Research Guides: 19th Century Theatre History: #1 Bibliographies & Indexes

Why Use Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and Histories?

Start Your Research

By using the Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Histories available online. If you are just getting starting on a topic these tools will acquaint you with the terms and ideas in your topic.

Encyclopedias are a comprehensive reference works containing articles on a wide range of subjects or on numerous aspects of a particular field, usually arranged alphabetically.
Dictionaries are a reference books containing an alphabetical list of words, with information given for each word, usually including meaning, pronunciation, and etymology.
Histories are a chronological record of events, as of the life or development of a people or institution, often including an explanation of or commentary on those events.

Online Versions Of Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and Histories

The Oxford companion to theatre and performance
Providing the most important information about theatre and performance from ancient Greece to the present day, this two volume encyclopedia has a thematic contents, a timeline, a general bibliography and an index of plays to complement the A-Z entries.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
The Oxford English Dictionary is the authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is a guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. It traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books.
Theatre in Context Collection This link opens in a new window
Both Annals of the New York Stage, Before 1789-1894 and Records of the New York Stage from 1750 to 1860 can be searched by clicking on ALL WORKS

A comprehensive reference work covering all aspects of the Canadian and American Theatre. Includes some 40,000 pages of major reference materials, together with records to approximately 30,000 plays, 57,000 people, 5,400 theatres, 22,000 productions, and 2,500 production companies.Also includes approximately 10,500 images, playbills, postcards, scrapbooks and other resources.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Online collection of dictionaries, encyclopedias, biographical sources
Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 This link opens in a new window
Provides over 14,000 primary source titles based on Joseph Sabin's bibliography, Bibliotheca Americana. Materials describe every aspect of life in the Western Hemisphere from 1500 to the 1890s. Included are books, pamphlets, serials and other documents that provide original accounts of exploration, trade, colonialism, slavery and abolition, the western movement, Native Americans, military actions and much more. Searchable in a variety of ways, including: author, title, year of publication, and subject.

Enter Records of the New York Stage found in Sabin Americana 1500-1926
Victorian Popular Culture This link opens in a new window
Victorian Popular Culture is an essential resource for the study of popular entertainment in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The resource is divided into four self-contained sections: Moving Pictures, Optical Entertainments and the Advent of Cinema; Music Hall, Theatre and Popular Entertainment; Circuses, Sideshows and Freaks; Spiritualism, Sensation and Magic.

Print Versions of Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and Histories

