Research Guides: Humanities: Books &amp; eBooks

Humanities Books & eBooks

Search Almost Everything

Searching Books and eBooks

There are two ways to search our book collections. First, use the search box in the Search Almost Everything section. After your search, limit your results to books by going to the Refine Results column. In that column, find the Filter by Format heading and then check the boxes by Books and eBooks. You may need to click Show More to see all options.

The other way is to search the Classic Catalog:

Classic Catalog
Search the University Libraries catalog with keywords for books and eBooks. Books provide excellent background information.

Subject Headings

All books in the library are given subject headings. These words describe the topic of the book, and books with the same subject headings are going to be about similar topics. If you can find one book on your topics, look at its subject headings and use those to identify new search words. Some of the examples in the Books by Topic section might help you identify subject headings.

You can also browse through subject headings related to the humanities.

Philosophy & Related Subject Headings
Subject headings related to philosophy in the Classic Catalog.
Religion & Related Subject Headings
Subject headings broadly related to religion in the Classic Catalog.
Religions & Related Subject Headings
Subject headings related to specific religions and comparative religion in the Classic Catalog.
Women's Studies & Related Subject Headings
Subject headings related to women's studies in the Classic Catalog.
Feminist Theory & Related Subject Headings
Subject headings related to feminist theory in the Classic Catalog.
Women's Social Conditions & Related Subject Headings
Subject headings related to women's status and material conditions in the Classic Catalog.

Books by Topic

Philosophy - A Discovery in Comics by Margreet de Heer
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2012
Philosophy is a fun introduction to deep thinking and the history of philosophy in an accessible comic format.
Doing Philosophy by Timothy Williamson
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2018
What are philosophers trying to achieve? How can they succeed? In Doing Philosophy, Timothy Williamson tackles some of the key questions surrounding philosophy in new and provocative ways, showing how philosophy begins in common sense curiosity, and develops through our capacity to dispute rationally with each other.
Taking Back Philosophy by Bryan W. Van Norden & Jay L. Garfield
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2018
Are American colleges and universities failing their students by refusing to teach the philosophical traditions of China, India, Africa, and other non-Western cultures? This biting and provocative critique of American higher education says yes.
Encyclopedia of Ethics by Arlene Romero
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2016
The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers in America by John R. Shook (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2016
Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy by Antonio S. Cua (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2013

The A to Z of Buddhism by Carl Olson
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2009
The A to Z of Islam by Ludwig W. Adamec
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2009
Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism and Jewish Culture by Judith R. Baskin (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2012
Encyclopedia of Global Religion by Mark Juergensmeyer & Wade Clark Roof (Editors)
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2012
Historical Dictionary of Hinduism by Jeffery D. Long
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2011
The Oxford Handbook of African American Theology by Anthony B. Pinn & Katie G. Cannon (Editors)
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2014
The Thiselton Companion to Christian Theology by Anthony C. Thiselton
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2015

Gender: the Basics by Hilary Lips
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2013
Gender: The Basics is an engaging introduction which examines the impact of cultural, historical, biological, psychological and economic forces on qualities which have come to be defined as masculine or feminine.
Underserved Women of Color, Voice, and Resistance by Reynaldo Anderson, Raquel Moreira, Salma Shukri; Keisha Edwards Tassie, Atika Chaudhary, Sara P. Diaz, Angela B. Ginorio, Sonja M. Brown Givens, Diane Price Herndl, Tangela Serls, Bernadette M. Calafell, Olga I. Davis Krishna Pattisapu, Fatima Z. Chrifi Alaoui, Christie Burton, & Manoucheka Celeste
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2014-03-20
Contemporary research on the lives and experiences of women of color tends to neglect the influence of women’s perceived access to voice as they manage tensions related to race, class, and gender. Underserved Women of Color, Voice, and Resistance: Claiming a Seat at the Table contributes to current dialogues that construct Black Feminist Theory as active, critical engagement within dominant American institutions that oppress women of color in their daily lives.
Gender and the Politics of History by Joan Wallach Scott
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2018
This landmark work from a renowned feminist historian is a foundational demonstration of the uses of gender as a conceptual tool for cultural and historical analysis.
Trans Studies: The Challenge to Hetero/Homo Normativities by Yolanda Martínez-San Miguel, Sarah Tobias, Yolanda Martinez-San Miguel, Genny Beemyn, Susan R. Rankin, Pauline Park, Lucas Crawford, Valens Keja, Jian Chen, Toby Beauchamp, Nora Butler Burke, Aren Z. Aizura, Mickael Chacha Enriquez, Alexandra Rodriguez de Ruiz, Marcia Ochoa, Jody L. Herman, Sel J. Hwahng, & A. Finn Enke
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2016
Transgender people have rapidly gained public visibility, contesting many basic assumptions about what gender and embodiment mean. The vibrant discipline of Trans Studies explores such challenges in depth, building on the insights of queer and feminist theory to raise provocative questions about the relationships among gender, sexuality, and accepted social norms.
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2014
In her comic, scathing essay "Men Explain Things to Me," Rebecca Solnit took on what often goes wrong in conversations between men and women. She wrote about men who wrongly assume they know things and wrongly assume women don't, about why this arises, and how this aspect of the gender wars works, airing some of her own hilariously awful encounters.
Warriors and Wenches: Sex and Power in Women's History by Michelle Rosenberg
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2019
The world is full of women we don't know whose stories have been overlooked or airbrushed from history.Often faced with limited life choices, this book proudly showcases those women who took matters into their own hands and became forces to be reckoned with.
Queering Women's and Gender Studies by Begoña Crespo, Isabel Moskowich, & Carolina Núñez Puente
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2016
Since queer theory first appeared in academia, its influence has been notorious within both women's and genders. As such, it is vital to “queer” academia so that it re-conceptualises its foundations; indeed, the contributions here serve to alter the reader's consciousness of the terms “woman” and “gender”.

