Children's Literature - A Very Short Introduction
Childrens literature takes many forms works adapted for...
Literary Theory - A Very Short Introduction
What is literary theory? Is there a relationship between lit...
Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction
What is literary theory? Is there a relationship between lit...
Philosophy of Science - Very Short Introduction
How much faith should we place in what scientists tell us? I...
The Russian Revolution - A Very Short Introduction
This Very Short Introduction provides an analytical narrativ...
Perception - A Very Short Introduction
Perception is one of the oldest and most deeply investigated...
Eighteenth-Century Britain - A Very Short Introduction
First published as part of the best-selling The Oxford Illus...
The History of Mathematics - A Very Short Introduction
Mathematics is a fundamental human activity that can be prac...
Sexuality - A Very Short Introduction
What shapes our sexuality? Is it a product of our genes, or ...
Critical Theory: A Very Short Introduction
Critical Theory: A Very Short Introduction - University text...
Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction
Poststructuralism changes the way we understand the relation...
Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction
Poststructuralism changes the way we understand the relation...
Global Catastrophes: A Very Short Introduction
Life on earth will come to an end. It's just a matter of whe...
Children's Literature - A Very Short Introduction
Geopolitics - A Very Short Introduction
Geopolitics is a way of looking at the world: one that considers the links between political power, geography, and cultural diversity. In certain places such as Iraq, Lebanon, or Israel, moving a few feet either side of a territorial boundary can be a matter of life or death, dramatically highlighting the connections between place and politics. Even far away from these danger zones in Europ...
Cognitive Neuroscience - A Very Short Introduction
Up to the 1960s, psychology was deeply under the influence of behaviourism, which focused on stimuli and responses, and regarded consideration of what may happen in the mind as unapproachable scientifically. This began to change with the devising of methods to try to tap into what was going on in the black box of the mind, and the development of cognitive psychology. With the study of pati...
Children's Literature - A Very Short Introduction
Childrens literature takes many forms works adapted for children in antiquity, picture books and pop-ups and now includes the latest online games and eBooks. This vast and amorphous subject is both intimately related to other areas of literary and cultural investigation but also has its own set of concerns, issues and challenges. From familiar authors including Beatrix Potter and Roald Dah...
Beauty - A Very Short Introduction
Beauty can be consoling, disturbing, sacred, profane; it can be exhilarating, appealing, inspiring, chilling. It can affect us in an unlimited variety of ways. Yet it is never viewed with indifference. In this Very Short Introduction the renowned philosopher Roger Scruton explores the concept of beauty, asking what makes an object either in art, in nature, or the human form beautiful, and ex...
Game Theory - A Very Short Introduction
Games are everywhere: Drivers manoeuvring in heavy traffic are playing a driving game. Bargain hunters bidding on eBay are playing an auctioning game. A firm negotiating next years wage is playing a bargaining game. The opposing candidates in an election are playing a political game. The supermarkets price for corn flakes is decided by playing an economic game. Game theory is about how to pla...
Philosophy of Science - Very Short Introduction
How much faith should we place in what scientists tell us? Is it possible for scientific knowledge to be fully objective? What, really, can be defined as science? In the second edition of this Very Short Introduction, Samir Okasha explores the main themes and theories of contemporary philosophy of science, and investigates fascinating, challenging questions such as these. Starting at the very ...
The Devil - A Very Short Introduction
Why do the innocent suffer in a world created by a loving God? Does this mean that God cannot prevent this suffering, despite His supposed omnipotence? Or is God not loving after all? This in brief is the problem of evil. The Devil provides one solution to this problem: his rebellion against God and hatred of His works is responsible for evil. The Christian Devil has fascinated writers and ...
Physical Chemistry : A Very Short Introduction
With the development of a variety of exciting new areas of research involving computational chemistry; nano- and smart materials; and applications of the recently discovered graphene; there can be no doubt that physical chemistry is a vitally important field. It is also perceived as the most daunting branch of chemistry; being necessarily grounded in physics and mathematics and drawing as it does ...
