New books in the Library for History, Classics and Archaeology

Thanks to recommendations from members of staff and requests via RAB from students the Library is continually adding new books to its collections both online and in print. Here are just a (very) small number of the books that have been added to the Library’s collections in semester two, 2017/18 for the School of History, Classics and Archaeology and these demonstrate the wide range of subjects being taught, studied and researched within School.

–> Find these and more via DiscoverEd.

Ritual matters: material remains and ancient religion edited by Claudia Moser and Jennifer Knust (shelfmark: Folio BL808 Rit.)

Radiocarbon and the chronologies of ancient Egypt edited by Andrew J. Shortland and C. Bronk Ramsey (e-book).

A companion to the Anglo-Norman world edited by Christopher Harper-Bill and Elisabeth van Houts (shelfmark: DA195 Com. Also available as e-book).

Jefferson: architect of American liberty by John B. Boles (shelfmark: E332 Bol.)

The Pacific war and its political legacies by Denny Roy (shelfmark: D767 Roy.)

Decolonizing the map: cartography from colony to nation edited by James R. Akerman (shelfmark: GA108.7 Dec. Also available as e-book). Continue reading

Spotlight on our Centre for Research Collections

On Tuesday 30th January we’ll be holding a Discovery Day event in the Main Library where representatives from 3 publishers of digitised primary source collections and our very own Centre for Research Collections will be on hand to help you navigate through and find useful material in the huge range of primary sources you have access to at the Library.

The University of Edinburgh holds world class collections, including rare books, archives and manuscripts, art, historical musical instruments and museum objects ranging from geological specimens to anatomical models. These unique collections are and can be used for teaching and research within the University and by the wider community.

The main entry and access point for these collections is the Centre for Research Collections (CRC) which is based on the 6th floor of the Main Library. The CRC is open to all researchers, including students, staff, visiting academics and members of the public. Continue reading

New books in the Library for History, Classics and Archaeology

Thanks to recommendations from members of staff and requests via RAB from students the Library is continually adding new books to its collections both online and in print. Here are just a (very) small number of the books that have been added to the Library’s collections in semester one, 2017/18 for the School of History, Classics and Archaeology and these demonstrate the wide range of subjects being taught, studied and researched within School.

–> Find these and more via DiscoverEd.

Early Greek portraiture: monuments and histories by Catherine M. Keesling (shelfmark: NB1296.3 Kee. Also available as e-book).

The crusade in the fifteenth century: converging and competing cultures edited by Norman Housley (e-book).

The long aftermath: cultural legacies of Europe at war, 1936-2016 edited by Manuel Braganca and Peter Tame (shelfmark: D744.7.E8 Lon. Also available as e-book).

Race relations at the margins: slaves and poor whites in the antebellum Southern countryside by Jeff Forret (shelfmark: F220.A1 For.)

Beyond conflicts: cultural and religious cohabitations in Alexandria and Egypt between the 1st and the 6th century CE edited by Luca Arcar (shelfmark: BR127 Bey.)

Drawing Lithic artefacts by Yannick Raczynski-Henk (shelfmark: GN799.T6 Rac.) Continue reading

Student Research Rooms: fantastic resource for History, Classics and Archaeology

Today’s blog post is a guest post from Aimee Fletcher, SRR Co-ordinator, about the superb book collections available to staff and students from HCA in the Student Research Rooms (SRR).

At the School of History, Classics and Archaeology (HCA) we are fortunate to have our Student Research Rooms (SRR). This is a space which is not only a study space, it is also home to the School’s personal book collections. All of these collections are vast and have come from significant academic figures, personal collections which were donated to the school, and have continued to flourish thanks to the tradition of donating books.

Upper floor of Student Research Rooms, Doorway 4, Teviot Place. © Aimee Fletcher

Within some of these collections are books with have been passed down by important figures of HCA’s history at Edinburgh. Individuals such as Jim McMillan, a European historian and previous head of the School; the Sellar and Goodhart collection, which is named after two of Edinburgh’s most influential classics professors and Jim Compton whose American history collection of 2,000 books boasts some of the only known copies of certain publications of its kind in Scotland. The collections we have are unique and are looked after and made available to borrow by twenty volunteers who are found at the volunteer desk on 2M (10am-6pm, Monday-Friday).

You can find out more about the collections and the books within these from Student Research Rooms (SRR). Continue reading

How to…read your reading list and search for readings in the Library

Got your reading list but not sure what you’re being asked to read (is it a book, is it an article, is it a bird, is it a plane…)? Or are you just not sure how you’re meant to search for and find these items in the Library (in print or online)?

