The British Columbia Digital Library

Digital Library Collections By Subject: Literature: General

Scope note: These works, which include non-fiction, may be in any language or literary genre. Here are also philosophical treatises on various topics not listed elsewhere in the BC Digital Library subject catalogue.

See also Collections by Title International Collections by Institution specific time periods for literature and Women.

• Biblioteca Digital de Obras Raras e Especiais. São Paulo, Brazil: Universidade de São Paulo. An extraordinary collection of digital facsimile rare books on a wide range of topics dating back to the 1400s (pre-1501 works are incunabula). Many of these works pertain to early exploration of the Western Hemisphere by European adventurers and scientists. Date accessed: 2004-03-06. Date added: 2004-03-06.
• CJH Digital Collections. New York, NY: Center for Jewish History, 2007-. Multimedia digital facsimile collection of Jewish history, which includes books. Date accessed: 2007-04-01. Date added: 2007-04-01.
• Classic Bookshelf. Ivybridge, Devon, UK: Classic Bookshelf Ltd., 2000-.  Free HTML transcriptions of classic English language and translated literary works presented in HTML or in a Java-based interface that allows you to select various layout and display options. Date accessed: 2004-03-06. Date added: 2004-03-06.
• Early Modern Literary Studies (ISSN 1201-2459). Scholarly electronic journal focusing on English literature from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Extenstive links to electronic texts including classical Graeco-Roman works in English translation (for example, Aristotle, Homer, Plato, Virgil). Site-search engine.
• Electronic Text Collections in Western European Literature (Western European Studies Section, Association of College and Research Libraries). Part of WESSWEB, this guide is specific to online full-text collections in various European languages.
• The English Server (Eserver.org hosted by University of Washington). See also Digital Collections by Subject.
• EuroDocs, Primary Historical Documents From Western Europe: Selected Transcriptions, Facsimiles and Translations (Compiled by Richard Hacken, European Studies Bibliographer, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Utah). This guide covers all manner of historical documents back to the Roman conquests. As of February 2001, because there is no site-search engine, site navigation is through topical categories and the links are generally in chronological order by the date of the historical document.
• European Manuscript Server Initiative (EMSI) (Hosted by Humanities Information Technologies Research Programme, University of Bergen, Norway). Digital facsimile archive which provides access to sample historical manuscript images. Free public access is not guaranteed into the future.
• Forgotten Ground Regained: A Treasury of Alliterative and Accentual Poetry (Edited by Paul Deane). Includes links to full-text electronic versions of poetry from the medieval to the modern era illustrative of the alliterative technique. Date updated: 2001.12.04.
• HTI Public Domain Modern English Collection (Humanities Text Initiative, University of Michigan). Searchable/browsable SGML or TEI-encoded full-text collection of 17th through 20th century fiction, non-fiction and poetry from a variety of sources, including individual contributors.
• johnstonia (Ian C. Johnston hosted by Liberal Studies Department, Malaspina University-College).
• Latin Online Resources (Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library). Searchable/browsable collection of electronic versions of Latin language works. Some works are restricted works.
• Literature in Translation Electronic Texts (Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library). Searchable/browsable collection of electronic versions of English translations of world literature from all time periods. Some works are restricted access.
• The Literature Network. East Lansing, MI: Jalic Inc., 2000-. Summary: " We currently have nearly 3000 full books and almost 4000 short stories and poems by over 250 authors." A subscription plan is available that provides access without the advertising and allows you to annotate any of the texts. Date added: 2010-12-06.
• LiteraryHistory.com. Edited and published by Jan Pridmore. Summary: " Literaryhistory.com is an index to high-quality, free internet articles on topics in English and American literature. It is designed to be convenient and useful for students, scholars, writers, teachers, reading groups, and general readers. All links lead directly to articles, and articles must meet basic academic standards to be included. Literaryhistory.com ... has been online since 1998." As of October 2002, the site includes articles about 19th century British literature and 20th century American and British literature. Date accessed: 2002-10-18. Date added: 2002-10-18.
• Luminarium (Edited by Anniina Jokinen). Established ca. 1996, this extensive multimedia site covers the Medieval period (14th and 15th centuries), the Renaissance (16th century), and the 17th century. In addition to background information on these periods and the writers, site includes anthologies of works by various authors representative of their times.
• Manuscripts, Paleography, Codicology. Compiled by Martin Irvine and Deborah Everhart. Hosted by Georgetown University (Washington, DC) as part of The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies. Includes a list of " Manuscript Images and Projects in Digitized Images of Manuscripts" . Date accessed: 2002-02-09. Date added: 2002-02-10.
• The Modern English Collection (Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library). Searchable/browsable English-language SGML-encoded works from 1500 to the present. The collection contains fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, letters, newspapers, manuscripts and illustrations, and various topical categories for ease of searching and browsing.
• The Philological Museum: A Site Devoted to Humanistic Letters, Principally British. Maintained by Dana F. Sutton. Irvine, California: University of California, Irvine. HTML transcriptions of Renaissance works primarily written in English and  Latin. Date added: 2002-09-08.
• Poets' Corner (Created by Bob Blair and others). As of February 2001, close to 700 poets and over 6,000 individual poems and complete books are represented by this collection in HTML format. The full-text works are chiefly public-domain and from around the world, but primarily in English translation. Access is by author, title, subject indexes or keyword search. Biographical information on some of the poets is also available, along with a bibliography and links to other sites.
• Retrospektive Digitalisierung wissenschaftlicher Rezensionsorgane und Literaturzeitschriften des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts aus dem deutschen Sprachraum. Bielefeld, Germany: Bibliothek, Universität Biefeld. Full-text searchable or browsable collection of German language science and literary magazines. Several  of these magazines reported on global events from a German perspective. Date added: 2002-09-04. Date updated: 2004-03-06.
• Sammlung Albert Ritzaeus Hardenberg. Emden, Germany: Johannes a Lasco Bibliothek. Browsable/searchable digital facsimile collection of works published up to 1580, including incunabula, and owned by the theologian/humanist Albert Ritzaeus Hardenberg (1510-1574). Date accessed: 2004-03-06. Date added: 2004-03-06.
• Verteilte Digitale Inkunabelbibliothek (vdIB) = Decentralized Digital Incunabula Library. Cologne, Germany: Univerität zu Köln and  Universität und Stadtbibliothek Köln Wolfenbuettel, Germany: Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbuettel. Summary: " In total approx. 1000 incunabula [works printed in 1501 and earlier] will be digitized in Cologne and Wolfenbuettel (500 each) making up 5 up to 6% of the titles preserved worldwide. Thus the project provides a significant basis for the complete digitization of all available incunabula in the future. The material will be presented on the web in such a way that it may be easily integrated into any other virtual collection of incunabula, imprints or manuscripts." Date accessed: 2004-03-06. Date added: 2004-03-06.
• Die virtuelle Welt des Alten Buches (The Virtual World of the Rare Book). Berlin, Germany: Abteilung Historische Drucke (Department of Early Printed Books), Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. Subject gateway to rare book resources, including full-text and databases,  in and outside Germany. Date accessed: 2004-08-26. Date added: 2004-08-26.

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