Very short introductions
Author
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 144
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2005
Language
English
Description
How does the brain work? How different is a human brain from other creatures' brains? Is the human brain still evolving?
In this fascinating book, Michael O'Shea provides a non-technical introduction to the main issues and findings in current brain research, and gives a sense of how neuroscience addresses questions about the relationship between the brain and the mind. Chapters tackle subjects such as brain processes, perception, memory, motor control,...
2)
Literary theory: a very short introduction
Author
4)
Journalism : a very short introduction
Author
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2008
Language
English
Description
What causes autism? Is it a genetic disorder, or due to some unknown environmental hazard? Are we facing an autism epidemic? What are the main symptoms, and how does it relate to Asperger syndrome?
Everyone has heard of autism, but the disorder itself is little understood. It has captured the public imagination through films and novels portraying individuals with baffling combinations of disability and extraordinary talent, and yet the reality is...
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2008
Language
English
Description
"Renowned science writer John Gribbin takes us on a journey around the universe, looking at galaxies ranging from magnificent spirals like our very own Milky Way, to the ragged remains of massive intergalactic collisions, active galaxies which pump out jets of radiation into space, and those that we can just detect at the farthest reaches of space and time." "Gribbin reveals how and why the study of galaxies has been central to our growing understanding...
8)
The history of life: a very short introduction
Author
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2008
Language
English
Description
"This concise and accessible Very Short Introduction takes the reader on a tour through the history of medicine from classical times to the present. Focusing on the key turning points in the history of Western medicine - such as the advent of hospitals and the rise of experimental medicine, Bill Bynum offers insights into medicine's past, while at the same time engaging with contemporary issues, discoveries, and controversies."--BOOK JACKET.
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2009
Language
English
Description
"Nigel Warburton offers a concise guide to important questions facing modern society about the value and limits of free speech: Where should a civilized society draw the line? Should we be free to offend other people's religion? Are there good grounds for censoring pornography? Has the internet changed everything?" "This Very Short Introduction is a thought-provoking, accessible, and up-to-date examination of the liberal assumption that free speech...
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
c2009
Language
English
Description
"Abraham Lincoln was a fatalist who promoted freedom; he was a classical liberal who couched liberalism's greatest deed - emancipation of the slaves - in the unliberal language of divine providence; he was a religious doubter who became a national icon bordering on religion; and he was a rights-oriented liberal who appealed to natural law when confronting slavery"--Provided by publisher.
"Beneath the surface of the apparently untutored and deceptively...
13)
Thomas Aquinas: a very short introduction
Author
14)
Agnosticism: a very short introduction
Author
15)
Aristocracy: a very short introduction
Author
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
c2010
Language
English
Description
Praised as "suave, soulful, ebullient" (Tom Waits), Elijah Wald is one of the leading popular music critics of his generation. In The Blues, Wald surveys a genre at the heart of American culture.
It has been defined by lyrical structure, or as a progression of chords, or as a set of practices reflecting West African "tonal and rhythmic approaches," using a five-note "blues scale." He traces its roots in work and praise songs, and shows how it was...
17)
Diplomacy: a very short introduction
Author
19)
Film music: a very short introduction
Author
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2010
Language
English
Description
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 twenty years ago? In forensic science, a criminal case can often hinge on a piece of evidence such as a hair, a blood trace, half a footprint, or a tire mark. Complex scientific findings must be considered carefully and dispassionately, and communicated with clarity, simplicity, and precision.
In...
22)
Martin Luther: a very short introduction
Author
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
c2010
Language
English
Description
"This book begins with the emergence of peoples in North America and traces their stories to the beginning of the early twentieth-first century. The narrative rests on the premise that indigenous nations retain sovereign rights, and it explores the ways in which contests over those rights shaped their histories"--Provided by publisher.
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
c2010
Language
English
Description
"Congress is the most open branch of the federal government, and its members labor to provide constituent services and court the news media, but because they speak with many voices they have long operated at a disadvantage against the singular image of the president. This very short introduction to Congress offers a concise explanation of how the Congress operates and provides historical context for its evolution. As a national forum, congressional...
