College of DuPage Library

Reference Books

Confused about your topic, or not sure where to begin? Start here! Reference books are written to give you a good general overview of a topic. Print reference works are for in-library use only; ebooks can be viewed on and off campus if you have a current COD library card. The reference section is on the first floor of the library, behind the staircase. You can use the catalog or Reference Universe to find both print and electronic reference books.

• 30,000 Years of Art - N5300 .A14 2015
  • This little book is a huge timeline of art, from prehistory to contemporary! Each page contains a color photo of an artwork, the bibliographic information, and a short article. Each entry is color coded on the bottom edge of the page depending on the continent the work originated from. There is a smaller timeline of just text at the end, before the index.
  • See “Egypt” in the index, pg 648.
• Arts & Humanities Through the Eras - NX440 .A787 2005
  • This set has 5 volumes dedicated to different eras. Topics covered include music, fashion, architecture, visual arts, theater, and much more! Each book has an era overview, chronology, and table of contents at the beginning of each book and each chapter. Also included are black and white photos, maps, and illustrations; a bibliography after each entry; glossary; and index.
  • See Volume 1: “Ancient Egypt”.
• The Encyclopedia of Sculpture - NB198 .E53 2004
  • This encyclopedia contains longer articles on sculptors, famous works, works by period, style, and country/continent, and materials and techniques. There is a table of contents in the first volume by both alphabet and theme, with the index in the last volume. Also featured are black and white photos and a bibliography after each entry.
  • See “Egypt, ancient…” Volume 1, pgs 485-99.
• Grove Dictionary of Art - N31 .D5 1996
  • This is an older resource, but one of the most comprehensive art resources there is. The articles and biographies are a little longer, and features black and white photos and illustrations, maps, and an index. Also part of Oxford Art Online!
  • See “Egypt, ancient” Volume 9, pgs 769-906; Volume 10, pgs 1-95.
• Icons of Beauty: Art, Culture, and the Image of Women - N7630 .M25 2010
  • Historical record of how women are treated and portrayed in art throughout the centuries. Good long articles with great cross-indexing cover the history and method of works discussed, and related works. Features a table of contents in both volumes; black and white and color photos; bibliography; and index.
  • See Volume 1, Chapter 2: “Regal Beauty: Nefertiti (c. 1348-1336/5 BCE)”
• Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture - NA31 .C864 2006
  • Oxford is one of the premier publishers for art and architecture. This dictionary contains short, concise entries on architects as well as architectural terms and periods. Features black and white photos and illustrations and a bibliography after each entry.
  • See “Egyptian architecture” pg 255-6.

Circulating Books

These are books you can check out! They can get more specific than reference books and are located on the second floor of the library. You can search the catalog before going up or click the box below to see the call numbers for art books so you can browse the shelves. If you find a book while searching that looks awesome but that we don't own, you can submit an inter-library loan request through I-Share and another library will send you the book for free! You will need a COD library card to check books out.

• The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt - N5350 .S65 1981b
  • Outlines art and architecture of ancient Egypt in chronological order; including changes made to royal palaces by different pharaohs. Includes a table of contents; chronology; black and whtie photos, maps, diagrams; bibliography; and index.
• The Art of Ancient Egypt - N5350 .R63 1997
  • This book is only available in e-book, but don't let that stop you! Here, ancient Egyptian art is outlined in chronological order, with a timeline at the beginning of the book. Features a table of contents; black and white and color photos, maps, and diagrams; bibliography; and index.
• Art Past, Art Present - N5300 .W64 1997
  • A world look at art in chronological order from ancient to publication in 1997. The chapters are short, basically an overview of each art period, with a timeline at the end of each chapter. Features a table of contents; black and white and color photos and maps; bibliography; index; and glossary.
• Egyptian Art - N5350 .M264 1999
  • Egyptian art through its history linked with political and religious movements of each period. Features a list of deities and chronology of dynasties and important events as well as your usual table of contents; black and white and color photos and maps; bibliography; glossary; and index.
• Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids - N5350 .E37 1999
  • A catalog of an exhibition of ancient Egyptian art shown at the Met. Inside are articles written by scholars, and annotations of some artifacts have details on history and archaeological discovery attached. Features a chronology at beginning; black and white and color photos, maps, and diagrams; glossary; bibliography; and index.
• Sculpture of the World: A History - NB60 .C55 1968
  • A chronological view of sculpture from primitive and ancient to the 1960’s. Features a table of contents; black and white photos and maps; bibliography; and index.

Databases and Websites

All these are web resources that the COD library has subscribed to or that have been gathered from the internet that are helpful for this topic!

Databases - Best Bets

Below are library databases where you can access journal articles and other content. Most of these may be accessed from off-campus, but you must have a COD library card to do so.

Some suggested keywords and subject terms to use when searching for articles on this subject are:
- “ancient Egypt”
- “Armana style (Egyptian art)”
- “Egyptian architecture”
- “Egyptian art objects”
- “Egyptian art”

• Academic OneFile
  • Contains nearly 13,000 indexed journals, newspapers, and magazines, most peer reviewed and many full-text. The research is very current, not much historical content, but there are a wide range of topics covered. There's a really cool topic finder on the search results page, which gives you keywords related to your search! You have the option to save, download, or email the text or MP3 of the article, and you can make a free account to highlight and make notes on the article within the database.
• Academic Search Complete
  • Contains over 9000 journals, about 7000 of which are full-text. Some journals go back to 1880’s so you can get historical and recent publications on any given topic. There are plenty of options to narrow your search and to save and cite your article.
• Art & Architecture Complete
  • Similar to Academic Search Complete except it contains only art-specific publications! If you're looking for the subject browsing function, it's titled Thesaurus.
• Artstor
  • Find images of artworks that can be used in papers and presentations! You can search or browse by geography, media, or museum/gallery collections. Make a free account to save, organize, cite, or export images. Take a look through their subject guides to get ideas for your next project! See the Artstor Quick Start Guide for tips on using this resource.
• Oxford Art Online
  • An art major's best friend. This database includes the full text of Grove Art Online, the Oxford Companion to Western Art, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Your one-stop shop for scholarly articles, biographies, and definitions of all things art-related.

Websites

These resources were compiled from the internet. No library card required!

• George Ortiz Collection - Egyptian Objects
  • Photo gallery of objects; clicking on one will take you to a page describing the piece and it’s potential use/value.
• Google Art Project
  • The Google Art Project is the result of a partnership with museums and galleries to put the art online for free! You can search and browse by museum, collection, artist, or artwork. If you have a Google account, you can create your own "gallery" so you can save and categorize your favorite artwork.
• Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History - Ancient Egyptian Art
  • Links to the "keyword" feature of the Timeline, which lists all the essays, artworks, and timeline with the "Ancient Egyptian Art" tag. Curated by the Met.
• Global Egyptian Museum
  • Ancient Egyptian artifacts kept in museums around the world are all here in one virtual museum! You can search by object, period, media, the region the piece was found, and the museum it resides in. Clicking on a picture of an artifact in a search result takes you to it’s bibliographic information, where you can view close-ups and alternate views (just make sure you have your pop-up blocker off). There are also links to unfamiliar words in the glossary.