How to find older books: identifying and locating older editions tracing the publication history of a writer or a work researching the printed output of a time period

Can't find it in WorldCat?

The following resources help you identify older material, verify or correct a citation, and sometimes locate obscure material. A more complete listing of resources is available in the Guide to Primary Literature.

• The NUC Catalogue indexes books printed before 1956. Includes books printed in Europe and Latin America.
  B Level  (North end) Z881.A1C28 QUARTO
  
• The British Library (Museum) Catalogue indexes books before 1955. Also available online
  General Reference on M Level Z921.B86 1959 QUARTO
  
• Gesamtverzeichnis des deutschsprachigen Schriftums 1911-1965 General Reference Z 2221 .G48
  Gesamtverzeichnis des deutschsprachigen Schriftums (GV): 1700-1910 D-Level Stacks Z 2221 .G46
  Similar to the NUC Catalogue, but for German books.
  

 Individual Catalogues

• Short-title catalogue of books printed in the German-speaking countries and German books printed in other countries from 1455 to 1600. from the British Museum. Special Collections Reference (A Level) Z2222 .B73 1962.
  
• Catalogue of books printed in the German-speaking countries and of German books printed in other countries from 1601 to 1700 now in the British Library. Special Collections Reference (A Level) Z 2222.B74 1994.
  
• Handbuch der Editionen : deutschsprachige Schriftsteller Ausgang d. 15. Jahrhunderts bis zur Gegenwart. Lists scholarly editions with commentary. General Reference PT 85 .H32 1979.
  
• Deutsche Drucke des Barock 1600-1720 in der Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel Z 2222.H47 1977 QUARTO.
  
• "VD17" : Verzeichnis der im deutschen Sprachraum erschienenen Drucke des 17. Jahrhunderts.
  
• Grundriss zur Geschichte der deutschen Dichtung aus den Quellen. ("Goedeke") A Bible for German literary research; includes listing by author name with primary and secondary sources (including articles). PM4042.G57 1975.
  
• Personalbibliographien zu den Drucken des Barock. PM 4042.D8 1990 QUARTO.
  
• Catalogue of books printed on the continent of Europe, 1501-1600, in Cambridge libraries. Herbert Adams.
  Special Collections Reference (A Level) Z 1014 .A38 196
  
  
  

Need to find the text online?

• Google Books now has the complete page images from thousands of books, most of them "old". Use the Advanced Search for more precision.
  Try searching on a phrase from the book you're looking for. Or keywords that will easily identify it.
  
• Many texts are online in various e-text archives, like Zeno.org
  
• See the page on E-Texts in German Literature for more.

Special Collections on A Level can be your best resource for help with rare books.