Arabic

A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic by Karin C. Ryding
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2005
A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic is a comprehensive handbook on the structure of Arabic. Keeping technical terminology to a minimum, it provides a detailed yet accessible overview of Modern Standard Arabic in which the essential aspects of its phonology, morphology and syntax can be readily looked up and understood.

Chinese

Tuttle Learner's Chinese-English Dictionary by Li Dong
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2015
This Mandarin Chinese Dictionary is for elementary to intermediate learners of Chinese. Tuttle Learner's Chinese-English Dictionary is a totally new dictionary designed specifically for elementary to intermediate learners of Chinese and contains all 3,051 vocabulary items prescribed for Levels A and B of the internationally recognized test of Mandarin language proficiency, Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi(HSK).
Chinese: an Essential Grammar by Don Rimmington & Po-Ching Yip
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2006
This new edition of Chinese: An Essential Grammar is an up-to-date and concise reference guide to modern Chinese (Mandarin) grammar.

French

French in Action: A Beginning Course in Language and Culture by Pierre J. Capretz; Béatrice Abetti; Marie-Odile Germain; Barry Lydgate
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2012
A Reference Grammar of French by R. E. Batchelor & M. Chebli-Saadi
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2011
A Reference Grammar of French is a lively, wide-ranging and original handbook on the structure of the French language. It includes new information on register, pronunciation, gender, number, foreign words (Latin, Arabic, English, Spanish, Italian), adjectives and past participles used as nouns, texting, word order, frequency of occurrence of words, and usage with all geographical names.

German

Usage Dictionary English-German by Gabriele Stein
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2013
Every sense of a word is first fully explained and then provided with translation equivalents.
A Student Grammar of German by Paul Stocker & Christopher Young
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2012
A Student Grammar of German is an invaluable reference guide for undergraduates and other intermediate and advanced students.

Italian

Italian Grammar Made Easy by Alan Wesson & Mike Zollo
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2006
The Grammar Made Easy series is ideal for complete beginners as well as for those non-linguists who have some knowledge of the language but need to know the basics of grammar to progress beyond phrasebook level.
Using Italian Vocabulary by Marcel Danesi
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2003
Using Italian Vocabulary provides the student of Italian with an in-depth, structured approach to the learning of vocabulary.

Japanese

Basic Japanese: Learn to Speak Japanese in 10 Easy Lessons by S. Martin
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2017
An introduction to the Japanese language through common, everyday sentences.

Korean

Essential Korean Vocabulary by K. Park
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2015
This user-friendly Korean language book pushes readers towards greater fluency in spoken and written Korean.
Korean Grammar by S. Kim
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2017
Korean Grammar: The Complete Guide to Speaking Korean Naturally covers all the basic sentence structures, verbal forms and idiomatic expressions taught in the first two years of a college-level Korean language course.

Russian

Using Russian Vocabulary by Terence Wade
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2009
This book provides the student of Russian with an in-depth, structured approach to the learning of vocabulary, containing over 5000 words.
Russian Grammar by James S. Levine
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2009
Covers the basic structures of Russian grammar.

Spanish

A Frequency Dictionary of Spanish by Mark Davies
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2006
This is an invaluable tool for all learners of Spanish that provides a list of the 5,000 most commonly used words in the language.
A Reference Grammar of Spanish by R. E. Batchelor & Miguel Ángel San José
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2010
A Reference Grammar of Spanish is a comprehensive handbook on the structure of the Spanish language. Keeping technical terminology to a minimum, it provides a detailed yet clear point of reference on all the intricacies of Spanish grammar, covering word order, parts of speech, verb use, syntax, gender, number, alphabet, and pronunciation.

