When you begin a research project, the library
catalog is often the first place to turn. (Other key tools include periodicalindexes, which index the contents of journals and newspapers, and reference tools
such as dictionaries and encyclopedias.) We will use Fondren Library's WebCat, but asimilar process will work for other library catalogs. For a more in-depth tutorial,
visit our
WebCat module .
Once you pull up the basic search page for the catalog, enter "gordon"
and "egypt" into the text box, check the keyword option and select "SearchEverything." You will find several entries; one in particular seems very promising.
"Gordon at Khartoum"
We find several relevant terms here, including "English occupation of
Egypt." Select the view option to see the entire entry. Scroll down a bit and youwill find a very helpful link to a subject heading that seems to describe
Gordon.
Personal subject: Gordon, Charles George, 1833-1885. Given our hunch that Britain was "too late" to save Gordon, it would make
sense that he died in 1885. If this is our man, this link should bring up otherbooks about him. Select this link and let's take a look at the options it presents.
Among the entries we find the terms Mahdi, Egypt, Eminent Victorians
(Gordon's death took place during the Victorian period in Britain), and greatdeaths, among other related terms. Although we cannot absolutely guarantee that this
is the Gordon referred to in our work, it certainly seems to be a promising avenuefor further research.
It should be noted that building a bibliography is usually not as simple
as entering two terms into a subject search. The point we would like to make here isthat carefully considering the information you have, even if it is very scant, canbe rewarding.
Among these entries we have enough of a variety to put together a
reasonably balanced bibliography of the events we are considering.
Evaluating sources and assembling a balanced bibliography
The goal
here will be to collect a number of works on our subject that approach it fromdifferent perspectives so that we can produce the most well-informed, insightful
research. In this way we will will be exposed to more sides of the story than, say,that represented by
The Egyptian Red Book itself. To begin with, let's
take a look at the subject headings of the books we found through our subject searchfor "gordon" and "egypt". Here is a look at the subject headings of the first
listing, "Sword of the prophet : the Mahdi of Sudan and the death of General Gordon"by Fergus Nicoll.
Subject headings for "Sword of the prophet : the Mahdi of Sudan and the
death of General Gordon" by Fergus Nicoll Notice that, of the four subject headings listed, three are related to the
history of Sudan. We know that the events described in the Red Book were somewhatcontested in Great Britain; it is in fact a critique of the Government's version of
the story. Adding the perspective of the impact of the events in Sudan and theirrelation to Sudanese history could provide illuminating insights on this debate.
Compare these headings with one of the biographies on Gordon, "Never to be takenalive : a biography of General Gordon" by Roy MacGregor-Hastie.
Subject headings for "Never to be taken alive : a biography of General
Gordon" by Roy MacGregor-Hastie Although Sudanese history appears in the headings, this entry is also
included in the British military and colonial category. We might assume that thestory this work tells will be from a more Euro-centric perspective.
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Source:
OpenStax, Studying political satire: "the egyptian red book". OpenStax CNX. Sep 19, 2006 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col10290/1.6
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