Louis J. Blume Library

Louis J. Blume Library, St. Mary's University's academic library.

discover


Advanced Search | What is Discover?

Looking for a specific journal, magazine, or newspaper?

Use Journals List to search for the title of a journal, magazines, or newspaper and tell if the library offers online access or print access to that publication.

Find books, eBooks, movies, music, government information, and more in the Library Catalog.


 

Find librarian-created research tips, information about library services, and more on the Blume Library website.

You can browse course information guides and topic guide under the Research Help tab on the Blume Library homepage.

Blume Library- Now hiring: University Archivist and Special Collections
Library Survey
Library Website Under Construction

New in the Library

Count Us In: How to Make Maths Real for All of Us

Count Us In: How to Make Maths Real for All of Us

Mathematics, like language, is a universal experience. Every society counts and is empowered by its ability to count and to measure. The mathematical processes developed within various cultures differ widely, and Count Us In explores these cultural links, drawing examples from the author's personal experiences. The process of counting, like the process of communicating with words, is common to all societies worldwide but, just as there is a rich variety of languages, so too is there a rich variety in methods of counting and of recording numbers - methods that have developed over centuries to meet the needs of various groups of people. The narrative of this book takes the form of a collection of short stories based on the author's personal experience, linked together by a number of sub-themes. As a popular book on mathematics and on the personalities who created that mathematics, there are no prerequisites beyond the reader's rudimentary and possibly hazy recollection of primary-school mathematics and a curiosity to know more.

Darwinian Feminism and Early Science Fiction: Angels, Amazons, and Women

Darwinian Feminism and Early Science Fiction: Angels, Amazons, and Women

Darwinian Feminism in Early Science Fiction provides the first detailed scholarly examination of women's SF in the early magazine period before the Second World War. Tracing the tradition of women's SF back to the 1600s, the author demonstrates how women such as Margaret Cavendish and Mary Shelley drew critical attention to the colonial mindset of scientific masculinity, which was attached to scientific institutions that excluded women. In the late nineteenth century, Charles Darwin's theory of sexual selection provided an impetus for a number of first-wave feminists to imagine Amazonian worlds where women control their own bodies, relationships and destinies. Patrick B. Sharp traces how these feminist visions of scientific femininity, Amazonian power and evolutionary progress proved influential on many women publishing in the SF magazines of the late 1920s and early 1930s, and presents a compelling picture of the emergence to prominence of feminist SF in the early twentieth century before vanishing until the 1960s.

'Grease Is the Word': Exploring a Cultural Phenomenon

'Grease Is the Word': Exploring a Cultural Phenomenon

With its catalogue of hit songs, iconic characters, memorable quotes and familiar scenes, ‘Grease’ is truly a behemoth of US and global popular culture. From the stage show’s debut in 1971, to the Hollywood film of 1978, to the numerous rereleases and anniversary celebrations of the twenty-first century, it has enjoyed, and continues to enjoy, success across a range of media. ‘Grease’’s extended run on Broadway through the 1970s ensured it a prominent place within broader debates on the musical, 1950s nostalgia and American youth. Numerous stage revivals have followed, with theatres across the world revisiting Rydell High in front of sell-out audiences. Hollywood has time and again sought to recreate ‘Grease’ the movie’s phenomenal box-office success with a procession of similarly themed rock and roll youth musicals (‘Footloose’, ‘Dirty Dancing’, the ‘High School Musical’ franchise, to name a few). However, even as these productions enjoy their own renown, in terms of sheer longevity, prominence and popularity, ‘Grease’ was, is and will remain ‘the word’ when it comes to musical blockbusters.

New Blood: Critical Approaches to Contemporary Horror

New Blood: Critical Approaches to Contemporary Horror

The taste for horror is arguably as great today as it has ever been. Since the turn of the millennium, the horror genre has seen various developments emerging out of a range of contexts, from new industry paradigms and distribution practices to the advancement of subgenres that reflect new and evolving fears. New Blood builds upon preceding horror scholarship to offer a series of critical perspectives on the genre since the year 2000, presenting a collection of case studies on topics as diverse as the emergence of new critical categories (such as the contentiously named 'prestige horror'), new subgenres (including 'digital folk horror' and 'desktop horror') and horror on-demand ('Netflix horror'), and including analyses of key films such as The Witch and Raw and TV shows like Stranger Things and Channel Zero. Never losing sight of the horror genre's ongoing political economy, New Blood is an exciting contribution to film and horror scholarship that will prove to be an essential addition to the shelves of researchers, students and fans alike.

