New Titles Tuesday, October 8

In the past week 95 titles were added to the library’s collection; below is a sample. Click on a link for more information.

Note: The drama and theatre books are courtesy of a donation from former TWU Faculty member Lloyd Arnett.

American vaudeville as seen by its contemporaries /edited and with commentary by Charles W. Stein.
This title recalls the history and colorful personalities of vaudeville, which was light entertainment popular in America from the mid-1850s until the 1930s.

The Bunraku handbook: a comprehensive guide to Japan’s unique puppet theatre, with synopses of all popular plays /Shuzaburo Hironaga.
Bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17^th century. This title is a comprehensive guide to this form of puppetry in relation to the plays performed using this theatre technique.

The context of ancient drama /Eric Csapo and William J. Slater.
This title, in modern English translation, documents all aspects of the drama of antiquity using illustrations and plans of the ancient theatres to understand the historical context in which the dramas were performed.

Directing postmodern theater: shaping signification in performance /Jon Whitmore.
This title is an introduction to theatrical directing using the concepts and terminology of semiotic theory.

Hildegard of Bingen: selections from her writings /foreword by Homer Hickam; edited by Emilie Griffin; translation by Mother Columba Hart and Jane Bishop.
This title focuses on a selection of writings from Hildegard of Bingen, a female German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, and philosopher, visionary,
polymath, and Christian mystic from the 12^th century. Hildegard was considered to be the founder of scientific natural history in Germany.

I’ll tell you what: the life of Elizabeth Inchbald /Annibel Jenkins.
In a lively portrait of one of the leading literary figures of the eighteenth century, Elizabeth Simpson’s life is revealed, from her search for fame as an actress to her authorship and adaptation of dozens of plays for the London theater.

The Stars Who Created Kabuki: Their Lives, Loves and Legacy /Laurence R. Kominz.
This title is a riveting introduction to the vibrant world of kabuki theater through illuminating the flamboyant lives and tumultuous times of three great early actors, Ichikawa Danjuro (1660-1704), Sakata Tojuro (1647-1709), and Yoshizawa Ayame (1673-1729).

Theater in Israel /edited by Linda Ben-Zvi.
This title explores the rich history and diversity of Israel’s theater and illustrates the ways in which this politically committed theater mirrors the historical and cultural forces that have shaped Israeli-Arab relations, the events in the Middle East, and the post-Holocaust Jewish experience.

Traditional Japanese theater: an anthology of plays /edited by Karen Brazell ; translators, James T. Araki … [et al.].
This is a collection of important genres of Japanese performance–noh, kyogen, kabuki, and bamrili puppet theater–in one comprehensive, authoritative volume. Organized by genre, each section features a rich selection of representative plays and explorations into each theatrical style.