The following sources provide overviews of ideas, people, and social organizations in the early history of science and medicine as well as history more generally during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.  These encyclopedias and handbooks are a quick way to find out the basic facts and current points of debate for major topics.

When using an article in an encyclopedia or handbook, always check the bibliography for further reading at the end of the article. It will provide a selective list of the books, articles, and, frequently, Web resources considered to be the most up-to-date and reliable.

History of Science Encyclopedias

This three volume set features essay-length chapters rather than short encyclopedia articles.  The authors are leading scholars who write insightful, lively analyses that help readers understand the importance of the issues.

In this subject encyclopedia over 180 scholars have written articles on 16th and 17th century European science.  Topics of interest include patronage, scientific societies, education, political theory, and biographies of scientists.  Brief bibliographies accompany each article.

This subject encyclopedia includes articles on topics as well as important figures.  Bibliographies at the ends of articles are often extensive.  Note the cross references that refer to related articles for additional information.

This collection of short  bibliographic essays addresses questions of historiography and  the most reliable secondary sources.  While many of the articles address topics from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, others focus on the Middle Ages or Renaissance.  This guide is useful for sorting out the most significant scholarly writings on an issue.

This set addresses the varied social impacts of science, medicine, and technology.  Volume Two focuses on the Middle Ages and Volume Three covers 1450-1699.  Both volumes are divided into broad science categories with relevant biographical sketches for each section.

Encyclopedias for History

Online subject encyclopedia for early modern Europe with an emphasis on cultural history.  The bibliographies at the ends of articles are good places to find more information.

This is one in a fourteen volume series of encyclopedias about the Middle Ages.  Other volumes cover other countries (including England and Italy) and topics (travel and women's studies).

Guides to Research

Web Sites

Use the Tripod Catalog to look for relevant books owned by Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore.

The following subject searches are a sampling of possibilities. To find materials on a topic, try doing a keyword search in the Tripod Catalog to find relevant materials and then using the subject headings assigned to those titles to find more material.

          science medieval [Subject Search]

          education medieval [Subject Search]

          astrolog*+histor*[keyword search]

Tripod - For locating books, journals, and other materials held in the Tri-College libraries. Deliveries within the Trico usually arrive in one or two days. Use the "Request" button. You can mark and then email or print records for multiple items.

WorldCat - An important place to look for many materials not owned by the Tri-College Libraries. This combined library catalog contains more than 62 million records describing items owned by libraries around the world. Many of these items are available to you though interlibrary loan.

Interlibrary Loan and E-ZBorrow - Request items that are not available in Tripod on this page. Note that PALCI E-Z Borrow provides books in 3 to 5 days.  For books not in E-Z Borrow, request though Interlibrary Loan (ILL).  Again materials may arrive in as little as 3 days.   For journal articles not in Tripod, request through Article Delivery.  Most are delivered to you electronically.

Journal articles and other periodical publications provide scholarly information on specific aspects of history and the history of science.  Since articles are generally published on a shorter schedule than books, they can be more-up-to-date.  The following indexes are the best ways for you to identify journal articles.

Indexes Covering History and Science

Indexes Covering Other Disciplines

There are also indexes devoted to literary history, philosophy and art history that may be of use for specific topics:

Anthologies of Texts and Documents in Translation

Collections of primary sources are a good place to begin looking for texts related to your research question.  The two titles below pull together a wide variety of passages in English from a broad range of time periods and geographic places.
Browse to gain quick background information and to identify longer texts that may provide information you need.

Editions of Texts in the Original Languages

Editions of scientific and medical texts are also available in the original Latin and European vernaculars.  If you have even a little experience reading the language in question, take a look at a short passage.  You may find that it is easier to understand than you expected because of your course readings.

Examples include:

Grosseteste, Robert.  Commentarius in VIII libros physicorum Aristotelis.  University of Colorado Press, 1963.

Hugh of Lincoln, Saint.  The Liber Aristotilis of Hugh of Santalla.  Warburg Institute, 1997.

Latini, Brunetto.  Li livres dou tresor.  Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2003.

Online Text Collections

There are some online collections available for early modern printed texts.  Serarch these sites for Renaissance era works as well as later printings of medieval texts:

Early English Books Online (EEBO) (enhanced search via Text Creation Partnership)  EEBO home.
Contains digital images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700. Includes books, pamphlets, manuscripts and newspapers.

Gallica (Bibliothèque nationale de France)

Printed Volumes

Those that have been edited, reprinted in facsimiles, or transferred to microfilm can be borrowed through E Z Borrow or interlibrary loan if they are not in Tripod.  Haverford has a large collection of early science books on microcard in the Landmarks of Science series.

Books printed in the 16th or 17th century are kept in libraries' rare book collections.  You can go to Bryn Mawr, the University of Pennsylvania, and other local libraries to see the books that are available locally.

Scientific Instruments

Epact: Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe
    Cooperative project of four major European museums to catalog, represent visually, and contextualize over 500 scientific instruments.

Visual Images