In This Guide:

Why background?

Background sources (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, etc.) provide well established summary and factual information. Useful for:

basic concepts and established viewpoints
historical context and relationships to other topics
specialized terms and definitions
data, facts, formulas

French Language & Literature: Encyclopedias

General encyclopedias, French language and online

Here are a couple of free and online French-language encyclopedia websites. The Larousse site has its roots in the print edition of the Grande Encyclopédie from the publisher Larousse, which the Libraries own. Click here for more information about print encyclopedias ...

Encyclopédie contributive Larousse
From a major publisher, a French collaborative online encyclopedia, which hopes to rival the French Wikipedia.
Wikipédia, encyclopédie libre
The French-language version ...

General encyclopedias, in print, French language

Encyclopædia Universalis
Call Number: Ref AE 25 .E3 1996

A 20-volume set; roughly the equivalent of Encyclopedia Americana.
La Grande Encyclopédie
Call Number: Ref AE 25 .G69

Another 20-volume set; the last edition published by Larousse, with publication starting in 1971.
Petit Larousse Illustré
Call Number: Ref AG 25 .P43 2003

A one-volume illustrated encyclopedia.
Larousse trois volumes en couleurs
Call Number: Ref AG 25 .L26

A three-volume set, illustrated. Dates from 1965-66.

Country reports

Try the following sources for information about individual countries.

CultureGrams: World Edition from Axiom Press
Brief profiles of 181 countries. Includes some cultural information appropriate for travelers.

Includes 25 categories such as Land & Climate, People, Customs & Courtesies, Lifestyle, Society, History, Religion, Family, and Economy. Also has multimedia content such as typical greetings and the national anthem.

Political Risk Yearbook (in Ebsco's Bus. Source Premier)
Longer (40-70+ pages) profiles of 100 countries, developed and developing only. These profiles are great for information about the political scene, and the economy.
MU community only.
Country Studies (Library of Congress) - the Area Handbook series
Although no longer updated (originally published 1988-1998), these online books are long (200+ pages) profiles of countries. Good for history, culture, geography, and more.
Country Profiles (Library of Congress)
Successors to the Country Studies (previous link), these are shorter profiles of countries, and have been updated more recently.

Online reference collections

Cambridge Companions to Literature and Classics from Cambridge Collections Online
Searches in-depth introductory essays on significant subjects in literature and the classics, covering major authors, periods, and genres.

From the Cambridge Companion series.
Gale eBooks from Gale
Full-text access to 400+ resources covering a broad selection of topics.

Covers arts, business, communication, drama, history, medicine, religion, social science and more.
Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL) from ProQuest
Part of Literature Online (LION); Full-text database of English-language sources; broadly covers literature and cultural documents. 1920-present.

To search ABELL, select the ABELL link in the "Criticism" column.