Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Note that this is far from an exhaustive list. Click here for many other encyclopedias or here for dictionaries. Any link with a lock icon (
) next to it requires IU authentication. Any link with a globe icon (
) is freely available to anyone.
- Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism and Jewish Culture by
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Call Number: E-bookISBN: 9780521825979Publication Date: 2011The Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism and Jewish Culture is an authoritative and accessible reference work for a twenty-first-century audience. Its entries, written by eminent scholars, define the spiritual and intellectual concepts and religious movements that distinguish Judaism and the Jewish experience; they discuss central personalities and places, formative events and enduring literary and cultural contributions and they illuminate the lives of ordinary Jewish men and women. Essays explore Jewish history from ancient times to the present and consider all aspects of Judaism, including religious practices and rituals, legal teachings and legendary traditions and rationalism, mysticism and messianism. This reference work differs from many others in its broad exploration of the Jewish experience beyond Judaism. Entries discuss secular and political movements and achievements and delineate Jewish endeavors in literature, art, music, theater, dance, film, broadcasting, sports, science, medicine and ecology, among many other topics from the Bible to the Internet.
- Encyclopaedia Judaica
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Authoritative reference resource for Jewish knowledge and life. Also available in print in the Wells Library Reference Reading Room at call number DS102.8 .E496 2007.
- Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions by
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Call Number: E-book, also available in print: Wells Library - Folklore Reference -- GR98 .E56 2013ISBN: 9780765620255Publication Date: 2012This multicultural reference work on Jewish folklore, legends, customs, and other elements of folklife is the first of its kind. - The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust byCall Number: Wells Library - Reference Reading Room -- DS135.E8 E45 2001ISBN: 0814793568Publication Date: 2001-07-01"Today throughout much of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, only fragmentary remnants of once thriving Jewish communities can be found as evidence of more than two thousand years of vibrant Jewish presence among the nations of the world. These communities, many of them ancient, were systematically destroyed by Hitler's forces during the Holocaust. Yet each of their stories-from small village enclaves to large urban centers-is unique in its details and represents one of the countless intertwined threads that comprise the rich tapestry of Jewish history. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life before and during the Holocaust captures these lost images. In three volumes, it chronicles the people, habits and customs of more than 6,500 Jewish communities that thrived during the early part of the twentieth century only to be changed irrevocably by the war."
- Encyclopedia of Jewish Women
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"This encyclopedia seeks to make available to all who are interested in Jewish history and culture the varied accomplishments of Jewish women and their many contributions to the Jewish historical experience over the course of the past three millennia."
- Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception Online
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Covers the current state of knowledge on the origins and development of the Bible in its different canonic forms in Judaism and Christianity. Also documents the history of the Bible's reception in the Christian churches and the Jewish Diaspora; in Islam, in other religious traditions and current religious movements, Western and non-Western alike, as well as in literature, art, music, and film.
- Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora byCall Number: Wells Library - Reference Reading Room -- DS115 .E47 2009ISBN: 9781851098736Publication Date: 2009This three-volume work is a cornerstone resource on the evolution and dynamics of the Jewish Diaspora as it played out around the world--from its beginnings to the present. Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture is the definitive resource on one of world history's most curious phenomenons, encompassing the communities, cultures, ethnicities, and experiences created by the Diaspora in every region of the world where Jews live or Jewish ancestry exists. The encyclopedia is organized in three volumes. The first includes 100 essays on the Jewish Diaspora experience, with coverage ranging from ethnography and demography to philosophy, history, music, and business. The second and third volumes feature hundreds of articles and essays on Diaspora regions, countries, cities, and other locations.
- The Holocaust: an Encyclopedia and Document Collection [4 Volumes] by
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Call Number: E-book, also available in print: Wells Library - Undergraduate Services - Core Collection -- D804.25 .H655 2017ISBN: 9781440840845Publication Date: 2017This four-volume set provides reference entries, primary documents, and personal accounts from individuals who lived through the Holocaust that allow readers to better understand the cultural, political, and economic motivations that spurred the Final Solution.
- Holocaust Encyclopedia
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An encyclopedia with extra features concerning the Holocaust and the principal figures involved.
- The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion by
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Call Number: E-book, 1st ed. also available in print: Wells Library - Stacks -- BM50 .O94 1997ISBN: 9780199730049Publication Date: 2011Hailed by Library Journal as the "best ready-reference access point to the Jewish religion," and as "essential" by CHOICE in its First Edition, The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion has been the go-to resource for students, scholars, and researchers in Judaic Studies since its 1997 publication. Now, The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion, Second Edition focuses on recent and changing rituals in the Jewish community that have come to the fore since the 1997 publication of the First Edition, including the growing trend of baby-naming ceremonies and the founding of gay/lesbian synagogues.
