Introduction
This and the following pages contain suggestions for further reading about software applications (spreadsheets and databases), their use by historians (using a spreadsheet for quantitative analysis) together with some general reading on the application of computers in history.

The items recommended are a mixture of books and articles (hard copy, with university library catalogue reference in bold text) and links (with URLs) to electronic documents. Those particularly recommended have been placed in Short Loan.

Computing Service documents
The CS maintains tutorial documents on WORD, EXCEL, ACCESS and many other software applications. Go to their web page and look at what is available. Many can be downloaded as WORD documents, to read on-screen or saved to disk for later printing, or can be read directly as web documents through Netscape or any other Web browser.

Guides to specific software applications and IT tasks

The WWW-internet:
The following historian’s guide to e-mail and internet resources, by Mark Becker (University of Kansas) is excellent but contains much that is not relevant. Remember that in relation to e-mail, connecting to computers through Telnet etc. there are procedures local to Bristol (and detailed in Weekly Assignment 1 and Assignment 2).

You may also find the following useful:

McCarthy, M.J. (1993) 'The historian and electronic research: file transfer protocol (FTP)', History Microcomputer Review, 9 (Fall), pp. 29-46.Serial D16.25.H45
Southall, H.R. (1993) 'Getting into gopherspace: accessing information anywhere in the world at the click of a mouse', History and Computing, 5 (2), pp. 110-20.Serial D16.25.H4
Gibson, A.J.S. (1995) 'WWW and the internet: new opportunities for historical discourse?', History and Computing, 7 (2), pp. 81-9.Serial D16.25.H4
Price, G. (1995) 'The world wide web and the historian', History and Computing, 7 (2), pp. 104-8.Serial D16.25.H4
Woestman, K.A. (1995) 'Net survey: navigating the internet', History Microcomputer Review, 11 (2), pp. 93-9. Serial D16.25.H45
Woestman, K.A. (1996) 'Net survey: exploring presidential libraries on the net', History Computer Review, 12 (2), pp. 39-52.Serial D16.25.H45
Woestman, K.A. (1997) 'Net survey: evaluating www sites', History Computer Review, 13 (1), pp. 58-91. Serial D16.25.H45

Spreadsheets:
Lewis, M.J. and Lloyd-Jones, R. (1996) Using computers in history: a practical guide. London: Routledge. Short Loan D16.12 LEW
Gosling, P. (1989) Mastering spreadsheets.  HF5548.2 GOS
Sinclair, I. (1990) Students’ guide to spreadsheets.  HF5548.2 SIN
Soper, J.B. and Lee, M.P. (1990) Statistics with LOTUS 1-2-3.  QA76.95 SOP

Database management systems (DBMS):
Lewis, M.J. and Lloyd-Jones, R. (1996) Using computers in history: a practical guide. London: Routledge. Short Loan D16.12 LEW
Weatherill, L. and Hemingway, V. (1994) Using and designing databases for academic work. A practical guide: ACCESS. Newcastle: University of Newcastle upon Tyne.  Short Loan LB1028.3 TEA
Harvey, C.E. and Press, J. (1996) Database systems and historical research; theory, methods and application.London: Macmillan. Short Loan D16.12 HAR

Using computers in history: introductory texts

The following are all in print in paperback, with the former particularly recommended:

Lewis, M.J. and Lloyd-Jones, R. (1996) Using computers in history: a practical guide. London: Routledge. Short Loan D16.12 LEW
Mawdsley, E. and Munck, T. (1993) Computing for historians: an introductory guide. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Short Loan D16.12 MAW
Greenstein, D.I. (1994) A historian’s guide to computing: an introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Short Loan D16.12 GRE
Harvey, C.E. and Press, J. (1996) Database systems and historical research; theory, methods and application.  Short Loan D16.12 HAR

Using computers in history: more advanced texts and other sources

Some idea of developments can be gained by reading back issues of Crafts (Serial AZ105.C72), the newsletter of the Computer Teaching Initiative Centre for History (CTICH); History Microcomputer Review (Serial D16.25.H45); and Computing and History Today and History and Computing (respectively Serial D16.25.C6 and Serial D16.25.H4), both published by the Association for History & Computing; and their three conference volumes:

Denley, P. and Hopkin, D. (eds) (1987) History and computing. Manchester: Manchester University Press. D16.12 HIS
Denley, P., Fogelvik, S. and Harvey, C. (eds) (1988) History and computing II. Manchester: Manchester University Press. D16.12 HIS
Mawdsley, E., Morgan, N.J., Richmond, L. and Trainor, R.H. (eds) (1991) History and computing III. Manchester: Manchester University Press. D16.12 HIS

Journals which publish quantitative history are also a good source for more detailed studies. These include:

Economic History Review Serial HC10.E2
Explorations in Economic History Serial HC10.E8
Journal of Economic History Serial HC10.J66
Journal of Interdisciplinary History Serial D1.J612
Social Science History Serial H51.S6

See also, and particularly appropriate to economic and social historians:

Middeton, R. (1995) Collected papers in historical computing, 1989-95. Oversize D16.12 MID

More advanced works on quantitative teachniques for historians

Specifically for historians
Floud, R. (1979) An introduction to quantitative methods for historians, 2nd edn. London: Methuen. Short Loan HA29 FLO
Darcy, R. and Rohrs, R.C. (1995) A guide to quantitative history. Westport, CT: Praeger. D16.17 DAR
Haskins, L. and Jeffreys, K. (1990) Understanding quantitative history. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. HA29 HAS
Jarausch, K.H. and Hardy, K.A. (1991) Quantitative methods for historians: a guide to research, data and statistics. Chaepl Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. On Order

General recommended statistical texts
Hinton, P.R. (1995) Statistics explained: a guide for social science students. London: Routledge. HA29 HIN
Solomon, R. and Winch, C. (1994) Calculating and computing for social science and arts student. Buckingham: Open University Press. Short Loan QA39.2 SOL
Kennedy, G. (1983) Invitation to statistics. Oxford: Martin Robinson. GEOGRAPHY B61
Reid, S. (1987) Working with statistics: an introduction to quantitative methods for social scientists. Oxford: Polity Press. HA29 REI
Rowntree, D. (1981) Statistics without tears: a primer for non-mathematicians.HA29 ROW
Yeomans, K.A. (1971) Statistics for the social scientist. Vol. 1: Introducing statistics. Harmondsworth: Penguin. HA29 YEO
Hopkins, K.D. and Glass, G.V. (1978) Basic statistics for the behavioural sciences. New York: John Wiley. HA33 HOP

Background Papers on Economic Statistics
We have prepared a number of background papers for those who would like to learn more about the more economic and quantitative aspects of IT and its application to historical problems.

Finally
If you are feeling a little jaded by it all have a read of:
Skinner, D. (1997) 'Computers: good for education?', Public Interest, 128 (Summer), pp. 98-109. Serial H1.P8
and reflect on why the gains from IT in education might be so questionable in the US!

To IT-MA home page
To Department of Historical Studies home page.

(c)R. Middleton 1997.    Last Modified 30 June 1998.