The French Revolution - A Very Short Introduction
Beginning with a discussion of familiar images of the French Revolution, garnered from Dickens, Baroness Orczy, and Tolstoy, as well as the legends of let them eat cake, and tricolours, Doyle leads the reader to the realization that we are still living with developments and consequences of the French Revolution such as decimalization, and the whole ideology of human rights. Continuing with a brief...
Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction
Poststructuralism changes the way we understand the relations between human beings, their culture, and the world. Following a brief account of the historical relationship between structuralism and poststructuralism, this Very Short Introduction traces the key arguments that have led poststructuralists to challenge traditional theories of language and culture. Whilst the author discusses such well-...
Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction
Poststructuralism changes the way we understand the relations between human beings, their culture, and the world. Following a brief account of the historical relationship between structuralism and poststructuralism, this Very Short Introduction traces the key arguments that have led poststructuralists to challenge traditional theories of language and culture. Whilst the author discusses such well-...
The Russian Revolution - A Very Short Introduction
This Very Short Introduction provides an analytical narrative of the main events and developments in Soviet Russia between 1917 and 1936. It examines the impact of the revolution on society as a whole-on different classes, ethnic groups, the army, men and women, youth. Its central concern is to understand how one structure of domination was replaced by another. The book registers the primacy of po...
Literary Theory - A Very Short Introduction
What is literary theory? Is there a relationship between literature and culture? In fact, what is literature, and does it matter? These are some of questions addressed by Jonathan Culler in this Very Short Introduction to literary theory. Often a controversial subject, said to have transformed the study of culture and society in the past two decades, literary theory is accused of undermining respe...
The History of Mathematics - A Very Short Introduction
Mathematics is a fundamental human activity that can be practised and understood in a multitude of ways; indeed, mathematical ideas themselves are far from being fixed, but are adapted and changed by their passage across periods and cultures. In this Very Short Introduction, Jacqueline Stedall explores the rich historical and cultural diversity of mathematical endeavour from the distant past to th...
Perception - A Very Short Introduction
Perception is one of the oldest and most deeply investigated topics in the field of psychology, and it is also raises some profound philosophical questions. It is concerned with how we use the information reaching our senses to guide and control our behaviour as well as to create our particular, subjective experiences of the surrounding world. In this Very Short Introduction, Brian J. Rogers disc...
Sexuality - A Very Short Introduction
What shapes our sexuality? Is it a product of our genes, or of society, culture, and politics? How have concepts of sexuality and sexual norms changed over time? How have feminist theories, religion, and HIV/AIDS affected our attitudes to sex? Focusing on the social, political, and psychological aspects of sexuality, this Very Short Introduction examines these questions and many more, exploring wh...
Eighteenth-Century Britain - A Very Short Introduction
First published as part of the best-selling The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain, Paul Langfords Very Short Introduction to Eighteenth-Century Britain spans from the aftermath of the Revolution of 1688 to Pitt the Youngers defeat at attempted parliamentary reform.
Fractals : A Very Short Introduction
Many are familiar with the beauty and ubiquity of fractal forms within nature. Unlike the study of smooth forms such as spheres; fractal geometry describes more familiar shapes and patterns; such as the complex contours of coastlines; the outlines of clou
Forensic Science: A Very Short Introduction
Forensic science is a subject of wide fascination. What happens at a crime scene? How does DNA profiling work? How can it help solve crimes that happened 20 years ago? In forensic science; a criminal case can often hinge on a piece of evidence such as a h
Peace: A Very Short Introduction
The concept of peace has always attracted radical thought; action; and practices. It has been taken to mean merely an absence of overt violence or war; but in the contemporary era it is often used interchangeably with 'peacemaking'; 'peacebuilding'; 'conf
A Short Introduction to Climate Change
A Short Introduction to Climate Change provides a clear; balanced and well documented account of one of the most important issues of our time. It covers developments in climate science over the past 250 years and shows that recent climate change is more t