- Yiddish Dictionary
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English version of the of the Dictionnaire yiddish-français by Yitskhok Niborski and Bernard Vaisbrot. Includes broad coverage of Yiddish words of all origins: Hebrew-Aramaic, Slavic, and Romance as well as Germanic.
- YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe
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"The only resource of its kind, this encyclopedia provides the most complete picture of the history and culture of Jews in Eastern Europe from the beginnings of their settlement in the region to the present. This website makes accurate, reliable, scholarly information about East European Jewish life accessible to everyone."
This tab only lists some online sources available with IU authentication. Many other dictionaries and encyclopedias are available both in print (especially in the Wells Library Reference Reading Room) and online. Use IUCAT or contact me if the sources below do not provide what you are looking for.
- Brepolis Medieval Encyclopedia
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Combines access to the Lexikon des Mittelalters with a supplement, the International Encyclopaedia for the Middle Ages. The Lexikon des Mittelalters online contains some 37,000 signed articles and covers all aspects of medieval studies for the period 300 to 1500.
- New Pauly Online
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Unrivalled reference work for the ancient world, including fifteen volumes on Greco-Roman antiquity, and five volumes on the Classical Tradition.
- Chicago Manual of Style Online
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The online version of the classic guide to documentary style. Access is for the 16th and 17th editions.
- Encyclopaedia Brittanica This link opens in a new window
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The online equivalent of the complete printed Encyclopaedia Britannica plus Internet links. - Encyclopaedia of Islam Online (English)
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The standard reference work in the field of Islamic studies; electronic access to the 2nd ed., enhanced by the inclusion of an Index of proper names and an Index of subjects, and the ongoing 3rd ed.
- Oxford Classical Dictionary, Third Edition
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Reference work on the classical world. Covers all aspects of ancient life - political, economic, philosophical, religious, artistic, and social. Includes over six thousand entries ranging from long articles to brief definitions. There is substantial coverage of women in the ancient world, sexuality, Asia and the Far East, Judaism, and early Christians. Thematic articles reflect the current emphasis on multidisciplinary approaches to classical studies.
- Oxford English Dictionary
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Includes definitions, etymologies, and quotations. Guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words from across the English-speaking world.
- Oxford Reference
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Reference resources from the Oxford University Press. Includes English dictionaries and thesauruses, English language reference books, bilingual dictionaries, quotations, maps and illustrations, timelines and subject reference sources.
- Oxford Research EncyclopediasThese encyclopedias have thousands of articles, many written by top scholars in their fields, in the areas of
- Religion
- African history
- Asian history
- Latin American history
- Literature
- US history
- Wiley Online Library
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Provides access to journal articles, online books, and major reference works, in science, technology, medicine, humanities and social sciences.
- World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy
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Information covering beliefs such as Hinduism, Christianity, Shintoism, Confucianism, and more, including Humanism, Agnosticism and Wicca.
Overviews
Back to the Sources by Call Number: Wells Library - Stacks - BM496.5 B33 1992ISBN: 0671605968Publication Date: 1992Essays analyze the major traditional texts of Judaism from literary, historical, philosophical, and religious points of view.
The Blackwell Companion to Judaism by Call Number: E-book, also available in print: Wells Library - Reference Coll. - BM42 .B54 2000ISBN: 1577180593Publication Date: 2002This Companion explores the history, doctrines, divisions, and contemporary condition of Judaism. Surveys those issues most relevant to Judaic life today: ethics, feminism, politics, and constructive theology Explores the definition of Judaism and its formative history Makes sense of the diverse data of an ancient and enduring faith
The Cambridge History of Judaism by Call Number: Wells Library - Stacks -- BM155.2 .C35 1984 (additional copies in the Reference Reading Room)ISBN: 9780521802826Publication Date: 2000Taken together, The Cambridge History of Judaism provides the fullest and most authoritative account of its subject and will endure as an important scholarly resource.
A Companion to Late Ancient Jews and Judaism by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 9781119113973Publication Date: 2020Presenting a collection of 30 original essays written by noted scholars in the field, this companion provides an expansive examination of ancient Jewish life, identity, gender, sacred and domestic spaces, literature, language, and theological questions throughout late ancient Jewish history and historiography.
Jewish Emancipation by Call Number: Wells Library - Stacks -- DS147 .S66 2019ISBN: 9780691164946Publication Date: 2019-09-10The first comprehensive history of how Jews became citizens in the modern world. For all their unquestionable importance, the Holocaust and the founding of the State of Israel now loom so large in modern Jewish history that we have mostly lost sight of the fact that they are only part of--and indeed reactions to--the central event of that history: emancipation. In this book, David Sorkin seeks to reorient Jewish history by offering the first comprehensive account in any language of the process by which Jews became citizens with civil and political rights in the modern world.