Werewolves, Wolves and the Gothic

Werewolves, Wolves and the Gothic

Wolves lope across Gothic imagination. Signs of a pure animality opposed to humanity, in the figure of the werewolf they become liminal creatures that move between the human and the animal. Werewolves function as a site for exploring complex anxieties of difference - of gender, class, race, space, nation or sexuality - but the imaginative and ideological uses of wolves also reflect back on the lives of material animals, long persecuted in their declining habitats across the world. Werewolves therefore raise unsettling questions about the intersection of the real and the imaginary, the instability of human identities and the worldliness and political weight of the Gothic. his is the first volume concerned with the appearance of werewolves and wolves in literary and cultural texts from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Drawing on representations of werewolves and wolves in literature, film, television and visual culture, the essays investigate the key texts of the lycanthropic canon alongside lesser-known works from the 1890s to the present. 

 

The Shape of Belonging for Unaccompanied Young Migrants

The Shape of Belonging for Unaccompanied Young Migrants

Unaccompanied children and adolescents seeking protection in the UK are among the most vulnerable migrant groups, and often find themselves in a hostile policy environment after enduring traumatic journeys. This book offers an in-depth analysis of the lived experiences of belonging, and the politics and policies of migration. Focusing on unaccompanied young migrants, it investigates the conditions and nature of belonging in the face of the uncertainty, ambiguity and violence of the UK asylum system. Drawing on interviews and the Deleuzo-Guattarian concepts of assemblage, the book provides an empirical and theoretical examination of the belonging of unaccompanied young migrants seeking protection in the UK. Through compelling accounts, the author portrays the complex and paradoxical nature of belonging under precarious conditions, shedding light on the tenacity and fragility of belonging for unaccompanied young migrants.

Grand Old Unraveling: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Rise of Authoritarianism

Grand Old Unraveling: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Rise of Authoritarianism

It didn’t begin with Donald Trump. The unraveling of the Grand Old Party has been decades in the making. Since the time of FDR, the Republican Party has been home to conspiracy thinking, including a belief that lost elections were rigged. And when Republicans later won the White House, the party elevated their presidents to heroic status—a predisposition that eventually posed a threat to democracy. Building on his esteemed 2016 book, What Happened to the Republican Party?, John Kenneth White proposes to explain why this happened—not just the election of Trump but the authoritarian shift in the party as a whole that led to the insurrection of January 6, 2021, and its aftermath. White presents a clear and concise analysis of how the modern Republican Party came to be by tracing historical patterns that reach back to the 1930s. He argues that the rise of Republican authoritarianism has been decades in the making, going back to the desperation that took hold among party elites in the wake of twenty years of Democratic dominance between 1932 and 1952. The fear of losing that overtook the party during the Roosevelt period eventually led to an escalation of intrigue that included the rise of the John Birch Society in the 1950s and QAnon today. White traces the development of this culture of conspiracy theories within the GOP and explains how the emphasis on winning at any cost created a cult of personality and a willingness to seize power by any means necessary.

The Great Decline: From the Era of Hope and Progress to the Age of Fear and Rage

The Great Decline: From the Era of Hope and Progress to the Age of Fear and Rage

It seems clear that many formerly stable societies in wealthy developed countries appear to be falling into an apparent state of ‘permacrisis' accompanied by an increasingly angry and irrational social and political culture that is undermining the peace and stability of our societies and democratic institutions, from the local to the global. Applying an original biosocial approach (the social map), and drawing on ideas and evidence from sociology, history and political economy, to psychology, neuroscience and epigenetics, John Bone argues that conditions in our turbocapitalist and increasingly estranged, media dominated societies have created a toxic environment, deeply damaging to our mental and physical health. As well as shedding new light on our current troubles, Bone also outlines why this leaves us ill prepared to deal with two of the greatest challenges confronting humanity: the rise of AI and automation and how we deal with climate change.

