Browse by category
Roman Britain: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Salway
Category: History | Series: Very Short Introductions
For four centuries Britain was an integral part of the Roman Empire, a political system stretching from Turkey to Portugal and from the Red Sea to the Tyne and beyond. Its involvement with Rome started long before the Conquest launched by the Emperor Claudius in 43 AD, and it continued to be a part of t ...Show more
Russell by A.C. Grayling
Category: Philosophy and Religion | Series: Very Short Introductions
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) is one of the most famous and important philosophers of the twentieth century. In this account of his life and work A.C. Grayling introduces both his technical contributions to logic and philosophy, and his wide-ranging views on education, politics, war, and sexual morality. ...Show more
Russian History by Geoffrey Hosking
Category: History | Series: Very Short Introductions
Spanning the divide between Europe and Asia, Russia is a multi-ethnic empire with a huge territory, strategically placed and abundantly provided with natural resources. But Russia's territory has a harsh climate, is cut off from most maritime contact with the outside world, and has open and vulnerable l ...Show more
Russian Literature: A Very Short Introduction by Catriona Kelly
Category: Reference | Series: Very Short Introductions
Explores the place and importance of literature in Russian culture. How and when did a Russian national literature come into being? What shaped its creation? How have the Russians regarded their literary language? This book uses the figure of Pushkin, 'the Russian Shakespeare', as an example.
SHAKESPEARES TRAGEDIES A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION by WELLS STANLEY
Category: Classic Fiction | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.
Tragedy, including grief, pain and suffering, is a common theme in Shakespeare's plays, often leading to the death of at least one character, if not several. Yet such themes can also be found in Shakespearian plays which are classed as comedies, or histories. What is it which makes a Shakespearian trage ...Show more
Samurai : a Very Short Introduction by Michael Wert
Category: No Category | Series: Very Short Introduction Ser.
The idea of the sword-wielding samurai, beholden to a strict ethical code and trained in deadly martial arts, dominates popular conceptions of the samurai. As early as the late seventeenth century, they were heavily featured in literature, art, theater, and even comedy, from the Tale of theHeike to the ...Show more
Schopenhauer by Christopher Janaway
Category: Philosophy and Religion | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.
Schopenhauer is considered to be the most readable of German philosophers. This book gives a succinct explanation of his metaphysical system, concentrating on the original aspects of his thought, which inspired many artists and thinkers including Nietzsche, Wagner, Freud, and Wittgenstein. Schopenhauer' ...Show more
Science and Religion (A Very Short Introduction) by DIXON THOMAS
Category: Science & Natural History | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.
The debate between science and religion is never out of the news: emotions run high, fuelled by polemical bestsellers like The God Delusion and, at the other end of the spectrum, high-profile campaigns to teach "Intelligent Design" in schools. Yet there is much more to the debate than the clash of these ...Show more
Scotland by Rab Houston
Category: History | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.
Since Devolution in 1999 Scotland has become a focus of intense interest both within Britain and throughout the wider world. In this iVery Short Introduction/i, Rab Houston explores how an independent Scottish nation emerged in the Middle Ages, how it was irrevocably altered by Reformation,links with En ...Show more
Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction by Eleanor Nesbitt
Category: History | Series: Very Short Introductions
The Sikh religion has a following of over 20 million people worldwide. However,events such as the verbal and physical attacks on Sikhs just after September 11, where Sikhs were being mistaken for Muslims, suggest that the Sikh faith still remains mysterious to many. This Very Short Introduction introduc ...Show more
Sleep: A Very Short Introduction by Steven W. Lockley
Category: Health | Series: Very Short Introductions
Why do we need sleep? How much sleep is enough? What is sleep? What happens when we don't get enough? We spend about a third of our lives asleep - it plays a crucial role in our health and wellbeing. References to sleep abound in literature and art, and sleep has been recognized as fundamental to the hu ...Show more
Social and Cultural Anthropology: a Very Short Introduction by John Monaghan
Category: Culture | Series: Very Short Introductions
This introduction to social and cultural anthropology combines an account of some of the disciplines guiding principles and methodology with examples of anthropologists at work. The book ends with an assessment of anthropology's current position and a look forward to its future.