Northern Kentucky University

Medieval Studies Reference Items

The following are recommended Reference titles available from Steely Library.

These are suggestions only and do not reflect the full range of materials that may be useful to you. For additional assistance, Ask Steely Library!

Credo Reference E-Books

An interdisciplinary collection of online reference works, including such titles as Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature, The Encyclopaedia of the Renaissance, Encyclopedia of World Trade From Ancient Times to the Present.

Dictionary of the Middle Ages

REF D 114 .D5 1982
13 volumes + supplement. "Visit every aspect of medieval life in Western Europe, the Scandinavian north, the Byzantine and Slavic east, the Muslim south, and the ubiquitous world of Judaism from A.D. 500 to 1500. Here you can explore the conditions of daily life, major and minor figures, terms and concepts, countries and provinces, and movements, monuments, people, and events." (Amazon.com)

Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

REF DA 129 .C67 2004
"... contains some 3,400 terms ... from the legal and ecclesiastic to the more humdrum words of daily life." (Amazon.com)

Medieval Science, Technology, and Medicine: An Encyclopedia

REF D 114.R82x
One of the Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages, which includes Medieval Iberia, Medieval Islamic Civilization, Medieval Italy, Medieval Jewish Civilization, and Women and Gender in Medieval Europe. "It uses six broad categories to define its coverage: 'Apparatus, Equipment, Implements, Techniques'; 'Biography'; 'Disciplines'; 'Geographical Places'; 'Institutions'; and 'Scientific Genres'." (Amazon.com)

Rise of the Medieval World, 500-1300: A Biographical Dictionary

CT 114 .R57 2002eb[electronic resource]
" ... provides basic information on about 400 significant cultural figures of the European Middle Ages. Entries detail their lives and backgrounds, and identify their contributions to literature, religion, philosophy, education, and politics." (Amazon.com)

Annotated Index of Medieval Women

REF CT 3220 .A56 1992
"A bibliography of over 1500 women who lived between 800 and 1500 AD, listed alphabetically. There are details on their nationalities and brief summaries of available biographical references. The biographical category index allows the reader to find women by trade and profession." (Amazon.com)

Medieval France: An Encyclopedia

REF DC 33.2 .M44 1995
"The Encyclopedia is especially strong in its coverage of: Economic Issues: taxation, agriculture, women in trade, banking and money lending, merchants; Women: Marie de France, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Jeanne d'Arc, Christine de Pizan, Heloise; Art: Gothic art and architecture, ivories, Romanesque art, stained glass, tapestry; Music: Isorhythmic motet, musical instruments, cyclic mass,vidas and razos, refrain, Latin and vernacular hymns; Religion: Benedictine Order, eucharistic veneration and vessels, heresy, monasticism; Literature: ... fabliau, chanson de geste, romance, drama; History: political figures, military leaders, daily life-food, health care, crime and punishment, families." (Amazon.com)

Classical Myths and Legends in the Middle Ages and Renaissance: A Dictionary of Allegorical Meanings

REF PN 669 .B78 1998
" ... provides entries for several hundred figures from classical mythology and explains how these figures were allegorically interpreted during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Each entry includes examples of allegorical usage drawn from literature and art, and a bibliography. An extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources concludes the volume." (Publisher's website)

Companion to the Medieval Theatre

REF PN 2152 .C66 1989
" ... presents 250 alphabetically arranged entries offering a panoramic view of European and British theatrical productions between the years 900 and 1550. The volume features 30 essays contributed by an international group of specialists and includes many shorter entries as well as systematic cross-referencing, a chronology, a bibliography, and a full complement of indexes." (Publisher's web site)

Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval Warfare

U 29 .H88 2004eb [electronic resource]
"A comprehensive guide to the battles and wars, commanders, tactics, formations, fortifications and weapons of war in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, India, China and Japan, from the beginning of history to the 16th century. Over 2500 entries, written by expert military historical specialists, cover all aspects of warfare from the emergence of the earliest walled cities on the Ancient Near East up to the European discovery of the New World." (Amazon.com)