LibGuides: United States History: Finding Books

Finding Books - Tutorial

If you'd like some extra help with finding books and e-books, try this short online tutorial.

This module is designed to take about 10 minutes to complete and includes lots of examples and some interactive practice.

Quick Search For Books

Search for Library Resources.
Type the keyword(s) in the box below then press Enter or click the Search button.

Browsing for History Books in the Library

Many people would prefer to look at the shelves to choose a book.

Here’s a guide to useful call numbers to browse. (The call number is the address for books on the shelves. It groups them by topic.) There are many individual exceptions to the following.

Note: Biographies are mixed in with the books on a topic (military figures with the books on war, business figures with the books on economics, etc.) Some instructors don't allow autobiographies, so be sure to check.

You may want to print this to have as you go through the library.

History 1301, U.S. History I, covers up to 1877. History 1302, U.S. History II, covers 1877 to the present.

General American History

American Indians	E 99
American Colonial Period	E 186 - 189
American Revolution to pre-Civil War (including slavery)	E 300 - 483
Civil War	E 456 - 655
Late 1800s	E 660 – 738
Early 1900s	E 740 - 783
1920s	E 784 -805
1930s	E 806 -812
Post World War II to present	E 813 – end of E’s

World Wars I and II D 501 – 838

Vietnam War DS 557 – 558

General military history UB 1 - 900

Naval history V

State and local history F (Texas is F 381 – 395)

U.S. social history

Civil rights movements E 185.61

American ethnic groups E 184 – 185

Social movements, social problems HN 54 - 90

American women’s history HQ 1115 – 1410

Witchcraft in U.S. history BF1576 - 1999

U.S. economic history HN 54 - 109

Locating American History Books

The Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell
Call Number: D805.5.C79 R87 2015
ISBN: 9781451693669
Publication Date: 2015-01-20
The never-before-told story of a secret FDR-approved American internment camp in Texas during World War II, where from 1942 to 1948, trains delivered thousands of civilians from the United States and Latin America to Crystal City, Texas, a small desert town at the southern tip of Texas. The trains carried Japanese, German, Italian immigrants and their American-born children. The only family internment camp during World War II, Crystal City was the center of a government prisoner exchange program called "quiet passage." The Train to Crystal City reveals the war-time hysteria against the Japanese and Germans in America, the secrets of FDR's tactics to rescue high-profile POWs in Germany and Japan, and how the definition of American citizenship changed under the pressure of war.

Books related to American History topics can be found at all campus librares. A catalog search (see the box to the left) is the best way to search for books on American history, but if you want to browse the shelves, most American history materials can be found within the following call number ranges:

D619-D838; E1-E49.2; E151-E889; F203-F596; F786-F910

Below are a few recent titles available at the Riverside library:

The Scorpion's Sting by James Oakes
Call Number: E449 .O115 2014
ISBN: 9780393239935
Publication Date: 2014-05-19
Surrounded by a ring of fire, the scorpion stings itself to death. The image, widespread among antislavery leaders before the Civil War, captures their long-standing strategy for peaceful abolition: they would surround the slave states with a cordon of freedom. They planned to use federal power wherever they could to establish freedom: the western territories, the District of Columbia, the high seas. By constricting slavery they would induce a crisis: slaves would escape in ever-greater numbers, the southern economy would falter, and finally the southern states would abolish the institution themselves. For their part the southern states fully understood this antislavery strategy. They cited it repeatedly as they adopted secession ordinances in response to Lincoln's election.The scorpion's sting is the centerpiece of this fresh, incisive exploration of slavery and the Civil War: Was there a peaceful route to abolition? Was Lincoln late to emancipation? What role did race play in the politics of slavery? With stunning insight James Oakes moves us ever closer to a new understanding of the most momentous events in our history.

New Books Lists

New Books Lists
Your guide to new books added to the ACC Libraries Collections, including History books. Choose the General List and then select letter "E" for U.S. history books.

Reading Lists

Want to know which history books are available at each ACC Library? Visit the US History 1301 and US History 1302 Reading List Guides.

Streaming Media

Links to Films on Demand videos covering numerous history genres. Remember that you can narrow your search to a specific history subject by using the search box on either site.

Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Educational streaming videos for most subject areas.

Searching strategies

As you search for books in the Catalog or in our databases, here are a few examples of possible search strategies for history topics:

American Civil War and Texas
American Revolutionary War and nurses
Texas and Rangers

Subject Librarian

Jonathan Buckstead

Email Me

Contact:

Faculty Librarian/Professor
Cypress Creek Campus Library
1555 Cypress Creek Road
Cedar Park, TX 78613
512-223-2132
jrb@austincc.edu