Library Research Guide for History 97g: "What is Legal History?"

Elgar encyclopedia of comparative law, ed. by Jan M. Smits. 2nd ed. Cheltenham, UK ; Northampton, Mass. : Edward Elgar Pub., 2012. 1024 p.
Law School | Reference | K48 .E42 2012

Encyclopedia of law & society : American and global perspectives, ed. by David S. Clark. Los Angeles : Sage Publications, 2007. 3 v.
Law School | Reference | K583 .E53 2007
Widener | RR 4223.2.20

Legal systems of the world : a political, social, and cultural encyclopedia, ed. by Herbert M. Kritzer. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, 2002. 4 v.
Law School | Reference | K48 .L44 2002

The Oxford handbook of comparative law, ed. by Mathias Reimann and Reinhard Zimmermann. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2006, 1430 p. 
Law School | Reference | K48 .O96 2006 Copies 1-2
Law School | Reserve | K48 .O96 2006
HOLLIS Record
Online version

Oxford international encyclopedia of legal history, ed. by Stanley N. Katz. Oxford; NY: Oxford University Press, 2009, 6 v.
Law School | Reference | K50 .O94 2009
Law School | Special Coll Ref | K50 .O94 2009 Copy 2
Online Version

Subject Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Contemporary subject encyclopedias and dictionaries are useful in interpreting primary sources. They can be found in the HOLLIS Catalog with, e.g., <Law dictionaries> as a Subject Keyword search, limited by year range.

A compendious law dictionary, containing both an explanation of the terms and the law itself. Intended for the use of the country gentleman, the merchant, and the professional man. London, T. Ostell, 1803.

Standard legal dictionary:
Black's law dictionary, ed. by Bryan A. Garner. Tenth edition. St. Paul, MN : Thomson Reuters, 2014, 2016 pages
HOLLIS Records
Widener | RR 4423.2.5
Several editions online in Internet Archive (Set up free account to view)

Earlier editions go back to the 1891 first ed.:
A dictionary of law; containing definitions of the terms and phrases of American and English jurisprudence, ancient and modern; including the principal terms of international, constitutional, and commercial law; with a collection of legal maxims and numerous select titles from the civil law and other foreign systems, by Henry Campbell Black. St. Paul, Minn., West Publishing Co., 1891, x, 1253 p.
Hein Online version
Law School Rare KF156 .B53x 1891
Location : Widener Harvard Depository Gov 5078.91

Find intermediate editions in HOLLIS
Includes: Bibliographical List of Principal Law Dictionaries in English and Foreign Languages Bibliographical List, p. vii-x.

Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources (1620-1970) includes law dictionaries (important for investigating the history of legal concepts or interpreting the meaning of older documents). Go to Advanced Search--Limit Your Search--By Publication Type. Choose Law Dictionaries. You can browse the available sources by hitting Search without putting in a search term.

Oxford Dictionary of Law Entries define and explain the major terms, concepts, processes, and organization of the law.

General historical dictionary: Oxford English Dictionary

Research Guides, Treatise Finders, & Tutorials lists legal research guides by topic.

Cambridge history of law in America, ed. by Michael Grossberg, Christopher Tomlins. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.  (3 volumes)
-- v. 1. Early America (1580-1815) -- v. 2. The long nineteenth century (1789-1920) -- v. 3. The twentieth century and after (1920- ).

CQ Encyclopedia of American Government Includes biographical information, essays, images, and primary sources organized around 5 categories of content: 
--Presidency
--Supreme Court (includes documents on the Court's organization and powers, landmark cases, constitutional law, current and past justices)
--Congress (includes documents on Congress's organization and powers, the legislative process, policy, current and past members)
--Elections
--Constitution

Oxford Companion to American Law Offers a comprehensive guide to the development and current status of American law through an alphabetical organization that comprises several broad categories of entries. Print version:
Lamont | REFERENCE | KF154 .O96 2002
Law School | Reference | KF154 .O96 2002 c.2
Law School | Special Coll Ref | KF154 .O96 2002
Widener | RR 4423.4

The Oxford Guide to the United States Government

The U.S. justice system : an encyclopedia, ed. by Steven Harmon Wilson. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, 2012. 3 v.

American National Biography is the standard American source for biographies of major figures. Can do searches of occupations and limit by date.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is the standard British source for biographies of major figures. Can do searches of occupations and limit by date: Advanced Search Options: People Search.

Biographical dictionary of the common law, ed. by A.W.B. Simpson. London : Butterworths ; St. Paul, Minn.: Mason Pub. Co., 1984, 559 p.
Largely British; Contributions to law pre-1939.
HOLLIS Record
Internet Archive Full Text

World Biographical Information System includes online full text of thousands of biographical dictionaries accessible by name of biographee. More information.

Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) indexes thousands of English-language biographical dictionaries and other compendia. Not full text; one must do HOLLIS searches for retrieved sources.

Additional sources in Finding Biographical Information