Guides: HIST 358: The Holocaust: Find Primary Sources

Newspaper and Magazine Archives

Life Magazine Archive (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Life Magazine Archive presents an extensive collection of the famed photojournalism magazine, spanning its very first issue in November, 1936 through December, 2000 in a comprehensive cover-to-cover format. Published by Time Inc., the magazine has featured story-telling through documentary photographs and informative captions.
News, Policy & Politics Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Includes the backfiles of 15 major magazines (including the Newsweek archive), spanning areas including current events, international relations, and public policy. These titles offer multiple perspectives on the contemporary contexts of the major events, trends, and interests in these fields throughout the twentieth century. The collection will provide valuable primary source content for researchers in fields ranging from history and political science, through to law and economics. Coverage from 1918 - 2015
New York Times, Historical plus Index (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: the New York Times provides the full image of articles published in the New York Times from its first issue in 1851. It is searchable by keyword, author, article title, and first paragraph (abstract). You can browse issues by clicking Publications at the top of the screen. It includes illustrations and advertisements. The title changed from the New York Daily Times to the New York Times in 1857.
Time Magazine Archive (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
The Time Magazine Archive presents an extensive collection of the prominent weekly news magazine dating back to its first issue in March 1923 through December 2000, presented in a comprehensive cover-to-cover format.
Times Digital Archive (1785-2013) This link opens in a new window
The Times Digital Archive is an online, full-text facsimile of more than 200 years of The Times (London), one of the most highly regarded resources for eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century news coverage, with every page of every issue from 1785 through 2013. This historical newspaper archive allows researchers an unparalleled opportunity to search and view the best-known and most cited newspaper in the world online in its original published context.

Published Primary Sources

The resources here are collections of primary sources that have been translated and published for greater scholarly use. If you would like to search WorldCat for similar sources, you can try searching using the following phrases:

Personal narratives
Diaries
Letters
Documents

Alternatively, you can try using the following subject headings to identify published primary sources:

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Personal narratives
Holocaust survivors -- Personal narratives
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Sources

If you have questions about identifying what part of these resources are the primary sources, be sure to ask a librarian!

The Third Reich Sourcebook by Anson Rabinbach; Sander L. Gilman; Lilian M. Friedberg (Translator)
Call Number: Ref DD256.5 .T5245 2013
ISBN: 9780520276833
Publication Date: 2013-07-10
This book is a collection of documents, mostly translated from the German, that covers the entire Third Reich, from the beginnings of National Socialism in Munich in 1919, through the rise of Nazism in the 1930s, and ultimately the defeat of the Third Reich. It is wide-ranging, covering the core doctrine of anti-Semitism, education, German youth, women and marriage, science, health, the Church, literature, visual arts, music, the body, industry, sports, and the resistance
Documents on the Holocaust by Yitzchak Arad
Call Number: D810.J4 D63 1981
ISBN: 0870687549
Publication Date: 1979-01-01
This volume presents a comprehensive collection of essential documents for students and laymen interested in the history of the Holocaust. The collection reflects both the major trends in Nazi ideology and policy towards the Jews and the behaviour and reaction of the Jews to the Nazi challenge. Available both in print and as an e-book.
A Holocaust Reader by Lucy S. Dawidowicz (Editor, Introduction by, Notes by)
Call Number: D810.J4 H65
ISBN: 0874412196
Publication Date: 1976-01-01
A collection of official and private documents traces the growth of and reveals the Jewish response to German anti-Semitism during World War II.

Online Primary Sources

Several archives, museums, and special collections are digitizing and making their collections available online. The links below will take you to some of these digitized collections. If you need assistance navigating any of these collections, please contact the librarian for help.

German History in Documents and Images
German History in Documents and Images (GHDI) is an online collection of primary-source materials documenting various aspects of German history from the Early Modern period to the present. The project consists of ten chronologically ordered volumes, each of which features a large selection of carefully chosen texts and images, as well as maps and audiovisual sources in some cases. Each volume also includes an introduction to the featured period as well as other commentaries. The website is completely bilingual (English/German).
Nuremberg Trials Project - Harvard Law Library
An open-access project of the Harvard University Law Library to provide access to digitized files related to the Nuremberg Trials. Includes trial transcripts, briefs, document books, evidence files, and other papers.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collections
The digitized collections of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. These include artworks, diaries, films, oral histories, and photographs. Users can browse collections or search for specific material.
Yad Vashem Digital Collections
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, offers several digital collections, including an online photo archive, survivor testimonies, and photographed artifacts.

Oral Histories and Survivor Testimonies

Survivors of the Holocaust have given hours of testimony about their experiences. These are just a few collections of these testimonies that are available.

The Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
Hosted by Yale University, the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies has gathered thousands of survivor accounts since the 1970s. Users will be required to sign up with Aviary, the hosting platform, to access the collection.
Oral Histories at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
This link takes you directly to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's collection of oral histories.
Yad Vashem - Survivor Testimonies
The Archives at Yad Vashem have collected over 15,000 survivor testimonies. Some are available as video, others are as documents. The testimonies are given in several languages.

Voices from the Holocaust by Sylvia Rothchild; Elie Wiesel (Foreword by)
Call Number: D810.J4 V63
ISBN: 0453003966
Publication Date: 1981-04-21
Two hundred and fifty survivors tell of their experiences, recollections and thoughts in a way accessible to the general reading public. This book offers a human view of an unhuman time.