Books
To find books and other materials at Penn State use the library’s catalog, The CAT. Use “I Want it” to request items from other campuses.
General Works on Pennsylvania History
A History of Pennsylvania by Publication Date: 1980Acclaimed as the standard history of the Keystone State, this book has been updated to cover the 1978 gubernatorial election as well as other developments&—political, economic, social, and cultural&—during the six years since publication of the original edition. Dozens of new illustrations have been added throughout the book, and both the text and the chapter-end bibliographies take account of significant recent scholarship.
Pennsylvania by Publication Date: 2002The first comprehensive history of Pennsylvania in almost three decades, sets the Pennsylvania story in the larger context of national social, cultural, economic, and political development. Without sacrificing treatment of the influential leaders who made Pennsylvania history, the book focuses especially on the lives of everyday people over the centuries.
In some cases you will discover Penn State does not have the book you need.
- WorldCat (OCLC FirstSearch) This link opens in a new windowsearch for materials in libraries worldwide. Use the “Request via ILL” link in WorldCAT to have items delivered to you.
- Interlibrary Loan (ILLIAD)If you are still not finding what you need, submit a request for the title through ILLIAD, the Libraries' interlibrary loan service. First time users must register
Online Books
- Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans Digital Edition This link opens in a new windowDigitized facsimiles of books, pamphlets, and broadsides produced before 1800 in the American colonies and the early United States. Derived from Charles Evans's American Bibliography, and other sources, it is a fundamental resource for early Pennsylvania history.
- Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819 This link opens in a new windowProvides full-text access to some 36,000 American books, pamphlets and broadsides published in the early nineteenth century. The works cover all aspects of American life, including scientific thought, religion, politics, arts and literature, economics, Indian relations, military affairs, Westward expansion and more.
- Early English Books Online This link opens in a new windowEarly English Books Online contains over 125,000 publications listed in Pollard's and Redgrave’s Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640), Wing’s Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700), and the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661).
- Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) This link opens in a new windowFull texts and images of titles and editions printed in the British Isles and the Americas between 1701 and 1800.
- Google Book Searchthis digital index to the contents of over 10 million English language books is created from the contents of CIC university libraries and others.
- Hathi Trust Digital LibraryA digital catalog and repository created by research libraries.
- Digital Collection [Penn State University Libraries]An online collection of historical works, including Pennsylvania county histories, atlases, illustrated works, Civil War histories, writings by and about prominent Pennsylvanians, and publications produced by state and local historical agencies.
- Women's History Online, 1543-1945 (Gerritsen) This link opens in a new windowFull text books, pamphlets and periodicals reflecting the evolution of feminist consciousness and the movement for women's rights through 1945.
Database
- County and Regional Histories & Atlases: Pennsylvania This link opens in a new windowContains 283 titles, primarily county histories published during the late 19th and early 20th century. The atlases provide additional information on land use and settlement patterns and some early town and city plans.