Working on a period play? This page offers selected resources to help you learn about the historical context: the time in which the characters would have lived and what their experiences might have been. Note that many of the sources mentioned here are region-specific, but you can always use the Discover and library research guides to search for more reference works, books, newspapers, etc. that are appropriate for the geographic location of the play you're investigating.
Dictionary of American History by 
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present by 
The Oxford Companion to United States History by 
American Popular Culture Through History series
Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History by 
Encyclopedia of Recreation and Leisure in America by 
Working Americans, 1880-1999 by If writing about a specific trade or profession, finding a handbook or guide about it is helpful. For example, a Discover search on the terms "physicians guide" returns books like The Yale Guide to Careers in Medicine & the Health Professions : Pathways to Medicine in the Twenty-first Century published in 2003 as well as A Guide to the Practical Physician published in 1684.
TimeFind even more on our News Sources guide!
For a more in-depth look into the mind and experience of a person from a particular time or place, try searching the Discover for biographies, memoirs, journals, diaries, correspondence, or narratives (narrow by time – e.g., 20th century – and/or place – e.g., United States). If you have the name of a specific person, do an author search on that person’s name.
Aside from being good sources for getting in-depth information about a time period or event, history books can also lead you to more primary sources. For a location-specific history, in Discover do a SU Subject Terms search on the name of the place and the word history (e.g., chicago history).
