Philosophy Research Guide
Reference Materials

Reference materials provide background or factual information on a topic. Most reference sources reside in the Reference area on the Main Floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library (one flight down from the Entrance Floor). Some particularly useful Philosophy reference sources follow.

Bibliographies
Contain a wealth of reference sources that can include Bibliographies, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks with a short description of each resource.  Excellent place to look for further information about a topic.

Philosophy: A Guide to the Reference Literature (UM Reference Z7125. B97 1997)
Comprehensive bibliographic work containing short annotated entries about major reference works in philosophy.  Contains sections about the major time periods, philosophers, branches, and schools of philosophy.  


Biographical Resources
These resources are all specific volumes of a series "Dictionary of Literary Biography" that contain a biographical and professional essay of the author followed by further resources including interviews, bibliographies, and article references. Useful for basic research about individual philosophers.

American Philosophers before 1950 (UM Reference PN451. D5 V. 270)
Contains short biographical articles about American Philosophers working before 1950.  Articles include biographical details, major works, reference works, bibliographies of letters, and locations of primary source material.

American Philosophers 1950-2000 (UM Reference PN451. D.5 V.279)
Contains short biographical articles about American Philosophers working between 1950 and 2000.  Articles include biographical details, major works, reference works, bibliographies of letters, and locations of primary source material.

British Philosophers 1500-1799 (UM Reference PN451. D5 V.252)
Contains short biographical articles about British Philosophers working between 1500 and 1799.  Articles include biographical details, major works, reference works, bibliographies of letters, and locations of primary source material.

British Philosophers 1800-2000 (UM Reference PN451. D5 V.262)
Contains short biographical articles about British Philosophers working between 1800 and 2000.  Articles include biographical details, major works, reference works, bibliographies of letters, and locations of primary source material.

Twentieth-century Cultural Theorists (UM Reference PN451. D5 V.246)
Contains short biographical articles about Cultural Theorists working in the Twentieth Century.  Articles include biographical details, major works, reference works, bibliographies of letters, and locations of primary source material.


Dictionaries
Single volume works, alphabetically organized, that  provide short concise definitions of the terms and movements important in philosophy.   Not suitable for primary or exploratory research but are excellent to have as a companion when reading philosophic works.

Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy (UM Reference B41. C35 1999)
Contains short articles about the key concepts, schools, ideas, and people in philosophy.

Epistemology A-Z (UM W.E.B. Du Bois BD161. B463 2005)
Introduces users to the main problems and positions in epistemology. Includes entries on some of the most important historical and contemporary contributors to the field and important ideas in this branch of philosophy.

Oxford Companion to Philosophy (UM Reference B51. O94 2005)
Single volume reference work that provides short, concise, articles about the major people and ideas in philosophy

Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (UM Reference B41. B53 2005)
Provides short articles about the key concepts, schools, ideas, and people in philosophy.

Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias are large multivolume works that are excellent place to begin philosophic research. Provide extensive articles about the philosopher, movement, or idea and with a bibliography of sources at the end.

Encyclopedia of Philosophy (UM Reference B51. E53 2006)
Contains comprehensive articles with bibliographies about philosophers, their ideas, amd trends in philosophy.

Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment (UM W.E.B. Du Bois B802. W48 2004)
Contains articles with bibliographies about the intellectual history, philosophy, and ideas of the Enlightenment.

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (UM Reference B51. R68 1998)
Contains comprehensive articles with bibliographies about philosophers, their ideas, amd trends in philosophy

Xreferplus

Searchable collection of online reference books on a wide range of general reference titles together with a large collection of subject-specific books spanning 20 topics. Available on Library computers to all. Available off-campus to UMass Amherst students, faculty, staff, and affiliates with an OIT account; enter your OIT username and password when prompted.