Brilliant, sharp, inspiring - Short Introductions

Last year The Very Short Introductions launched a Podcast. A concise and original introduction to a wide range of subjects - from Ancient Greece to Fashion, the Middle Ages to Children's Literature, and Atheism to EU Law - by the expert authors of the 'Very Short Introductions' series. Learn how to subscribe and catch-up with the first season.

Launched by Oxford University Press in 1995. This collection of six hundred books cover a range of subjects in the Arts, Law, Medicine, Sciences and Social Sciences from Abolitionism to Zionism and everything in between. All titles provide intelligent and serious introductions to a range of subjects, written by experts in the field who combine facts, analysis, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make challenging topics highly readable.

The books identify the most important aspects of that subject, giving the reader all the major facts needed to fully understand the subject and it’s history.

Many of the books written are less than two hundred pages, containing a small number of chapters, which is the appeal of Very Short Introductions. Each chapter covers the major aspects of your chosen field, with references to the main influencers. It is a great way of introducing yourself to a subject you may be curious about, without getting too bogged down reading large academic texts.  

After reading your selected subject you can decide whether you want to delve further into it. There are subjects to appeal to everyone. If you enjoy reading non-fiction, then you will enjoy this website.

Each subject is written by an expert in that field, you are getting all of the facts, without the jargon. 

Submitted by Fiona.