Revolutionaries, Rebels and Robbers: The Golden Age of Banditry in Mexico, Latin America and the Chicano American Southwest, 1850-1950

Revolutionaries, Rebels and Robbers: The Golden Age of Banditry in Mexico, Latin America and the Chicano American Southwest, 1850-1950

This volume delivers a comprehensive study of banditry in Latin America and of its cultural representation. In its scope across the continent, looking closely at nations where bandit culture has manifested itself forcefully - Mexico (the subject of the case study), the Hispanic south-west of the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Cuba - it imagines a 'Golden Age' of banditry in Latin America from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1940s when so-called 'social bandits', an idea first proposed by Eric Hobsbawm and further developed here, flourished. In its content, this work offers the most detailed and wide-ranging study of its kind currently available. Contents:  Introduction: The Idea of a Golden Age of Latin American Banditry 1850-1950 1. The Figure of the Bandit in History, Culture and Social Theory 2. Mexico: The Myth of the Bandit Nation 3. Mexico's Classic Bandit Narrative: Los de abajo 4. Beyond Mexico I: Bandit Cultures in Latin America 5. Beyond Mexico II: Chicano Bandit Cultures Conclusion

Regulating Abortion: The Politics of US Abortion Policy

Regulating Abortion: The Politics of US Abortion Policy

Explores the historical development and severe ramifications of America's strict abortion regulations. Nearly one in four women in the United States undergoes an abortion during their life. In Regulating Abortion, Deborah R. McFarlane and Wendy L. Hansen uncover the history of the complex web of regulations surrounding abortion in the United States and shed light on the stark reality of this heavily regulated and politically divisive health care service. McFarlane and Hansen delve into the historical development of abortion regulations since Roe v. Wade. They explore the underlying reasons for the extensive regulation of what they assert is a routine and safe medical procedure. The authors examine the multitude of factors that influence state-level abortion policies, including party affiliation, religion, the representation of women in legislatures, and political contributions. By demonstrating how these factors shape the landscape of abortion regulation across different states, they reveal the varying methods and justifications used to either restrict or protect abortion access, with a particular focus on the disproportionate impacts on women of color. 

 

Crypto Crowds: Singularities and Multiplicities on the Blockchain

Crypto Crowds: Singularities and Multiplicities on the Blockchain

Ownership of cryptocurrencies and related assets has given rise to self-described "coin-communities." Discussing the notions around social dynamics, this collection explores how crowd and community formations manifest empirically in cryptocurrency sociality online. It suggests that tensions between cryptocurrency adopters generate political, moral, and cosmological realities, which intensify crowding dynamics online. Pioneering in its approach to the increasing digitalization and datafication of everyday life, the volume encourages scholars to explore further how "decentralized" and "trustless" technologies take part in the construction of postmodern crowds.

The Violent Person at Work: The Ultimate Guide to Identifying Dangerous Persons

The Violent Person at Work: The Ultimate Guide to Identifying Dangerous Persons

Stalking. Sexual harassment. Mass shootings. Employers are increasingly expected to have a plan to identify and manage threats posed by employees in the workplace. But what questions and issues should you contemplate? Does involving police early make the situation better or potentially worse? What specific words and issues should be addressed and avoided as a case unfolds? In this authoritative new guide, Dr Laurence Barton draws on over thirty years’ experience as the world’s leading threat assessor to outline how to prevent, manage, and mitigate threats made by employees, contractors, customers, former employees and others. He unlocks key issues to help the reader navigate new privacy laws, psychological evaluation, and employee communications when a potentially dangerous person is angry with your most vital resource: your people. This is an invaluable new handbook for businesses and HR, legal, and security professionals worldwide.

How to Find Work in the 21st Century: A Guide to Finding Employment in Today’s Workplace

How to Find Work in the 21st Century: A Guide to Finding Employment in Today’s Workplace

When experienced people who have been in a steady job for years are made redundant, coming to terms with today’s workplace is a major challenge. This challenge is even greater for those fresh out of college or university and who are looking to get their foot in the door. After all, the workplace is going through one of its most significant transitions in the past 100 years. “How to Find Work in the 21st Century" explores this new world of work and suggests where the workplace is headed while providing successful and effective ways to sell and market yourself so you can find your place in today’s job market. Learn to: –capitalize on what YOU have to offer. –define your personal and career profile –market yourself –network –navigate digital platforms –master the art of the CV –create your own job –manage your own career

 

Videogames and Horror: From Amnesia to Zombies, Run!

Videogames and Horror: From Amnesia to Zombies, Run!

Videogames are full of horrors - and of horror, a facet of the media that has been largely overlooked by the academic community in terms of lengthy studies in the fast-growing field of videogame scholarship. This book engages with the research of prominent scholars across the humanities to explore the presence, role and function of horror in videogames, and in doing so it demonstrates how videogames enter discussion on horror and offer a unique, radical space that horror is particularly suited to fill. The topics covered include the construction of stories in videogames, the role of the monster and, of course, how death is treated as a learning tool and as a facet of horror.

