BRRRRRRRRR

Boy, is it cold outside. It's so cold that the Bullis Room feels warm today. (That's an "inside" joke, folks.)

So what to do on a cold day? (We're told there are more days like this to come, so we need to have a plan.)

Our suggestion: Stay inside and read a good book. Better yet, come to the Bullis Room and (with a Bullis volunteer to assist you) find a good book, nestle into a comfortable chair over by the window, and enjoy.

There are lots of books to choose from ... fiction as well as non-fiction. History, horticulture, law, engineering, mathematics, religion, astronomy, science ....

We hope you can find (or make) the opportunity to stop by sometime in the next few weeks. And while getting here may be a bit chilly, we promise that you'll be surrounded by lots of good, warm books. Can any of us ask for anything more?

SUBJECT: RELIGION

Since several religions are celebrating special days this month, we searched the Bullis book data base for books on this subject. Here are five books that caught our eye as we scrolled through the list:

Rays of Light from All Lands; the bibles and beliefs of mankind. Scriptures, faiths, and systems of every age, race and nation, a complete story of all churches and communions;notable utterances by foremost representatives of all faiths. Editors: Rev. E. C. Towne, Rev. A. J. Canfield, and George J. Hagar, published c1895.

Ten Great Religions, by James Freeman Clarke, published c1871 and 1887.

The Light of the World; a brief comparative study of Christianity and non-Christian religions, by Robert E. Speer, published c1911.

Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Teachers, written by Elbert Hubbard (done into a printed book by Roycrofters at their Shop), published 1908.

Church and state in the United States; or, The American idea of religious liberty and its practical effects, with official documents, by Philip Schaff, published in 1888.

There are many more books on a variety of religions in the collection. If you're researching a specific topic or just reading for general information, we invite you to stop by the Bullis Room.

CUSTOMS, MYTHS, GREEK THOUGHT, AND MORALS

This week we focused on the religion and philosophy section of this collection. Since it covers two full shelving units, it's difficult to choose which books to recommend for your consideration. Here are a few that especially caught our attention:

Custom and Myth, by Andrew Lang (1885)

Studies in Greek Thought: Essays Selected from the Papers

of Lewis Packard, by Lewis Richard Packard (1886)

A Preface to Morals, by Walter Lippmann (1933)

History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science,

by John William Draper (1875)

Although we plan to have a closer look at all of these books, yesterday we took Custom and Myth off the shelf, sat down at the round table and enjoyed a good read. It begins with the method of folklore and goes into specific myths: Cronus, Cupid, Psyche, as well as the Star myths and Hottentot mythology. The book ends with an early history of the family and the art of savages. We think you would enjoy this book, too, as it revisits familiar myths and enhances the reader's knowledge of mythology in general.

We invite you to stop by the Bullis Room when you're in the library, and take a look at any or all of these books.