Judaica and Near Eastern Studies 

Reference books are usually encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, atlases, etc. They are intended to provide quick, reliable information, summaries of complex matters, and, very importantly, bibliographies--suggestions for futher reading. They can be in digital as well as paper form.

These reference materials are invariably written by experts in their fields, so they are more trustworthy than Wikipedia--all have gone through a process of editorial review. For an illustrated explanation, see the PowerPoint presenation, "What is a referred or scholarly article?"

All printed reference sources are located on the Main level, Du Bois Library

Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. REF BP40.E525 2004 2v.

Encyclopedia of Islamic Civilization and Religion REF BP40.E526 2008

Encyclopaedia of the Qurʼān. 5v. REF BP133.E53 2001

The Muslim Almanac: A Reference Work on the History, Faith, Culture, and Peoples of Islam. REF BP40.M83 1996+

The Qur'an: an encyclopedia. REF BP133.Q97 2006

Encyclopedia Judaica REF DS102.8.E496 2007 22v. Also available online.

Medieval Jewish Civilization: An Encyclopedia REF DS.124.M386 2003+

The Jerwish Year Book REF DS153.E5A3 5768-5769 2008

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust REF Ds135.E8E45 2001 3v.

The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in eastern Europe REF DS135.E8Y578 2008 2v.

Historical Dictionary of Ancient Israel REF DS102.8.L38 2004

Historical Dictionary of Palestine REF DS102.8.N397 1997

Encyclopedia of the Palestinians REF DS113.6.E53 2005

Historical Dictionary of Israel REF DS126.5.R38 1992

New Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel REF DS149.N56 1994 2v.

Historical Dictionary of Jordan REF DS154.G83 1991

Historical Dictionary of Saudi Arabia REF DS221.P48 2003

Historical Dictionary of the Gulf Arab States REF DS247.A15P43 1997

Historical Dictionary of Iran REF DS270.L67 1995

The World Fact Book
Geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, transnational issues. Produced by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Europa World Yearbook
Excellent source on individual nations, with statistics, political summaries, and economic information.

EIU Country Reports
Economist Intelligence Unit economic and political analysis and statistics, worldwide.

PolicyFile
Full text policy papers from think tanks, research institutes, and agencies.