. Book reviews are included. Some general subject science material covered as well. Useful for 20th century history & politics.
Searches over 8000 digitized documents including classic media periodicals that are in the public domain, ranging from the 1860s to the 1990s.
LGBT Magazine ArchiveComplete issues of 27 key titles, chronicling the history and evolution of LGBT history and culture, including civil rights, health, lifestyle, politics, art and more from local, national and international writers, editors, thinkers, organizers and activists. From 1950s to 2015.
LGBT Thought and CultureRare archival content, including letters, court documents, periodicals, speeches, interviews and ephemera from local, national and international organizations, as well as notable individuals from around the world, to trace the history of LGBT political, social and cultural movements from the late 19th century to the present day.
News, Policy & Politics Magazine Archive (feat. Newsweek)Digital archives of leading consumer magazines of the 20th century relating to political history, current events, public policy, international relations, and more. Current events; Democracy; Diplomacy/Peacemaking; Ethics; Global Economic Affairs; History; Human Rights, International Development; International Relations, Military Operations, Politics; Public Policy; Sustainability
19th Century US Newspapers Digital ArchiveFeatures publications of all kinds, from political party newspapers to major dailies papers published by African Americans, Native Americans, women's rights groups, labor groups, and the Confederacy.
Reader's Guide Retrospective, 1890-1992Readers' Guide Retrospective contains comprehensive indexing of popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States.
Coverage: 1890-1982.
Times (of London) Digital ArchiveFull text online coverage of the Times (of London, England) from 1785 up until five years ago ( a moving wall). Includes news articles, reviews, commentary, literary criticism, editorials, obituaries, ads. Many images, maps, graphics and photographs are viewable starting by the 1880s. No coverage of the Sunday Times (of London) is included.
The Vogue ArchiveThe Vogue Archive presents the full run of the American Vogue, 1892 to present, for the library market. Every page, cover, advertisement, image, and fold out is indexed, searchable, and viewable in beautiful high-resolution color.
Women's Magazine ArchiveCollection 1 & 2 (1846 - 2005) Access to the backfiles of the foremost titles of this type, including Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Woman’s Day, which serve as canonical records of evolving assumptions about gender roles and cultural mores.
The Women's Wear Daily ArchiveWomen's Wear Daily magazine on fashion, marketing, retail business, and twentieth-century material culture. Holdings from 1910 to most recent six months.
