Why Use Reference Sources?
At the beginning of your research, it's good to get some background information or an overview of your topic. Encyclopedia and other reference books serve this purpose. You can also use them to find information on a specific event or person. Below are some good reference sources on the Holocaust.
Start Here
CREDO is an online collection of hundreds of reference books.
Just do a search on "holocaust" and browse through the results. You should get articles from different perspectives and disciplines on all aspects of holocaust studies.
Selected Encyclopedias on the Holocaust
Below are some specialized Holocaust encyclopedias. Some are available online, others only in print.
- Holocaust Encyclopedia (ebook)This encyclopedia is produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and is available online. In addition to the valuable articles and their bibliographies, there are incredible images and photographs.
- Historical Dictionary of the HolocaustThis is an electronic book. It's tedious to page through. The bibliography is incredible! To download/print a portion, you must sign in using your ACCESS card barcode. Click the tiny Sign In link in the upper right.
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933-1945This is a multi-volume set. Read the titles of the individual volumes carefully to make sure you are looking in the right one! It's not simply an alphabetical list!
- The Yad Vashem Encyclopedia of the Ghettos during the HolocaustAn international team of scholars wrote and edited the introductory essays and 1,100 alphabetical entries in this very comprehensive encyclopedia. The accompanying DVD contains photos and wartime footage of ghettos filmed in real time during the Holocaust.
- The Holocaust EncyclopediaAuthoritative scholarly single volume encyclopedia with articles by 100 international Holocaust scholars and historians. Includes hundreds of incredible illustrations and photographs.
- The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the HolocaustTermed "majestic" by reviewers this three-volume encyclopedia, abridged from a 30-volume set in Hebrew, is arranged alphabetically by town. The thousands of entries explore centuries of Jewish life from the Middle Ages on. Each entry provides vital information on the town's Jewish inhabitants on the eve of German occupation, gives the dates of Jewish roundups and mass executions and estimates how many Jews from that community survived the war. Includes more than 600 black-and-white photographs, most of which are from the archives of Israel's Yad Vashem Museum.
- Historical Atlas of the HolocaustGorgeous maps but very little text!
- The Encyclopedia of the HolocaustDon't let the 1990 publication date diminish the value of this resource, termed "indispensable" by reviewers. It is a scholarly work that summarizes research on the Holocaust done by historians, sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, and more, and is itself a primary source of information. The illustrations and photographs, too, are primary sources!
- Yivo Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe (ebook)We also have it in print. This 2-volume work has been widely applauded for its quality and depth of coverage and its uniqueness. 450 scholars from 16 countries wrote the more than 1,800 articles with bibliographies. The index is extensive.
- Gale Virtual Reference LibraryThis is a database of articles from dozens of encyclopedia sources. Use the KEYWORD search box to find articles about specific places, ideas, events related to the Holocaust. Use the * to truncate words like music*.
- Historical Dictionary of Holocaust Cinema (ebook)The Historical Dictionary of Holocaust Cinema examines the history of how the Holocaust is presented in film, including documentaries, feature films, and television productions. It contains a chronology of events needed to give the films and their reception a historical context, an introductory essay, a bibliography, a filmography of more than 600 titles, and over 100 cross-referenced dictionary entries on films, directors, and historical figures. Foreign language films and experimental films are included, as well as canonical films. (Publisher Summary)
- The Holocaust Film SourcebookThis is a comprehensive annotated listing of international films related to the Holocaust, fictional, documentary and propaganda. The two volumes are divided by type of film covered. Each has its own index. Volume 1 also contains a list of resources including archives of Holocaust films, film databases, film indexes, and sources for purchase of scripts.
Links to Encyclopedia Articles on the Holocaust
Below are some examples of articles found in encyclopedias. They are authoritative essays about the Holocaust that could help you expand your knowledge & understanding of the Holocaust or perhaps fill in some blanks in the "big picture" you currently have.