It may just be the first week of semester but many of you will already be required to start reading material in preparation for your lectures, seminars or tutorials. Finding and accessing this material can be an early hurdle for many new students but don’t panic, it can be a lot easier than you think.

Learning how to read your reading list and recognise references now will make you more confident using the Library and will save you a lot of time in your studies later. And these skills will be of use to you at all stages of your University life and beyond.

What’s in a reading list?

Reading lists are just lists of essential, recommended or further readings for your course. They can include a wide range of material including books, book chapters, journal articles, documentaries, films, newspaper articles, websites, blogs, etc., but I am going to concentrate on the 3 most common:

  • Books
  • Book chapters
  • Journal articles

Continue reading

New to Library: Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society archive online

The Library has recently purchased the online archive to the journal Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, covering the period 1935 (volume 1) until 2009 (volume 75).

The Library already has current online access to the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, covering the years 2010 (volume 76) onwards. So the purchase of the archive ensures the Library has full access to the entire run of this important journal in prehistoric research.

You can access both the archive and current access via DiscoverEd. Continue reading

New books in the Library for History, Classics and Archaeology

Thanks to recommendations from members of staff and requests via RAB from students the Library is continually adding new books to its collections both online and in print. Here are just a (very) small number of the books that have been added to the Library’s collections in semester two, 2016/17 for the School of History, Classics and Archaeology and these demonstrate the wide range of subjects being taught, studied and researched within School.

Mesopotamia: ancient art and architecture by Zainab Bahrani (shelfmark: Folio N5370 Bah.)

JFK and the masculine mystique: sex and power on the New Frontier by Steven Watts (shelfmark: HQ1090.3 Wat.)

A social history of tea: tea’s influence on commerce, culture & community by Jane Pettigrew and Bruce Richardson (shelfmark: GT2907.G7 Pet.)

The culture of clothing: dress and fashion in the ‘ancien régime’ by Daniel Roche ; translated by Jean Birrell (shelfmark: GT857 Roc.)

The topography of violence in the Greco-Roman world edited by Werner Riess and Garrett G. Faga (e-book).

Sicily: culture and conquest by Dirk Booms and Peter Higgs (shelfmark: DG865 Boo.) Continue reading

New journals available for History, Classics and Archaeology

The Library has recently started subscriptions to 3 new journals following requests from the School of History, Classics and Archaeology. So welcome to the Library…

Journal of Greek Archaeology

This is a new English-language journal specialising in synthetic articles and in long reviews and the journal is produced by staff at the University. The journal covers Greek archaeology both in the Aegean and throughout the wider Greek-inhabited world, from earliest Prehistory to the Modern Era.

The Library has subscribed to the print edition which can be found on the 4th floor of Main Library but the online version is also available. This is a brand new journal so only one volume is available just now. Continue reading

New to the Library: Online Egyptological Bibliography (OEB)

I’m happy to let you know that following a successful trial last semester the Library has now got a 1 year subscription to the Online Egyptological Bibliography
from the University of Oxford.

IF

The Online Egyptological Bibliography (OEB) holds the largest available collection of references in Egyptology literature, with coverage from 1822 to the present.

You can access OEB via the Databases A-Z list. Continue reading

New books in the Library for History, Classics and Archaeology

Thanks to recommendations from members of staff and requests via RAB from students the Library is continually adding new books to its collections both online and in print. Here are just a (very) small number of the books that have been added to the Library’s collections in semester one, 2016/17 for the School of History, Classics and Archaeology and these demonstrate the wide range of subjects being taught, studied and researched within School.

–> Find these and more via DiscoverEd.

childrens_crusade_bookcoverFrom Constantinople to the Frontier edited by Nicholas S. M. Matheou, Theofili Kampianaki; Lorenzo M Bondioli (e-book).

Iron age hillfort defences and the tactics of sling warfare by Peter Robertson (shelfmark: GN780.22.G7 Rob.)

The Children’s Crusade: medieval history, modern mythistory by Gary Dickson (Shelfmark: D169 Dic. Also available as e-book).

Masculinity, class and same-sex desire in industrial England, 1895-1957 by Helen Smith (Shelfmark: HQ1090.7.G7 Smi.)

Classics renewed: reception and innovation in the Latin poetry of Late Antiquity edited by Scott McGill, Joseph Pucci (e-book). Continue reading