Research Guides
HSTRY 388: The Monstrous in the Middle Ages: Find Primary Texts
This page offers strategies for finding primary texts to use for your research paper. It focuses on finding medieval European texts in English translation but some of the strategies and search tips can also be used to find texts for other periods and regions.
Using UW Libraries Search to Find Primary Texts
Use special subject headings that designate primary sources. Keep in mind that these subject headings are used inconsistently so may miss relevant items.
| Subject Heading | Search Example | Sample Book |
| "translations into english" | romances "translations into english" | The Saga of the Volsungs : The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer |
| russian folklore "translations into english" | An Anthology of Russian Folk Epics | |
| "early works to 1800"* | saints "early works to 1800" | The Strange Case of Ermine de Reims: A Medieval Woman Between Demons and Saints |
| medieval "early works to 1800" | Christoph Rothmann's Discourse on the Comet of 1585 An Edition and Translation with Accompanying Essays | |
| sources* | sources medieval france | Blessed Louis, the most glorious of kings : texts relating to the cult of Saint Louis of France |
| sources witchcraft | Early Modern Witches Witchcraft Cases in Contemporary Writing | |
| "tales medieval" | "tales medieval" japan | Tales of times now past : sixty-two stories from a medieval Japanese collection |
| "tales medieval" celtic | Brut y tywysogyon; or The chronicle of the princes: Red Book of Hergest version |
*"early works to 1800" -- refine your results to "print books" in order to omit hundreds of early modern books published on microfilm.
*sources -- use the Advanced search option and change the box label to "subject" in order to decrease the number of irrelevant works.
Use Secondary Sources
A secondary source on your topic or work will usually include various published editions and translations (if available) of the work. Look the title up in UW Libraries Search to see if a copy is available.
For example in the chapter, "‘Leave My Virginity Alone’: The Cult of St Margaret of Antioch in Norwich: In Pursuit of a Pragmatic Piety" published in the book, Medieval East Anglia, a footnote leads to a published primary text on St. Margaret.
A search for "old english lives of st margaret" in UW Libraries Search locates the book.
Some reference works such as the Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle, included in Brill's Medieval Reference Library, will also include information on published editions and translations. For example this entry on Raymond of Aguilers provides information on the modern French and English translations.