Spanish Literature: A Very Short Introduction by Jo Labanyi
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2010
Spanish literature has given the world the figures of Don Quixote and Don Juan, and is responsible for the 'invention' of the novel in the 16th century. The book introduces a general readership to the ways in which Spanish literature has been read, in and outside Spain, explaining misconceptions, outlining the insights of recent scholarship and suggesting new readings.
Modern Latin American Literature: A Very Short Introduction by Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2012
In the 1960s, Latin American literature became known worldwide as never before. This Very Short Introduction chronicles the trends and traditions of modern Latin American literature, arguing that Latin American literature developed as a continent-wide phenomenon, not just an assemblage of national literatures, in moments of political crisis.
Colonial Latin American Literature: A Very Short Introduction by Rolena Adorno
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2011
A vivid account of the literary culture of the Spanish-speaking Americas from the time of Columbus to Latin American Independence, this Very Short Introduction explores the origins of Latin American literature in Spanish and tells the story of how Spanish literary language developed and flourished in the New World.
The Routledge Handbook of Spanish As a Heritage Language by Kim Potowski (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2018
The Routledge Handbook of Spanish as a Heritage Language brings together contributions from leading linguists, educators and Latino Studies scholars involved in teaching and working with Spanish heritage language speakers.
An American Language: The History of Spanish in the United States by Rosina Lozano
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2018
An American Language is a tour de force that revolutionizes our understanding of U.S. history. It reveals the origins of Spanish as a language binding residents of the Southwest to the politics and culture of an expanding nation in the 1840s. As the West increasingly integrated into the United States over the following century, struggles over power, identity, and citizenship transformed the place of the Spanish language in the nation. An American Language is a history that reimagines what it means to be an American--with profound implications for our own time.
Identity in Latin American and Latina Literature by Kathryn Quinn-Sánchez
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2014
This study demonstrates the ways that Latina authors contest how power and space exploit women while simultaneously subverting the Nation-State through reimagining a counter-space where new definitions of the self lie beyond Power's reach.
Postnational Perspectives on Contemporary Hispanic Literature by Heike Scharm & Natalia Matta Jara (Editors)
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2017
Moving beyond the traditional study of Hispanic literature on a nation-by-nation basis, this volume explores how globalization affects Spanish and Latin American fiction, poetry, and literary theory.

French Literature: A Very Short Introduction by John D. Lyons
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2010
The heritage of literature in the French language is rich, varied, and extensive in time and space; appealing both to its immediate public, readers of French, and also to a global audience reached through translations and film adaptations.
Francophone Cultures and Geographies of Identity by H. Adlai Murdoch & Zsuzsanna Fagyal
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2013
The twenty-one papers grouped into six thematic parts focus on distinctive literary, linguistic, musical, cinematographic, and visual forms of expression in geographical areas long defined as the peripheries of the French-speaking world: the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa, Quebec, and hexagonal cities with a preponderance of immigrant populations. These contested sites of French collective identity offer a rich formulation of distinctly local, francophone identities that do not fit in with concepts of linguistic and ethnic exclusiveness, but are consistent with a pluralistic demographic shift and the true face of Frenchness that is, indeed, plural.
The Routledge Dictionary of Cultural References in Modern French by Michael Mould
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2011
Even foreign learners of French who possess a good level of French often have difficulty in fully understanding French articles, not because of any linguistic shortcomings on their part but because of their inadequate knowledge of the cultural references. This cultural dictionary of French provides the reader with clear and concise explanations of the crucial cultural dimension behind the most frequently used words and phrases found in the contemporary French press.
Historical Dictionary of French Literature by John Flower
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2013
Almost all of us know French literature, even if we don't know French, because it is probably the second largest and certainly the most translated into English. And, even if we don't read, we would have seen film and television versions (think Count of Monte-Cristo) and even a musical rendition (Les Mis). So this is a particularly interesting volume in the literature series, since it covers French literature from the earliest times to the present.
From Francophonie to World Literature in French by Thérèse Migraine-George
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2013
In one of the first books to study the movement away from the term "francophone" to "world literature in French," Thérèse Migraine-George engages a literary analysis of contemporary works in exploring the tensions and theoretical debates surrounding world literature in French. She focuses on works by a diverse group of contemporary French-speaking writers who straddle continents--Nina Bouraoui, Hélène Cixous, Maryse Condé, Marie NDiaye, Tierno Monénembo, and Lyonel Trouillot.