What you see below is a selection of materials available in the Walker Library Special Collections pertaining to World Religions. Please note that it is not a complete listing of our holdings on this topic; we have many more items in our collection. All our materials are cataloged and may be found using the library catalog.
Our collection strengths are in 19th and 20th-century Christianity. Items include sermons, prayer books, hymns, and religious education textbooks.
For a selection of materials on Christianity, please see the History of Christianity tab.
Special Collections has a number of indigenous facsimile documents. We've listed only a small sampling here and provided call number information. We have also provided links to the digital versions of the real pieces, which are held in other libraries.
Please note that the Walker Library, Special Collections owns facsimiles only of these indigenous manuscripts.
Bird's Head Haggada
This unique Haggada is inspired by the Birds Head Haggada, one of the oldest Haggadot still extant, dating back to the end of the 13th century, which is in the collections of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. The Jews are depicted with bird heads. The Haggada is richly illustrated with movable pop-ups, showing the baking of Matzot, the Ten Plagues, the Crossing of the Red Sea, and other major scenes pertaining to Passover. These pop-ups are entertaining for adults and children. The Hebrew text is based on the Koren Haggada with English translation.
Chanukah Lights
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The ultimate Chanukah gift--a glorious celebration of the true spirit of the holiday from a pop-up master and an acclaimed poet. Open this beautiful gift book and follow the Festival of Lights through place and time--from Herod's temple to a shtetl in Russia; from a refugee ship bound for the New World to an Israeli kibbutz. Inspired by Michael J. Rosen's reverent poem, Robert Sabuda's striking pop-ups depict each night's menorah in a different scene, using such imagery as desert tents, olive trees, and a final panorama of skyscrapers. Sure to be a treasured family heirloom, this stunning collaboration showcases the spirit and resilience of a people in search of home.
Carved Memories : heritage in stone from the Russian Jewish Pale
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"For more than a century, Russian Jews were restricted to residence in the western provinces of Russia, the so-called Pale of Settlement. In this fascinating volume, 125 duotone photographs document the carved tombstones of this region, specifically present-day Ukraine and Moldova. The stones are poignant memorials to the lost world of the shtetl and practically all that remain of a major Jewish folk art tradition. They are also unique genealogical records for Americans descended from Russian Jewry. The photographs, made by the artist and photographer David Goberman from the 1930s through the 1960s, are in many cases the sole documentation of tombstones that have been effaced or destroyed." "An introduction by Robert Pinsky resonates with the once-vibrant culture of Eastern Jewry. Essays by Goberman and Gershon Hundert, an expert on the history of Jewish life in Russia, place the tombstones in their artistic and cultural setting, and explain the Jewish traditions surrounding their creation. The images are organized by the regions where the cemeteries are located, and captions include translations of the Hebrew and Yiddish inscriptions on the stones. Published to accompany an exhibition organized by The Brooklyn Museum of Art, this book is an essential contribution to the history of Jewish art and culture."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Graven Images: graphic motifs of the Jewish gravestone
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A spirited view of a somber subject, this book is a treasury of Jewish history, legend and lore. Over 200 photographs offer a look at the graven images that have traditionally decorated Jewish tombstones in Europe.
Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes Pop-Up
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The creators of the New York Times best-selling Encyclopedia Prehistorica series offer a mythic look at the mysteries of the past with an entire pantheon of remarkable pop-ups. For all of recorded history, humans have sought to understand Earth's mysteries in the realm of the divine -- and aspired to conduct themselves as heroes. Only gods, of course, could push the sun across the sky,forge entire continents, and impel mountains to touch the clouds. In this stunning volume, the incomparable team of Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda take us to Ra-Atum's land in Ancient Egypt; above the Grecian clouds to Zeus's Mount Olympus; up to Norse god Odin's frozen north; to the Far East, where the Jade Emperor sits in the heavens; into the wilds of Oceania, where Pele's volcanic rage simmers below the earth; and to many more lands and times, all rich with sacred myths and legends.
Tibetan Buddhist Goddess Altars
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The home altar has become an increasingly popular tool for contemporary seekers, allowing them to tap their spirituality informally, at any time of the day. This charming book puts a new twist on the phenomenon by showcasing female Buddhist deities in a delightfully unusual format. Designed to resemble a Tibetan temple, the book presents stunning three-dimensional renderings of traditional thangka paintings. It features doors that open from the middle of the front cover, a sturdy tab-insert closure, and elastic loops to hold each altar firmly in place. Four important goddesses appear here. White Tara pacifies illness and removes obstacles; Vanshudara increases prosperity, fertility, and happiness; Kurukulla helps attract and influence through the power of love and desire; and Vajrayogini aids in developing the enlightened union of Great Bliss and Emptiness. With the assistance of these colorful altars and an informative text about the symbolic art, visualization can blossom into multidimensional meditation.