History of the Theatre by Brockett. Oscar G.
A good example of a general, chronological history of world theater. Well indexed.
Stage Deaths: A Biographical Guide to International Theatrical Obituaries, 1850 to 1900. by Bryan, George B.
A useful guide to obituaries and biographies of both famous and obscure "theatrical artists". He includes thousands of actors, dancers, circus performers, film stars and theatre historians in two volumes of alphabetically arranged entries. Entries cite obituaries in nine newspapers, including the New York times and The times (London) as well as book-length biographies and autobiographies. Because date and place of death are given, readers can check local newspapers for additional death notices. This set compliments the Variety obituaries (begins at 1905) well because it extends further back in time and because it cites additional sources.
The Oxford Companion to the Theatre by Hartnoll, Phylis
Offers concise, authoritative essays on all forms of theater, from street performance to legitimate stage, from ancient Greece to the present. Entries for persons, terms, topics, famous theaters, and other proper names.
McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama by Hochman, Stanley
A truly wonderful encyclopedia comprehensive in scope. The 2nd ed. expands both the text and pictorial content. All articles were written, revised or updated by contributors who are active in the academic or practical theatre world. Coverage on dramatists comprises five sections; biographical outlining the highlights of a dramatists life, analytical assessing creative achievements, synopses of major plays and a play list.
Records of the New York Stage from 1750 to 1860 by Ireland, Joseph N.
An ancestor to Odell's Annals of the New York Stage. Ireland discusses performances in various New York theaters up to the Civil War. Written in a narrative style, each chapter contains cast lists for plays produced during a particular year. Ireland comments on various actors and actresses and provides some death notices. A general index appears at the end of the second volume. Use this work to supplement Odell.
An Outline History of American Drama by Merserve, Walter J.
Focuses on American plays and playwrights from the Colonial period to present day. Topics discussed in terms of historical development, the achievements of particular dramatists, and the contribution of particular plays. Each chapter relates the progress of dramatic criticism and the achievements of the theatre to a developing American drama.
Victorian Actors and Actresses in Review: by Mullin, Donald
Mullin has collected excerpts of Victorian criticism of 234 actors and actresses of the period. So that the reader can consider the leading players in relation to their supporting actors, Mullin includes reviews of both stars and unknowns. For both he selects criticism of the actors abilities in general and criticism of their performance of specific roles. Critics quoted include George Bernard Shaw, Otis Skinner, and William Winter, the "doyen of New York theatre critics." Entries are arranged alphabetically and include the actor's dates and nationality. Excerpts are arranged chronologically. Full bibliographic information for each citation in the bibliography is included. A subject index completes the volume.
Annals of the New York Stage, Before 1789-1894 by Odell, George C.D.
This history of the New York Stage relies on newspaper articles and other primary source materials. The definitive history of early New York Theatre.
Encyclopedia of Vaudeville. by Slide Anthony
Focusing on personalities, including performers, creative talents, and administrators, but also including entries on theaters, genres, etc., this is the first comprehensive encyclopedia on Vaudeville. Each entry, when appropriate, includes a very brief bibliography. A guide to Vaudeville research resources available in libraries is also included.
Cambridge Guide to American Theatre by Wilmeth, Don B. and Miller, Tice L.
This Cambridge work rivals the Oxford Companion the American Theatre in its ability to provide short, factual answers to questions about the world of American theatre. Eighty writers, including many of the best-known theatre historians, inform readers about all subjects related to the Theatre and to vaudeville, burlesque, the circus, magic, and film festivals. Cambridge is more inclusive than Oxford whose scope includes only legitimate theatre. Cambridge also does a better job with the histories of major American cities such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. Oxford, however, provides many more entries for individual plays and persons. Cambridge includes a bibliography written by Wilmeth and a introductory historical survey. At the moment, Cambridge is more up-to-date than Oxford, but that advantage will alternate as additional editions are issued.
Documents of American Theater History.
Vol. 1 covers theatre buildings from 1716-1899, Vol. 2 from 1900-1971. In addition to brief overview of period each volume contain source material from magazines and newspapers plus illustrations and photographs.
Famous Actors and Actresses on the American Stage
Presents information about 225 American actors, mostly from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He uses excerpts from articles, interviews, and reviews published at the time the actor was working to present both the actor's views on the profession and the critical reception of his or her work. Chapters are arranged alphabetically by name and excerpts are presented with citations at the end of each chapter. The book is useful only as a beginning point. Young includes a general index and a chronological index as well as a bibliography at the end of the volume.

Why Use Bibliographies and Indexes?

Bibliographies

Bibliographies are a list of writings that share a common factor: this may be a topic, a language, a period, or some other theme. The list may be comprehensive or selective. One particular instance of this is the list of sources used or considered in preparing a work, sometimes called a reference list. A bibliography may be arranged by author, topic, or some other scheme. Annotated bibliographies give descriptions about how each source is useful to an author in constructing a paper or argument. These descriptions, usually a few sentences long, provide a summary of the source and describe its relevance. Reference management software may be used to keep track of references and generate bibliographies as required.

Indexes

Indexes are an alphabetical list of names or subjects dealt with in a book, indicating where they are referred to a file or catalogue in a library which enables a book or reference to be found. You will find a number of Indexes in the "Finding Articles & Databases" tab of this guide, however the ones listed here are only available in print.

Bibliographies and Indexes/Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and Histories

