Religion: Books

The following ebook collections include many books you may find useful in studying religion. All the books they contain may also be found in the library catalog and LEO Search.

The basic Library Catalog search is a keyword search--you simply type your search terms into the box, and the catalog retrieves all the items that have your search terms in their catalog records.

Searching by subject is another way to find materials that focus on your topic. Each item in the Library Catalog has one or more subject terms (headings) assigned to it, When you search by subject, you retrieve only the items that have the subject for which you searched. To make a subject heading more specific, subheadings are added after it. A subheading is separated from the main heading by a double dash (--). Here are some good headings and subheadings for religion: 

Church and state

Freedom of religion

Mysticism

Mythology

Religion
This is a very broad term which will give you hundreds of results.

Religion--History 

Religion--Philosophy

Religion and literature

Religion in literature

Religion and science

Religion and sociology

Religious biography

Religious ethics

Religious literature
Use this to find books that are religious literature rather than books that are about religion and literature.

Theology

Religion in a Geographic Region

United States--Religion
Substitute the name of any country or region for United States.

Religion of a People Group

Indians of North America -- Religion 
Substitute the name of any people group for Indians of North America.

Books about a Specific Religion

Christianity
Substitute the name of any religion or denomination for Christianity.

Christians
Substitute the title for adherents of any religion for Christians.

Once you have your subject terms, to search by subject in the Library Catalog, in the dropdown list under "Search for," select "Subject." 

To find subject headings for a subject you are studying, first use keyword searching to find some books on your general topic. Then look at their records and see what subject terms they have. You can use the subject links in the catalog records to retrieve all the items with the same subject. However, this linking scheme has some quirks, so if it seems like it is returning far too many (or too few) items, try using the Library Catalog (aka Advanced Search) screen and a Subject or Subject Phrase search with your terms.

If you want to browse the library stacks, you can use these call numbers to find books on religion.

BL Religions. Mythology. Rationalism

BM Judism

BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy

BQ Buddism

BR Christianity

BS The Bible

BT Doctrinal Theology

BV Practical Theology

BX Christian Denominations

These books can be found on the first floor of the library stacks. Remember that given the interdisciplinary nature of liberal arts studies, you may find useful books with other call numbers too. 

To find books from thousands of other libraries and request them through interlibrary loan, use WorldCat FirstSearch. You can search for books, journals, audiovisual materials, dissertations, and many other material types. When you find a resource you think would be useful in your research, you can fill out an interlibrary loan form, and Nash Library will request the book from another library.