The Fifties: Researching Cold War America in Paul Robeson Library



This is a list of some of the resources in Paul Robeson Library, and on the Internet, concerning, at least in part, the 1950's. For more information please ask a reference librarian.




Reference Works

General

Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Culture / REF E 169.12 E49 2001
Historical Dictionary of the 1950's / REF E 169.12 O44 2000
Guide to U.S. Popular Culture / REF E 169.1 D399 2001
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture / REF E 169.1 S764 2000
Encyclopedia of American Social History / REF HN 57 E58 1993
War and American Popular Culture / REF E 181 W26 1999
Korean War / REF DS 918 A1 K7 1996
Historical Dictionary of the Korean War / DS 918 H536
Handbook of American Popular Culture / REF E 169.1 H2643 1989
The Twentieth Century / REF D 421 T88 1992 v. 4
Fashion and Merchandising Fads / REF E 169.12 H634 1994

Bibliographies

American Diaries / REF CT 214 A74
American Historical Association Guide to Historical Literature / Ref Z 6201 A55
Foreign Affairs Bibliography / REF Z 6463 F73 1942/1952
American Autobiography / REF CT 220 A47 1982
The Origins, Evolution and Nature of the Cold War / REF E 183.3 S65 B53 1986

Statistical and Electoral Information

Historical Statistics of the United States / DOC REF HA 202 B87 1975
Monitoring the World Economy, 1820-1992 / Ref HC 54 M255 1995
Economic Statistics, 1900-1983: United Kingdom, United States of America, France, Germany, Italy, Japan / Ref HC 106 L68 1985
International Military and Defense Encyclopedia / Ref U 24 I58 1993
Wages of War, 1816-1965: A Statistical Handbook / Ref U 21.2 S57
Gallup Poll Cumulative Index, Public Opinion, 1935-1997 / REF HN 90 P8 G29 1999

Chronologies

American Decades, 1950-1959 / REF E 169.12 A419 1994 v. 5
American Chronicle / REF E 169.1 G664 1999
People's Chronology / REF D 11 T83
Chronology of World History, 1910-1998 / REF D 11 M39 1999 v. 4
Chronology of African-American History / REF E 185 H64 1991

Locating Books

These subject headings may be useful when looking for books in IRIS, the Rutgers Libraries Catalog:

Be aware that items at the Alexander Library in New Brunswick purchased before c. 1970 and not checked out since then are not included in IRIS. We have a copy of their old card catalog from c. 1970 on microfilm. Ask at the Reference Desk for more information.

When using IRIS try using the keyword search option in addition to subject headings. Use your topic as search terms, for example "women and fifties" or "mccarthyism."

Two other catalogs may be useful in locating resources for your paper. Both will include some primary sources. You can request items from these catalogs on interlibrary loan.

Appropriate Journal Indexes

The library has several journal indexes available. The best index for you will depend on your topic. Some of the general indexes that are likely to be relevant are:

Contemporary Journals and Indexes

To locate primary sources in newspapers or magazines, use the following indexes:

This is a selected list of American journals in the library for relevant years.

Selected Internet Resources

The Literature and Culture of the American 1950's (http://dept.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/home.html)
Cold War Hot Links (http://www.stmartin.edu/~dprice/cold.war.htm)
CNN Cold War Experience (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war)



updated 9/18/03
still@camden.rutgers.edu
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