HISTORY 201: The Historian's Craft: World of Alexander Hamilton (Fall 2020) : Books
E-book Collections
These collections represent some of the e-book collections that can be found in the Database Library. They represent only a fraction of what is available; for more, see complete list. Some are Library subscription databases and some are free digital libraries.
- Early American Imprints, Series I. Evans (1639–1800)
The Evans collection is a definitive resource for all aspects of American life in the 17th and 18th centuries. "The Reynolds Pamphlet" by Hamilton can be found here. (It's more formally titled: "Observations on certain documents contained in no. V & VI of 'The history of the United States for the year 1796,' in which the charge of speculation against Alexander Hamilton, late secretary of the Treasury, is fully refuted.")
- Early English Books Online
Early English Books Online (EEBO) provides full-text images of almost all the books printed in England and her colonies from the beginning of printing to 1700 (about 125,000 titles).
- Eighteenth Century Collections Online
An online library of over 180,000 titles published between 1701 and 1800, and printed in English-speaking countries, or countries under British colonial rule. Includes books, pamphlets, essays, broadsides and more.
- Everyday Life and Women in America c.1800–1920
Hundreds of monographs illuminating all aspects of family life. Also includes periodicals and pamphlets.
Finding Primary Sources in Books (in the Library Catalog)
Books may be or contain primary sources. Examples may include personal narratives, memoirs, and autobiographies, collected works, and collections of documents. They may be published at the time or compiled and published at a later time.
Use the tips below to search the Library Catalog for books that contain primary sources.
- Words in catalog records can identify an item as a primary source. Search for format related words like: advertisements, autobiographies, correspondence, diaries, documents, interviews, journal, letters, manuscripts, personal narratives, sources, speeches, etc. You can combine a primary-source format word with words describing your topic (e.g., letters and Lincoln or diaries and civil war).
- To find diaries, letters, autobiographies, personal papers, etc., by a particular person, search for the person's name as an author.
- Use the "Years" dropdown to filter results to a period of time.
On This Page
This page provides links to collections of 18th and 19th - century books, books that Alexander Hamilton and his compatriots would have read and written.
Additionally included are tips on finding primary resources using the Library Catalog.
Freely Available E-books
Some of the largest collections of freely-available electronic books:
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Google BooksGoogle Books includes the full text of a number of older books that are in the public domain (pre-1923).Try Google Books to find books on your topic. Many titles in Google Books include a limited preview of the text that will help you decide whether you want to borrow a copy via the library. Some titles even include the complete text!
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Hathi TrustFull-text of works that are out of copyright or in the public domain are available for viewing or searching. The items may also be in Google books but availability and ability to search may be greater in Hathi Trust.The digitized collection, Hathi Trust, includes the CIC libraries (Big Ten) and the University of California System. Full-text of works that are out of copyright or in the public domain are available for viewing or searching. The items are also in Google books but have availability and ability to search is greater in Hathi Trust. These titles also appear in MadCat searches for those titles that are also in the University of Wisconsin-Madison libraries.
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Project GutenbergContains over 33,000 electronic books.The Project Gutenberg philosophy is to make information, books, and other materials available to the general public in forms a vast majority of the computers, programs, and people can easily read, use, quote, and search. It includes classic literature such as, Aesop's Fables, Alice in Wonderland, Moby Dick, and Paradise Lost. Historical documents such as, inaugural addresses and treaties are included, as well as, the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution. Included in the collection are reference works such as, Roget's Thesaurus and the CIA Factbook, as well as, almanacs, census data, and works containing mathematical constants. Religious documents such as, the Bible and the Book of Mormon are also included.