Guides to Sources

Bak, Janos M. Medieval Narrative Sources: A Chronological Guide (with a List of Major Letter Collections). New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1987. Useful for getting a quick idea of what major chronicles and other historical narratives were written around the time and region of any particular medieval subject.

Baxter, James Houston, Charles Johnson, and James F. Willard.  “An Index of British and Irish Latin Writers, 400-1520.”   Archivum Latinitatis Medii Aevi [Bulletin du Cange], 7 (1932), 110-219.  Rpt. as An Index of British and Irish Latin Writers, 400-1520, in Burt Franklin Bibliography and Reference Series, no. 443, Essays on Literature and Criticism, no. 174.  New York:  Burt Franklin, 1971.

Berschin, Walter.  Biographie und Epochenstil im lateinischen Mittelalter.  3- vols.  Quellen und Untersuchungen zur lateinischen Philologie des Mittelalters, vol. 8-.  Stuttgart:  Anton Hiersemann Verlag, 1986-

Biblioteca Agiografica Italiana (BAI):  Repertorio di testi e manoscritti, secoli XIII-XV.  Edited by Jacques Dalrun and Lino Leonardi, 2 vols., plus CD-ROM and instruction booklet.  (Fondazione Ezio Franceschini and Ėcole française de Rome:  Agiografia e bibbia in lingua italiana [secoli XIII-XV]; Archivio Romanzo, 4.) Florence:  Edizioni del Galluzzo, 2003.

Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina Antiquae et Mediae Aetatis [BHL].  Ed. Société des Bollandistes.  Subsidia Hagiographica, vol. 6.  Brussels:  Bollandistes, 1898-1901.  Updated by the BHL Novum Supplementum.  Ed. Henri Fros.  Subsidia Hagiographica, vol. 70.  Ibid., 1986.  To the 9031 Latin hagiographical texts indexed in the original BHL, the Supplementum adds 1000s more, including unedited texts known through published manuscript catalogues.  It adds an index of authors. 
      This material is converted into a computerized data bank by Guy Philippart and his students François de Vriend, Bénédicte Legrain, and Michel Trigalet.  A net version of this is at http://bhlms.fltr.ucl.ac.be/default.htm

Bibliotheca Hagiographica Graeca [BHG].  3rd ed.  Ed. François Halkin.  2 vols.  Subsidia Hagiographica, no. 8a.  Brussels:  Société des Bollandistes, 1957.  Supplemented by Halkin, Novum Auctarium BHG.  Subsidia Hagiographica, no. 65.  Ibid., 1984.  The initial volumes listed edited texts; the Novum Auctarium also indicates texts known in manuscript, and adds an index of authors.  Generally similar to the BHL in conception and organization.  It is the source for John W. Nesbitt, “A Geographical and Chronological Guide to Greek Saint Lives.” Orientalia Christiana Periodica, 35(2) (1969), 444-489, which attempts to arrange some of its data into geographical and chronological order.

Bibliotheca hagiographica orientalis [BHO].  Edited by Paulus Peters. Subsidia Hagiographica, 10.  Brussels:  Bollandistes, 1910.

Brunhölzl, Franz. Geschichte der lateinischen Literatur des Mittelalters.  2 vols.  Vol 1: Von Cassiodor bis zum Ausklang der karolingischen Erneuerung; Vol. 2: Die Zwischenzeit vom Ausgang des karolingischen Zeitalters bis zur Mitte des elften Jahrhunderts. Munich: Wilhelm Fink Verlag, 1975 and 1990.  Transl. as Histoire de la littérature latine du moyen âge, by Henri Rochais; with bibliographic additions by Jean-Paul Bouhot (Louvain:  Brepols, 1990).

CALMA:  Compendium Auctorum Latinorum Medii Aevi, 500-1500.  Edited by Michael Lapidge, Gian Carlo Garfagnini, and Claudio Leonardi.  1- vols.  Tavarnuzze (Firenze):  SISMEL edizioni del Galluzzo,  2000-  This intends to provide a preliminary bibliographical orientation for each author of the Latin Middle Ages and for each of his or her works.  Since it has not yet finished with authors whose names begin with `A,'  much of this information still must be obtained through Medioevo Latino and other references.

Clavis Patrum Graecorum.  5 vols.  Ed. Maurice Geerard.  Turnhout:  Brepols, 1974-83.  Treats Greek patristic writings, century by century, placing hagiographical works of known authorship under their authors and grouping anonymous works by century.  Excellent listing of editions and evaluation of authorship and authenticity.  It has been cross-indexed in the BHL Novum Supplementum (pp. 913-14).

