A guide to literary and historical research If you want to know . . . Primary sourcesSecondary sourcesHow people viewed a particular issue during a period of historyNon-fiction writing about the subject Magazine articles Newspaper articles Pamphlets Books Fiction that addresses the subject Popular culture about the subject Popular songs Advertisements Images Private writings, such as diaries and lettersHistorical studies about the period Historical studies about the issue Studies of the writer (or of literature in general) that focus on that issue Critical articles about your book that focus on this issueThe writer’s view of the issue and/or this textOther published writings by this person, including essays about literature and other pieces of fiction Letters and diaries Biographical reports from the period about themBiographies of the writer Studies of the writer’s work Critical articles that focus on the writer’s perspectiveHow people responded to the textReviews published at the time Articles about the author published during that period or soon thereafter Letters or diaries (though these are very hard to find)Critical articles that focus on readers’ responses Biographies of the writer Studies of the writer’s careerHow this book compares with others from the period or by the writerOther works published at the time Reviews published at the time, of this and other similar books Essays about literature published at the timeStudies of the writer’s career (both individual articles and books) Studies of the genre or movement (both individual articles and books)