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Byzantium: a Very Short Introduction by Peter Sarris
Category: History | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.
After surviving the fifth century fall of the Western European Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire flourished as one of the most powerful economic, cultural, and military forces in Europe for a thousand years. In this Very Short Introduction Peter Sarris introduces the reader to the unique fusion of Roma ...Show more
Cancer by Nick James
Category: Health | Series: Very Short Introductions
In 1961 John F. Kennedy pledged to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Nine years later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Ten years later, Richard Nixon echoed this pledge by declaring a 'war' on cancer. More than 30 years later, however, cancer remains one of the largest c ...Show more
Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Atkins
Category: Science | Series: Very Short Introductions
Most people remember chemistry from their schooldays as largely incomprehensible, a subject that was fact-rich but understanding-poor, smelly, and so far removed from the real world of events and pleasures that there seemed little point, except for the most introverted, in coming to terms with its grubb ...Show more
Children's Literature : a very short introduction by Kimberley Reynolds
Category: Reference | Series: Very Short Introductions
In this lively discussion Kim Reynolds looks at what children's literature is, why it is interesting, how it contributes to culture, and how it is studied as literature. Providing examples from across history and various types of children's literature, she introduces the key debates, developments, and p ...Show more
Chinese Literature by Sabina Knight
Category: Philosophy | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.
Perhaps nowhere else has literature been as conscious a collective endeavor as in China, and China's survival over three thousand years may owe more to its literary traditions than to its political history. This Very Short Introduction tells the story of Chinese literature from antiquity tothe present, ...Show more
Christian Ethics : A Very Short Introduction by D.Stephen Long
Category: No Category | Series: Very Short Introductions
This Very Short Introduction to Christian ethics introduces the topic by examining its sources and historical basis. D. Stephen Long presents a discussion of the relationship between Christian ethics, modern, and postmodern ethics, and explores practical issues including sex, money, and power. Long reco ...Show more
Circadian Rhythms: a Very Short Introduction by Russell Foster; Leon Kreitzman
Category: Science | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.
The earth's daily rotation affects just about every living creature. From dawn through to dusk, there are changes in light, temperature, humidity, and rainfall. However, these changes are regular, rhythmic and, therefore, predictable. Thus, the near 24 hour circadian rhythm is innate: a genetically prog ...Show more
Classical Mythology (A Very Short Introduction) by Helen Morales
Category: History | Series: Very Short Introductions
From Zeus and Europa, to Diana, Pan, and Prometheus, the myths of ancient Greece and Rome seem to exert a timeless power over us. But what do those myths represent, and why are they so enduringly fascinating? Why do they seem to be such a potent way of talking about our selves, our origins, and our desi ...Show more
Climate: A Very Short Introduction by Mark A. Maslin
Category: Non-Fiction | Series: Very Short Introductions
In this wide-ranging Very Short Introduction to climate, Mark Maslin considers all aspects of the global climate system, exploring and explaining the different components that control climate on Earth. He considers the processes that allow energy to reach the Earth and how it is redistributed around the ...Show more
Climate Change: A Very Short Introduction by Mark A. Maslin
Category: Nature | Series: Very Short Introductions
Climate change is still, arguably, the most critical and controversial issue facing the world in the twenty-first century. Previously published as Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction, the new edition is now Climate Change: A Very Short introduction, reflecting an important change in the terminolog ...Show more
Comedy by Matthew Bevis
Category: Non-Fiction | Series: Very Short Introductions
To consider comedy in its many incarnations is to raise diverse but related questions: what, for instance, is humour, and how may it be used (or abused)? When do we laugh, and why? What is it that writers and speakers enjoy - and risk - when they tell a joke, indulge in bathos, talk nonsense, or encoura ...Show more
Communism - A very short introduction by Leslie Holmes
Category: Non-Fiction | Series: Very Short Introductions
The collapse of communism was one of the most defining moments of the twentieth century. At its peak, more than a third of the world's population had lived under communist power. What is communism? Where did the idea come from and what attracted people to it? What is the future for communism? This Very ...Show more