Clavis Patrum Latinorum.  Ed. Eligius Dekkers.  3rd ed.  Corpus Christianorum Series Latina.  Turnhout:  Brepols, 1995.  As above.  The 2nd ed. (1961) was cross-indexed in the BHL Novum Supplementum (pp. 905-12); the 3rd is now indexed to the BHL and the BHG in its appendices (pp. 888-93).  The text numbers as updated in this 3rd edition are keys for searches in the electronic CETEDOC Library of Latin Christian texts.

Díaz y Díaz, Manuel C.  Index Scriptorum Latinorum Medii Aevi Hispanorum.  2 vols.  Acta Salamanticensia, Serie de filosofia y letras, vol. 13(1-2).  Salamanca:  Universidad de Salamanca, 1958-59.  A catalogue of medieval Spanish literature in Latin, arranged century by century.

Farrar, Clarissa P., and Austin P. Evans.  Bibliography of English Translations from Medieval Sources.  Records of Civilization, Sources and Studies 39.  New York:  Columbia University Press, 1946.

Ferguson, Mary Anne. Bibliography of English Translations from Medieval Sources, 1943-67.   Records of Civilization, Sources and Studies 88.  New York:  Columbia University Press, 1974.

Kenney, James Francis.  The Sources for the Early History of Ireland:  Ecclesiastical.  Records of Civilization, 11.    New York:  Columbia University Press, 1929.  Rpt., with some limited corrections by Ludwig Bieler, in New York:  Octagon Books, 1966 and 1968.  [The 2nd ed. is rpt. Blackrock:  Four Courts Press, 1993.]  A source analysis, proceeding item by item, century by century.

Lapidge, Michael, and Richard Sharpe. A Bibliography of Celtic Latin Literature, 400-1200. Dictionary of Medieval Latin from Celtic Sources, Ancillary Publications, 1.  Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 1985.

Lot, Ferdinand, et al.  “Index Scriptorum Operumque Latino-Gallicorum Medii Aevi (500-1000).” Archivum Latinitatis Medii Aevi, 14 (1939), 113-230, with pp. 180-230 devoted to hagiographical works.  Supplemented by “Additions et corrections   aux Indices Scriptorum Operumque.”  Ibid., 20 (1950), 5-64.     The extent of the 1950 corrections suggests the problems involved in what had been a hasty effort, produced under wartime conditions.

Lot, Ferdinand, et al.  “Index Scriptorum Operumque Latino-Gallicorum Medii Aevi Saec. XI (1000-1108).”  Archivum Latinitatis Medii Aevi [Bulletin Du Cange], 16 (1942), 5-59.  Many of the hagiographical texts are in their own “Vitae, Passiones, Miracula,  Translationes Sanctorum Galliae Necnon Alia Opera Hagiographica Saec. XI in Gallia Exarata.”  Archivum Latinitatis Medii Aevi [Bulletin Du Cange], 17 (1943), 5-37; with corrections by A. Boutemy, Ibid., 37-40. 

Manitius, Max.  Geschichte der lateinischen Literatur des Mittelalters.  3 vols.  Handbuch der klassischen Altertumswissenschaft, vol. 9(2).  Munich: G. H. Beck, 1911-31.  Not yet superseded, despite many deficiencies.  Extensive bibliography.

Medioevo Latino. 24- vols.   Spoleto :  Centro italiano di studi sull'alto Medioevo,  1980-.  This annual bibliography, beginning with the year 1978, reviews what has been published each year (including journal articles) concerning medieval literature and culture.  Although the framing language is Italian, many of the titles and annotations are written in English, and the Italian indexing is comprehensible to some extent to anyone who knows one or more Romance languages.  For authors ("Autori"), the largest subdivision, the alphabetized names usually correspond closely to their Latin and English counterparts.  An index of author names makes it a useful source for tracing periodical publications.  This is a good way to keep track of new editions.

Revue d'histoire ecclėsiastique: Bibliographie.  Since 1900 the last half of each number of the journal Revue d'histoire ecclėsiastique has provided the most comprehensive bibliography for ecclesiastical history (including journal articles).  Although the ancient format is a little clunky and the framing language is French, with practice you can master its use for particular purposes.  The index of authors at the close of each annual volume is accessible even to those who do not read French and offers a good way to track the publications of particular authors.  This is in the University Library stacks, but unfortunately the TTU run begins only in 1979.  In its organization, the second major section is devoted to editions and to close textual; studies.

Sharpe, Richard.  A Handlist of Latin Writers of Great Britain and Ireland before 1540.  Publications of the Journal of Medieval Latin 1.  Turnhout: Brepols, 1997.