Three Centuries of English and American Plays: a checklist. United States: 1714-1830 by Bergquist, G. William
Compiled as an index to the Readex Microprint edition of Three Centuries of English and American Plays, this checklist can stand on its own as a bibliography of 5,500 plays written between 1500 and 1830. Entries are arranged by playwright and list the earliest edition known and significant later editions for each play. Anonymous works can be found under their titles. Entries include brief bibliographical information and chronological period to which the play belongs. As there is no title index readers must know the playwright's name when looking for a specific play.
Dubois William R. English and American Stage Productions: An Annotated Checklist of Prompt Books 1800-1900 from the Nisbet-Snyder Drama Collection, Northern Illinois University Libraries. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1973
English and American Stage Productions: An Annotated Checklist of Prompt Books 1800-1900
Prompt books and production editions of plays are valuable resources to theatre historians because they often contain notes that illuminate historical practices in staging and production. This work catalogs more than 2,000 promptbooks and prompter's editions of plays that form a collection held by the Northern Illinois Univ. Library. The plays were produced on the American and English stage between 1775 and 1900, and these books were used and annotated by directors and actors of those productions. Entries are arranged alphabetically by playwright. Each entry includes a physical description of the promptbook, a description of its covers and any handwritten marks in the text, the date of the earliest recorded New York or London production, and references to secondary sources. Indexes provide additional access by play titles and names of persons mentioned in the text.
Ellis, James ed. English Drama of the Nineteenth Century: an index and finding guide. New Canaan, CT: Readex Books, 1985.
English Drama of the Nineteenth Century: an index and finding guide by Ellis, James
This single alphabetical listing by author and title of approximately 9,000 plays constitutes a substantial bibliography of nineteenth-century English drama. Its primary purpose, however is as an index and finding guide to the English plays issued through 1981 in the Readex Microprint Collection English and American Drama of the Nineteenth Century. It ranges far beyond the drama proper to include children's plays, pantomime books of words, minstrel dialogues, solo entertainments, opera libretti and vocal scores, and translations of Continental dramatists from Aeschylus to Ibsen. The earlier English dramatists, most particularly Shakespeare, are well represented in collected series of the standard repertory and in acting editions citing nineteenth-century casts and reflecting stage productions from the time of Sarah Siddons and John Philip Kemble to that of Henry Irving and Ellen Terry.
Nineteenth-Century American Drama: a finding guide by Hixon, Don L. and Hennessee, Don A.
The Readex Corporation's English and American Drama of the 19th Century microprint collection is a monumental work, containing thousands of plays. It is located in the Microprint section of Bobst on the A Level. Because of the difficulty of access, Hixon and Hennessee created an index to part of the collection entitled "American Plays, 1831-1900". That section includes 4,500 plays. Authors and titles are arranged alphabetically with all titles cross-referenced to authors. Because Readex classified some plays under their adapters' names instead of their authors (for instance Shakespeare's works are listed under various adaptors' names), Hixon and Hennessee provide cross-references. Appendices include one for series of plays, an ethnic/racial cast index and a subject/form index. This last section locates children's plays, minstrel plays, temperance plays, and so forth.
American Dissertations on the Drama and the Theatre: a bibliography by Litto, Fredric
Litto uses a computer to compile this list of 4,565 dissertations containing information about the theatrical arts. Although access is provided by author, sufficient and keyword-in-context indexes, the actual bibliography is arranged by a computer-generated reference mode. Each entry lists the author and title of the dissertation along with university and department names, degree granted, and date. Since this work stops at 1965, one must use Dissertation Abstracts International and the lists published annually in Theatre Journal (formerly Educational Theatre Journal) to find more recent theses.
The Magazine and the Drama: An index by Pence, James Harry
An early attempt to index theatre articles in the periodical literature, Pence's work locates articles about "acted drama" in 166 nineteenth-century magazines. These include Blackwood's, Godey's, Lippincott's, McClure's, and the Spectator as well as other lesser known titles. Although Pence does not state the years he has indexed they appear to be from around 1872 to 1896. Subjects and authors appear in one alphabet, and citations list periodical, volume, beginning page, and (sometimes) date. The most reliable indexing is by personal name, but one can find information on topics such as "voice, culture of" and "German stage." The usefulness of this volume depends in part on the availability of nineteenth-century periodicals.
American Theatrical Periodicals by Stratman, Carl Joseph
Stratman has listed in chronological order all known theatrical periodicals published in the United States to 1967. Although he found 685 titles, he warned that this first effort was likely incomplete. Entries list bibliographic citations and holdings in several American libraries. Using the index, readers can locate periodical titles, editors, cities of publication, organizations sponsoring periodicals and some keywords-in-the-title terms such as "ballet," "dance," or "repertory." Stratman explains the use of the bibliography and index in a clearly written introduction. Although now in need of an update, this work will help those looking for older periodicals.