What is a primary source?
Material that provides a first-hand account of a subject or event. Examples include diaries, photographs, interviews, and original research studies. Sometimes referred to as original sources or source material.
Below are themed groupings of select databases available through WU Libraries. To find additional collections, check the A-Z Database List or check the Research Guides for specific subject areas of interest.
Databases for Primary Sources, Digitized Collections
A selected listing of primary source collections available through WU. To find additional collections, check the A-Z Database List or check the Research Guides for specific subject areas of interest.
Image from: Defining Gender, 1450-1910
- Early English Books Online (EEBO) (1475 - 1700)Contains over 125,000 titles listed in Pollard & Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475 - 1640), Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700), the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661), and the Early English Books Tract Supplement.
- Early European Books, 1450 to 1700High-resolution facsimile images of rare and hard-to-access printed sources from Early Modern Europe, roughly 1450-1700. In multiple languages and covering multiple subjects and disciplines. Currently, EEB has collections from the Det Kongelige Bibliotek (Royal Library, Copenhagen), Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze (National Central Library of Florence), Koninklijke Bibliotheek (National Library of the Netherlands), Wellcome Library (London, UK), and others.
- Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO)Books and other materials published between 1701 and 1800 in the United Kingdom and the Americas.
- Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO)Includes monographs, newspapers, periodicals, diaries, gov't documents, personal letters, manuscripts, maps, pamphlets of long 19th century (1789-1914) from UK, Africa, continental Europe, East and South Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
- Literary Print Culture: The Stationers' Company Archive, 1554-2007 This link opens in a new windowIncludes a diverse range of material from the archive of the Stationers' Company archive including constitutional records, court records, membership records, financial records, trade records, general administrative records, and charities and property records. The Stationers' Company Archive is one of the most important resources for understanding the workings of the early book trade, the establishment of legal requirements for publishing, especially copyright provisions, the printing and publishing community and the history of bookbinding.
HathiTrust Digital Library
Includes 3+ million volumes of full text including many primary sources. More information and searching tips.
Search the WU Catalog for Primary Sources
To search for primary sources, include "sources" as a subject keyword in Advanced Search. For letters, include "correspondence". For diaries, include "diaries".
Search for books using Washington University Libraries' catalog.