Jewish History: a Very Short Introduction by Call Number: E-book, also available in print: Wells Library - Stacks -- DS117 .M94 2017ISBN: 9780199730988Publication Date: 2017How have the Jews survived? For millennia, they have defied odds by overcoming the travails of exile, persecution, and recurring plans for their annihilation. Many have attempted to explain this singular success as a result of divine intervention. In this engaging book, David N. Myers charts the long journey of the Jews through history. At the same time, it points to two unlikely-and decidedly this-worldly--factors to explain the survival of the Jews: antisemitism and assimilation. Usually regarded as grave dangers, these two factors have continually interacted with one other to enable the persistence of the Jews. At every turn in their history, not just in the modern age, Jews have adapted to new environments, cultures, languages, and social norms. These bountiful encounters with host societies have exercised the cultural muscle of the Jews, preventing the atrophy that would have occurred if they had not interacted so extensively with the non-Jewish world. It is through these encounters--indeed, through a process of assimilation--that Jews came to develop distinct local customs, speak many different languages, and cultivate diverse musical, culinary, and intellectual traditions.
Bibliographies and Historiographies
- Oxford Bibliographies Online: Jewish Studies
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An extensive bibliography compiled by scholars in Jewish Studies and related fields. For more topics, see below.
- Oxford Bibliographies OnlineAnnotated bibliographies on the following topics:
- African Studies
- Art History
- Cinema and Media Studies
- Islamic Studies
- Jewish Studies
- Latin American Studies
- Latino Studies
- Medieval Studies
- Music
- Public Health
- Renaissance and Reformation
- The Jewish Story Finder byCall Number: E-bookISBN: 9780786492862Publication Date: 2012Storytelling, as oral tradition and in writing, has long played a central role in Jewish society. Family, educators, and clergy employ stories to transmit Jewish culture, traditions, and values. This comprehensive bibliography identifies 668 Jewish folktales by title and subject, summarizing plot lines for easy access to the right story for any occasion.
- Jewish Translation History byCall Number: E-book, also available in print: Wells Library - Stacks -- Z6514.J48 J49 2002ISBN: 1588113094Publication Date: 2002A classified bibliographic resource for tracing the history of Jewish translation activity from the Middle Ages to the present day, providing the researcher with over a thousand entries devoted solely to the Jewish role in the east-to-west transmission of Greek and Arab learning and science into Latin or Hebrew. Other major sections extend the coverage to modern times, taking special note of the absorption of European literature into the Jewish cultural orbit via Hebrew, Yiddish, or Judezmo translations, for instance, or the translation and reception of Jewish literature written in Jewish languages into other languages such as Arabic, English, French, German, or Russian. This polyglot bibliography, the first of its kind, contains over 2,600 entries, is enhanced by a vast number of additional bibliographic notes leading to reviews and related resources, and is accompanied by both an author and a subject index.
- Judaica Reference Sources byCall Number: Wells Library - Reference Reading Room -- Z6366 .C87 2004ISBN: 1591581338Publication Date: 2004Virtually every aspect of Jewish life, knowledge, history, culture, religion, and contemporary issues is covered in this annotated, bibliographic guide. A critical collection development tool for college, university, public school, and synagogue libraries, Judaica Reference Sources provides entries for over 1,000 reference works, as well as a selective list of related Web sites, in English, French, German, Yiddish, and Hebrew.
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum BibliographiesThe bibliographies "list only materials that are in the Museum Library’s collection or available online. They are not meant to be exhaustive. In most cases, annotations are provided to help the user determine each item’s focus, and call numbers for the Museum’s Library are given in parentheses following each citation."
Biographical Information
- American National Biography
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Includes over 19,000 biographies of significant, influential, or notorious figures from American history written by prominent scholars, reflecting the diversity of American life from pre-colonial times to the present day.
- Biography (Gale in Context) This link opens in a new window
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Biography is built on a foundation of more than 600,000 biographical entries covering international figures from all time periods and areas of study.
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index
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Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) provides more than 20 million biographical citations on more than 6 millions persons, living and deceased, from all fields of activity, covering more than 2,000 years of human history.
- Current Biography Illustrated (H.W. Wilson)
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Full text biographies, images, and obituaries from the entire run of Current Biography.
- Marquis Who’s Who
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Database containing profiles on over 1.5 million individuals from all fields, including: government, business, science and technology, the arts, entertainment, and sports. Search by name, gender, occupation, geography, hobbies and interests, religion and more.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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Biographies of those who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century.