Library Guides: Writing: Adding Details: History and Regions

Historical Details

Below are only a few Penn State databases, books, and free web sites that provide useful information for historical and regional topics. If you need further help, consult Penn State University Libraries' experts database or staff directory for contact information.

American National Biography Online
Provides authoritative biographical information on more than 17,000 influential Americans from all historical periods.
Ancestry Library Edition
In addition to biographical information from the U.S. Census, Ancestry offers church, court, immigration, military, and other historical records.
American Periodicals Series (1740-1900) [full page reproduction]
Full-text of American magazines published between the 1740s and 1900.

The Complete Costume Dictionary by Elizabeth J. Lewandowski
Call Number: GT507.L49 2011 -- consult the CAT (Penn State's library catalog) for more information

ISBN: 9780810840041

Publication Date: 2011-10-24

More than 20,000 fashion and costume terms, plus 300 illustrations. Covers the entire globe, and all historical periods.

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
A freely-available collection of more than 30 million historical documents, photographs, recordings, and other material from libraries across the United States.

A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia McAlester; Lee McAlester; Lauren Jarrett (Illustrator); Juan Rodrigues-Arnaiz (Illustrator)
Call Number: NA7205.M35 1984 -- consult the CAT (Penn State's library catalog) for more information

ISBN: 0394739698

Publication Date: 1984-05-12

Helpful for proper description of residential housing that you are likely to see in American neighborhoods.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through American History 1900 to the Present by Amy T. Peterson (Editor); Ann T. Kellogg (Editor); Blanco F. José; Valerie Hewitt; Heather Vaughan Lee; Scott Leff; Lynn Payne
ISBN: 9780313358562

Publication Date: 2008-10-30

Describes styles of clothes that Americans have worn and, just as important, why they wore those types of clothes.

History Vault
Primary sources on American History. Especially helpful for slavery, Civil Rights, labor history, and women's history.
New York Times Historical (available from 1851) [full page reproduction]
Full-text of the New York Times back to 1851.

Perpetual Calendar (Infoplease)
A great resource for figuring out which day of the week a certain date occurred.

Proquest Digital Sanborn Maps
Highly detailed historical maps of U.S. cities, covering the late 19th and early-mid 20th century.

The Value of a Dollar, 1600-1865 by Scott Derks (Editor); Tony Smith
ISBN: 1592370942

Publication Date: 2005-10-01

Provides the actual prices of thousands of items that consumers purchased, from the Colonial Era to the Civil War.
The Value of a Dollar, 1860-2014 by Scott Derks (Editor)
ISBN: 9781619252547

Publication Date: 2014-02-01

Provides actual prices of thousands of items that consumers purchased from the Civil War to the present.

Regional Cultures and Dialects

Atlas Obscura
A site which highlights unusual travel destinations. Click on "The Atlas" to explore by location.

Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE)
An interesting resource for local American dialect. Explore by geography, or look up particular words.
eHRAF World Cultures
Use the "Browse Cultures" link to find summaries of cultures from around the world.

Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures by Robert P. Marzec
ISBN: 0313329540

Publication Date: 2004-12-30

This multivolume encyclopedia covers all areas of the United States and provides helpful information about ethnicity, food, music, religion, and more.

National Geographic Magazine Archive, 1888-2020
A fantastic storehouse of stories and high-quality images on cultures, nature, and science from around the world. Articles date from the 1880s through the 1990s, making this more of a historical than a contemporary resource.