Online Medieval Sources Bibliography

This database was begun in Summer 2003 to record details about printed and online primary sources that can shed light on the history, culture, and religion of the middle ages. The following describes the contents of and guidelines employed for entering data in each field of the database. Fields which users can search are marked with an asterisk. Further informaion about each field is given below, while the options for fields with drop-down menus are noted on the Search Form.

Editor/Translator*
Name of the editor(s) and/or translator(s), surname first. Users may enter these names on the search form to perform a boolean search for a particular editor or translator.

Title
Title of book; or chapter title (in quotation marks), followed by the title of the book that the chapter appears in; or article title (in quotation marks).

Publication Information
Publication information, including (in this order); 1) Series or Journal title, along with volume number; 2) place of publication if a book; 3) publisher, if a book (not recorded for a local or regional record society publication); 4) total page range of an article or book chapter; and 5) year resource was published. If the book is a reprint, the reprint publication year is included in square brackets.

Hyperlink
Web address for texts that are available online. Note that some of these items may be in databases that require an institutional or individual subscription.

ISBN
ISBN number, if available.

Number of pages of primary source text
Total number of pages of primary source text (NOT the total pagination of an article or book chapter, which appears in the Publication Information field.)

Text Name*
Used to: 1) to name specific government records, such as Inquisitions Post Mortem or Pipe Rolls; 2) to further distinguish a type of record, such as Exeter Local Customs Accounts from Exeter National Customs Accounts; 3) to cite the specific name of a record (such as the Oak Book of Southampton); 4) to cite the specific name of a literary work, such as Song of Roland, theological treatise, or philosophic work (such as Summa Theologica). Variant spellings and languages are often provided, so that users performing a boolean search will find the appropriate records.

Medieval Author(s)*
See List of Authors
Name of the medieval author of the text, if known. Author names are given when there is an identifiable author or customary attribution of a particular text, which will include literary, philosophical, and theological texts, as well as many chronicles and historiographical texts. However, authors are not listed for documents such as bishop’s registers, court rolls, town council minutes, notarial registers, charters, account rolls, etc. When a text is a medieval translation from one language to another, the translator is listed as the author. Many if not most of the medieval authors are listed with their forename first, followed by their surname. Common aliases and variant spellings are given in parenthesis, and authors’ dates, where they are known, are listed. Users may enter medieval authors’ names on the search form to perform a search for a particular author.

Earliest Date* | Date Search Tips
Earliest date covered by the work. Further information on the dates of the individual documents should be included in the Comments field.

Latest Date* | Date Search Tips
Latest date covered by the work. Further information on the dates of the individual documents should be included in the Comments field.

Archival Reference
Archive, record office or library where original documents are located; including class/call no. if known. Abbreviations: BL=British Library; BN=Bibliotheque Nationale; PRO=Public Record Office, London.

Original Language* | List of Original Languages
Original medieval language of source. Users can search for one or more items from the list of original languages.

Original Language Included*
Indicates if the printed or online text is in the original language.

English Translation*
Indicates if modern English translation is included. Details about translation are included in the Translation Comments field.

French Translation*
Indicates if modern French translation is included. Details about translation are included in the Translation Comments field.

Other Translation*
Indicates if translation into another modern language is included. If so, the language will be listed in the Translation Comments field.

Translation Comments
Other information about the translation, such as whether it appears on facing page of original text, whether translations are only offered for some of the text, or whether a translation of poetry is in verse or prose.

Geo-Political Region*
List of Geopolitical Regions | Search Tips
The modern and medieval country/countries/regions which the text covers.

County/Region/Parish/Town/Village*
The particular county, region, parish, town, and/or village which the text covers. Users can perform a boolean search for these locations. Further information (especially when many small places are covered) is given in the Comments field.

Record Type*
List of Record Types
Type or genre of record. Users may search for one or more items from the list of record types.

Subject Headings*
List of Subject Headings
Users may search for one or more items from the list of subject headings.

Index
Indicates work contains an index. Further details are in the Comments field.

Glossary
Indicates work contains a glossary. Further details are in the Comments field.

Appendices
Indicates work contains appendices. Further details are in the Comments field.

Introduction
Indicates work contains an Introduction. Details about length and content are in Introduction Summary field.

Bibliography
Indicates work contains a bibliography.

Facsimile
Indicates work is a facsimile.

Comments
This section contains information not covered by the other fields and is usually the single most useful part of the annotation for new users who are unfamiliar with the source. May cover such information as:
a) Whether the printed source represents selections, abstracts, or full text;
b) Whether the edition is an updated, revised, or the standard edition of a text that has been published more than once;
c) Specific dates and titles of individual documents if scattered over a wide range of years;
d) Further notes on the type of source and what it covers;
e) Particularly helpful secondary sources on this primary source;
f) The historical context of the work and/or its author.

Introduction Summary
Comments on the range and contents of Introduction.

Cataloger
Initials of person(s) entering the data. If the cataloger has seen and examined the source, the initials are in capital letters. If the entry has been augmented or corrected by someone else, this person’s initials