History
Quote of the month
Omnia Romae Cum pretio
Everything in Rome has its price
Juvenal c. AD 60 - c. 130 Roman Satirist, Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, ed. Elizabeth Knowles
Focus:
Ancient Rome
Despite the fall of Rome happening centuries ago, the influence of Rome continues...
Books:
The dawn of astrology- "This is the first comprehensive examination of astrology's origins and it examines the foundations of a major feature of popular culture in the contemporary west, one which has its origins in the ancient world. Campion explores the relationship between astrology and religion, magic and science, and explores its use in politics and the arts." (Amazon UK)
Battle: a visual journey through 5,000 years of combatI- By by R.G. Grant
The inheritance of Rome: a history of Europe from 400 to 1000- by Chris Wickham
The world of the Bible- by John Drane
- "The Bible is often best understood when it is properly placed in the cultural and social context in which it was written. To this end, this extensive reference explores the culture of the Israelites and the ancient nations that surrounded and influenced them. The time periods covered include the Bronze Age of Palestine; the Age of Empires; the Dawn of the Modern World; and the history, cultures, and beliefs of such civilizations as the Canaanites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, ancient Greeks and ancient Romans. Comprehensive and enlightening, this is a thorough history that is ideal for both Biblical studies and general historians." (Amazon)
- Ancient Rome [videorecording]: the rise and fall of an empire
- by the BBC
- "The true story of Rome told through six crucial moments that shaped the destiny of the Empire... The series begins in 146BC with Rome's destruction of its ancient enemy Carthage; leading to the celebrated victory of Julius Caesar and the overthrow of the Republic; Emporer Nero's dramatric descent into madness; the Jewish revolt - the biggest rebellion in Imperial history; Constantine's delivery of Christianity to the Empire; and finally the downfall of Rome, told through the tale of Alaric the Goth." (Container slick)
More on Ancient Rome
Online databases & articles
We have a great range of online history resources, including reference sources, journals, magazines and much more.
Our online history resources can be found at mygateway.info. Check out our History portal page for databases such as History Resource Center: World and the Discovering Collection.
The following are just a few of the history journals and magazines available online (in full-text) through our databases. For more listings see Masterfile Premier in mygateway.info magazines.
Magazines in print
Lending history magazines are shelved in the Art, Music & Literature Magazine collection on the first floor of the Central Library, and in the branches on the magazine stands.
Here are links into the catalogue for just a few of our most popular history magazines:
Catalogue Search
Reference Collection
The Central Library has an excellent reference collection (for in-library reference only) containing Atlases, Yearbooks and Fact books, great for statistical information and the history of countries. This collection is housed on the 2nd floor of the library.
Other publications of use include: The Far East and Australasia, The Middle East and North Africa, Africa south of the Sahara and South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
New Zealand Reference Material:
The 2nd floor of the Central Library houses several different collections which contain a wealth of information about New Zealand's history. The NZ Reference Collection (NZCOLL) contains at least one copy of most of the books published in New Zealand over the past 100 years. It also contains a large number of unpublished reports as well as many smaller publications which were often only for sale in a specific region for a short period of time (e.g. school and parish jubilee histories).
Alongside this collection are the AJHR's (Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives) which give an insight into the "official" history of the State back to the 1860s as well as many other government publications such as the New Zealand Gazette (also available as a searchable database) and New Zealand Parliamentary Debates (i.e. "Hansard").
There are also two separate collections which are kept behind the reference desk on the 2nd floor - the "NZ Stack" and "Rare" collections. These contain books which because of their rarity or fragility must be kept in special conditions but most are available to view under supervision and all are listed in the library's on-line catalogue.
Searching the catalogue
Shelf help
| Subject: | Dewey Number: |
|---|---|
| Archeology and digging up the past | 913 |
| History of the Ancient World | 930 |
| History of Europe, World Wars | 940 |
| History of Asia and the Far East | 950 |
| History of Africa | 960 |
| History of North America | 970 |
| History of South America | 980 |
| History of the Pacific and other regions | 990 |
| New Zealand History | 993.1 |
| Women's history | 305.4 |
Tip:
Don't forget to look at the large books for illustrations and photographs, as well as looking in the normal Dewey sequence.
Recent items
MyLibrary:
Have a look at the Libraries' history recent picks for new history books.
MyLibrary is a free service which allows you to set up your own portal page to collect lists of new books, CDs and DVDs in the library. Our librarians compile these lists on a monthly basis across the different subject areas in the library's collection, and for many subjects these monthly lists are available going back a number of years.
Websites
New Zealand History Online
- Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
The official encyclopedia of NZ, which when complete will be a comprehensive guide to the country's peoples, natural environment, history, culture, economy, institutions and society. - 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
The first encyclopedia of New Zealand, published in three thick volumes in 1966. An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand was a critical and publishing success at the time, and has been used as a basic reference work since. - The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War
This fifty volume series is being put online as copyright expires. - New Zealand History Teachers' Association
Overseas History Online
- Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition - an online version of this classic edition.
- Spartacus Educational
Mini-encyclopedias on historical subjects, designed for British school-children. - Best of History Web Sites
An award-winning American portal created for history teachers, students, and general history enthusiasts. - Historical Text Archive
A small collection of historical e-books. - HyperHistory Online
An expanding scientific project presenting 3,000 years of world history with an interactive combination of synchronoptic lifelines, timelines, and maps.
Wellington's Museums
Wellington's Archives
New Zealand Theses
- Newman, Liberal Policy and the Left Wing, 1908 - 1911 : a study of middle-class radicalism in NZ
- Stenson, The origins of the Government Advances to Settler's Act, 1894
- Clark, The NZ Liberal Party and Government, 1895 - 1906
- Bassett, Sir Harry Atkinson : a political biography, 1872 - 1892
- Shannon, Decline and fall of the Liberal government : a study in an aspect of NZ political development, 1908 - 1914
- Hamar, Sir Robert Stout, 1844 - 1930
- McKimmey, The Temperance Movement in NZ, 1835 - 1894
- Grimshaw, The Women's Suffrage Movement in New Zealand, 1835 - 1894
- Rogers, The Single tax Movement in NZ
Contact us
This page is written and maintained by Kim Clayton. My aim is to keep you informed about history resources at the library and to highlight parts of the collection which may interest you. I'd be pleased to hear from you about this page - you can email me with any feedback.