Introducing the Medieval Dragon

Introducing the Medieval Dragon

The aim of this book is to explore the characteristics of the medieval dragon and discuss the sometimes differing views found in the relevant medieval text types. Based on an intimate knowledge of the primary texts, the study presents new interpretations of well-known literary works, and also takes into consideration paintings and other depictions of these beasts. Dragons were designed not only to frighten but also to fire the imagination, and provide a suitably huge and evil creature for the hero to overcome - yet there is far more to them than reptilian adversaries. This book introduces the medieval dragon via brief, accurate and clear chapters on its natural history, religion, literature and folklore, and concludes with how the dragon - from Beowulf to Tolkien, Disney and Potter - is constantly revived.

Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios

Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios

Telling to Live embodies the vision that compelled Latina feminists to engage their differences and find common ground. Its contributors reflect varied class, religious, ethnic, racial, linguistic, sexual, and national backgrounds. Yet in one way or another they are all professional producers of testimonios—or life stories—whether as poets, oral historians, literary scholars, ethnographers, or psychologists. Through coalitional politics, these women have forged feminist political stances about generating knowledge through experience. Reclaiming testimonio as a tool for understanding the complexities of Latina identity, they compare how each made the journey to become credentialed creative thinkers and writers. Telling to Live unleashes the clarifying power of sharing these stories.

 

Saving the Pyramids: Twenty First Century Engineering and Egypt’s Ancient Monuments

Saving the Pyramids: Twenty First Century Engineering and Egypt’s Ancient Monuments

Having worked on projects around the world, strengthening and restoring historically significant structures from Windsor Castle to the parliament buildings in Canada, Peter James brings insight to the structural engineering of ancient Egypt. After fourteen years working on the historic buildings and temples of Egypt, and most recently the world's oldest pyramid, he now presents some of the more common theories surrounding the 'collapsing' pyramid - along with new and innovative projections on the construction of the pyramids and the restoration of some of Cairo's most monumental structures from the brink of ruin. The decoding of historic construction from a builder's perspective is examined and explained - at times against many existing theories - and the book provides a new outlook on long-held assumptions, to embrace modern theories in a bid to preserve the past.

 

Petticoat Heroes: Gender, Culture and Popular Protest in the Rebecca Riots

Petticoat Heroes: Gender, Culture and Popular Protest in the Rebecca Riots

The wave of unrest which took place in 1840s Wales, known as 'Rebeccaism' or 'the Rebecca riots', stands out as a success story within the generally gloomy annals of popular struggle and defeat. The story is remembered in vivid and compelling images: attacks on tollgates and other symbols of perceived injustice by farmers and workers, outlandishly dressed in bonnets and petticoats and led by the iconic anonymous figure of Rebecca herself. The events form a core part of historical study and remembrance in Wales, and frequently appear in broader work on British radicalism and Victorian protest movements. This book draws on cultural history, gender studies and symbolic anthropology to present fresh and alternative arguments on the meaning of Rebeccaite costume and ritual; the significance of the feminine in protest; the links between protest and popular culture; the use of Rebecca's image in Victorian press and political discourse; and the ways in which the events and the image of Rebecca herself were integrated into politics, culture and popular memory in Wales and beyond. All these aspects repay greater consideration than they have yet been accorded, and highlight the relevance of Rebeccaism to British and European popular protest - up to and including the present day.

Jane Austen’s Aunt Behind Bars: Writers and their Criminal Relatives and Associates, 1700–1900

Jane Austen’s Aunt Behind Bars: Writers and their Criminal Relatives and Associates, 1700–1900

Writers between 1700 and 1900 were always likely to see the inside of British prisons if their work had any kind of radical element, or anything that could be considered libellous or seditious. Even the great and successful novelists, poets and journalists of those years fell foul of the law, or perhaps knew others who did so. ‘Jane Austen’s Aunt Behind Bars: Writers and Their Criminal Relatives and Associates, 1700–1900’ tells the stories of an assortment of writers, both famous and obscure, whose lives included a knowledge or even a direct experience of prison life. The cases range from Daniel Defoe in Newgate to Oscar Wilde in Reading Gaol, where he wrote his famous narrative poem, ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol.’ From poet and editor Leigh Hunt’s family life inside prison to the sad tale of George Gissing’s theft in his efforts to maintain his Manchester girlfriend, Stephen Wade’s short biographies introduce the reader to the social context of prison and build up a gallery of prison portraits.

Upcoming Events

27 May 27: Memorial Day - Closed
19 June 19: Juneteenth Holiday - Closed
04 July 4: Independence Day - Closed
20 August 20: Fall Classes Begin

View Academic Calendar

Untitled Document