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2010
Language
English
Description
Throughout history, to the present day, witchcraft raises questions about the distinction between reality and fantasy, faith and proof. This book explores witchcraft, both as a contemporary phenomenon and a historical subject. It looks at witch-beliefs and accusations around the world, from pre-history to the present.
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
♭2011
Language
English
Description
"No modern nation has experienced immigration of the size and diversity of the United States. Beyond experiencing immigration, the US is conceived in immigration, which has assisted repeatedly in constituting the character of society. This volume examines the history of immigration and immigrant-founded ethnicity as well as the evolution of America out of its diverse ethnic and racial roots. American Immigration: A Very Short Introduction examines...
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2011
Language
English
Description
Molecular biology has revolutionized our understanding of animals and their evolution. In this Very Short Introduction, Peter Holland provides an authoritative summary of the modern view of animal life, its origins, and the new classification resulting from DNA studies.
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The conquistadors: a very short introduction
Author
33)
Derrida: a very short introduction
Author
35)
Genius: a very short introduction
Author
Author
Series
Publisher
New York
Pub. Date
2011
Language
English
Description
Explores Jesus' symbolic practices, his teachings, and his public career, and emphasizes how his actions, such as his healings, were just as important as his words. Placing Jesus in his proper historical context by considering Jewish religion and society in the land of Israel under Roman rule, Bauckham concludes by considering the significance Jesus has come to have for Christian faith worldwide.
40)
Muhammad: a very short introduction
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41)
Pentecostalism: a very short introduction
Author
42)
Protestantism: a very short introduction
Author
44)
Australia: a very short introduction
Author
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2012
Language
English
Description
In this Very Short Introduction, Jacqueline Stedall explores the rich historical and cultural diversity of mathematical endeavour from the distant past to the present day, using illustrative case studies drawn from a range of times and places; including early imperial China, the medieval Islamic world, and nineteenth-century Britain.
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
c2012
Language
English
Description
Book Description: In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the Mongols carved out the largest land-based empire in world history, stretching from Korea to Russia in the north and from China to Syria in the south, and unleashing an unprecedented level of violence. But as Morris Rossabi reveals in this Very Short Introduction, within two generations of their bloody conquests, the Mongols evolved from conquerors and predators to wise rulers who devised...
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2012
Language
English
Description
Rivers have acted as cradles for civilization and agents of disaster; a river may be a barrier or a highway, it can support trade and sediment, culture and conflict. This Very Short Introduction is a celebration of rivers in all their diversity. Geographer Nick Middleton covers a wide and eclectic range of river-based themes, from physical geography to mythology, to industrial history and literary criticism. Offering a truly global look at rivers,...
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2012
Language
English
Description
Here, David Gwynn reflects on the remarkable legacy of the Roman Republic. The rise and fall of the Republic holds a special place in the history of Western civilization; it has been presented as a model, a source of inspiration, but also a warning.
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
[2014]
Language
English
Description
""Law," in this book, includes basic common law subjects (such as property, torts, and contracts), as well as statutory and constitutional issues, including issues associated with gender, race, and domestic relations. The domain of law also includes foundational issues of American political and social theory, such as sovereignty, liberty, equality, and criminal justice. It includes the evolving status and roles of members of the legal profession as...
59)
Astrobiology: a very short introduction
Author
60)
The British Empire: a very short introduction
Author
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2013.
Language
English
Description
From the contours of coastlines to the outlines of clouds, and the branching of trees, fractal shapes can be found everywhere in nature. In this Very Short Introduction, Kenneth Falconer explains the basic concepts of fractal geometry, which produced a revolution in our mathematical understanding of patterns in the twentieth century, and explores the wide range of applications in science, and in aspects of economics.
63)
Mao: a very short introduction
Author
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2012
Language
English
Description
"From its obscure beginnings in Jamaica in the early 1930s, Rastafari has grown into an international socio-religious movement. It is estimated that 700,000 to 1 million people worldwide have embraced Rastafari, and adherents of the movement can be found in most of the major population centers and many outposts of the world. Most believers worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia (ruled 1930-1974), as God incarnate. They often embrace the spiritual...
65)
African American religion: a very short introduction
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66)
Ethnomusicology: a very short introduction
Author
67)
Henry James: a very short introduction
Author