History

Collection overview

A comprehensive research-level collection, covering all periods of history.

Collection strengths include:

British History
European History
Extensive collection of periodicals – including English and Welsh local history society and record society publications
Some printed primary source materials - including Calendars of State Papers, the Rolls Series and Documents on British and German Foreign Policy
The Rapid Reference section can be found in the Goldsmiths Library – this includes dictionaries, handbooks and guides to place names

See our latest acquisitions

Collection location

Most of the books are located on the 5th floor South Block, with the sequence continuing on the gallery of the 4th floor reading room directly beneath. Please note that histories of the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean are kept in their relevant area collections
All items available on open access will display the location HISTORY, with the classmark prefix 63 eg HISTORY (SHL) South Block 5th Floor and 4th Gallery (63) PS3B Duf
Recent issues of periodicals are on display bays in the Goldsmiths Library – 4th floor South Block. For more information on finding journals, see our journals resources page
Most back issues of periodicals are shelved in closed access stacks. These will display the location Stack Service. Please request at the Stack Service desk on the 4th floor South Block See the: A-Z list of SHL History journals and A-Z list of SHL History eJournals
Some monographs are also held in the closed access stacks. Again, these will display the location Stack Service. Please request at the Stack Service desk on the 4th floor South Block
To locate individual titles use the online catalogue

Related collections

Area collections of Latin American Studies and United States Studies
British Government Publications – including all parliamentary debates and parliamentary papers from c.1800 to date
History of Science, Technology and Medicine collection
Palaeography collection
Social Sciences collections – including Politics, Economics, Sociology and Anthropology
Special Collections and Archives– including the Goldsmiths’ Library of Economic Literature
Dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference works in the Information Centre, 4th floor
The Library Archives include: Historians' papers, and also documents on Coins and counterfeiting, Friendly societies, Slavery, Temperance and Trotskyism. The archives catalogue includes a subject search facility.

Classmarks for History

All classmarks in this collection have a numerical prefix of 63, eg HISTORY (SHL) South Block South Block 5th Floor and 4th Gallery (63)

African history: OS-OX

Ancient history, general: LI

British history: MU-MW

British Imperial and Commonwealth history: MZ

Byzantine history: LW

Chinese history: OI

Church history: PO-PZ

European history, medieval: MB

European history, modern (1500-1900): MC

European history, 20th century: MD

French history: MR-MT

German history: MG-MI

Greek and Roman history, ancient: LO-LV

Historiography: L4

Indian history: OM-ON

Irish history: MY

Italian history: MF

Japanese history: OJ

Jewish history: LH

Middle Eastern history, ancient: LJ-LN

Middle Eastern history, modern: OQ-OR

Modern Israel: ORI

Russian and Soviet history: MN

Spanish and Portuguese History: MQ

For a more detailed explanation of classmarks see the Library's leaflet 'A guide to the classification scheme'.

Other libraries

For more information about History collections in other libraries, please see the Guide to History Libraries and Collections in London, available in printed form from the Academic Liaison Librarian . A new online directory is currently in production in the Institute of Historical Research.

You can also consult the M25 Consortium of Higher Education Libraries website: www.m25lib.ac.uk. For elsewhere in the UK, consult the Consortium of University and Research Libraries catalogue: www.copac.ac.uk