Very short introductions
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The brain: a very short introduction , Very short introductions volume 144
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Particle physics: a very short introduction
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Journalism : a very short introduction
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Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2003
Description
How did Roman Catholicism and its beliefs and practices come to be what they are? This lively and readable account provides an up-to-date introduction, explaining what is distinctively Catholic. The authors move through history to sum up the present characteristics of Catholic Christianity and the major tests it faces in the third millennium. Explaining matters in a fresh and original way, they do justice to the Catholic heritage and show that Catholicism...
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Galaxies: a very short introduction
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The history of life: a very short introduction
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History of medicine: a very short introduction
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Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2009.
Description
From the Publisher: Voltaire's comment-"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"--Is frequently quoted by defenders of free speech. Yet it is rare to find someone prepared to defend all freedom of speech, especially if the views expressed are obnoxious or obviously false. So where do we draw the line? How important is our right to freedom of speech? In this accessible and up-to-date Very Short Introduction,...
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Lincoln: a very short introduction
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Thomas Aquinas: a very short introduction
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Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2010
Description
"What is agnosticism? is it just the 'don't know' position on the existence of God, or is there more to it than this? Is it a belief, or the absence of belief? Often viewed with suspicion, agnosticism has played an important role in religious thought and argument. Robin Le Poidevin outlines the philosophical case for agnosticism, and what emerges is a more sophisticated and interesting attitude than a simple failure to commit to, or reject, religious...
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Aristocracy: a very short introduction
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"In The Blues, Wald surveys a genre at the heart of American culture. Wald sees blues less as a style than as a broad musical tradition within a constantly evolving pop culture. He traces its roots in work and praisse songs and shows how it was transformed by such professional performers as W.C. Hardy, who first popularized the blues a century ago. He follows its evolution from Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith through Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix; identifies...
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Diplomacy: a very short introduction
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Folk music: a very short introduction
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Oxford University Press
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 20 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 tyre mark. Complex scientific findings must be considered carefully and dispassionately, and communicated with clarity, simplicity, and precision. In this...
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Yale University Press
Pub. Date
[2015]
Description
The sixteenth-century German friar whose public conflict with the medieval Roman Church triggered the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther was neither an unblemished saint nor a single-minded religious zealot according to this provocative new biography by Scott Hendrix. The author presents Luther as a man of his time: a highly educated scholar and teacher and a gifted yet flawed human being driven by an optimistic yet ultimately unrealized vision...
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North American Indians: a very short introduction
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Romanticism: a very short introduction
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"Many scholars believe that the framers of the Constitution intended Congress to be the preeminent branch of government. Indeed, no other legislature in the world approaches its power. Yet most Americans have only a murky idea of how it works. In The U.S. Congress, Donald A. Ritchie, a congressional historian for more than thirty years, takes readers on a fascinating, behind-the-scenes tour of Capitol Hill--pointing out the key players, explaining...
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Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2010
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.
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Oxford University Press
Description
"The United States has experienced voluntary immigration of unprecedented size and diversity throughout its colonial and national history, over the course of almost five centuries. In light of the number of migrants and migrant peoples, it is to be expected that the fundamental character of American society has been conceived in international migrations, for with the exception of the Native American population, everyone resident in America has migration...
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Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2011
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 computer: a very short introduction
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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
c2012
Description
With startling speed, Spanish conquistadors invaded hundreds of Native American kingdoms, took over the mighty empires of the Aztecs and Incas, and initiated an unprecedented redistribution of the world's resources and balance of power. They changed the course of history, but the myth they established was even stranger than their real achievements. This Very Short Introduction deploys the latest scholarship to shatter and replace the traditional narrative....
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Derrida: a very short introduction
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Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
©2011
Description
From Gregorian chant to Bach's Brandenburg Concerti, the music of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods is both beautiful and intriguing, expanding our horizons as it nourishes our souls. In this Very Short Introduction, Thomas Forrest Kelly provides not only a compact overview of the music itself, but also a lively look at the many attempts over the last two centuries to revive it. Kelly shows that the early-music revival has long been grounded...
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Jesus: a very short introduction
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Late antiquity: a very short introduction
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Modern France: a very short introduction
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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2011
Description
An introduction to the major aspects of Muhammad's life and its importance, providing both Muslim and Western historical perspectives. It explains the prominent roles that Muhammad's persona has played in the Islamic world throughout history, from the medieval to the modern period.
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Pentecostalism: a very short introduction
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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2011
Description
Presents an accessible history of Protestantism from Martin Luther to the present day, focusing on worldwide developments and examining not only European and North American aspects of Protestant journeys, but also the importance of Protestant expansion into the non-Western world.
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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
c2012
Description
In this 'Very Short Introduction', Kenneth Morgan provides a wide-ranging and thematic introduction to modern Australia; examining the main features of its history, geography, and culture and drawing attention to the distinctive features of Australian life and its indigenous population and culture.
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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2012
Description
Considered by some to be the dominant art form of the twentieth century, film has come to encompass many things-a record of events, a modern mythology, a hobby, a career, and an entire industry-but it is, above all, a means of telling stories through images and sounds. In this Very Short Introduction, Michael Wood provides a brief history and examination of the nature of the medium of film, its role and impact on society, and its future in the digital...
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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2012
Description
In this volume the author 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. Mathematics has had a long and varied history, stretching back over 4,000 years and across every civilization and culture. Focusing on a number...
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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2012
Description
"In this Very Short Introduction, Stephen J. Blundell illuminates the mysterious force of magnetism. For centuries, magnetism has been used for various purposes--through compasses it gave us the ability to navigate, and through motors, generators, and turbines, it has given us power. Blundell explores our understanding of electricity and magnetism, from the work of Galvani, Ampere, Faraday, and Tesla, and describes how Maxwell and Faraday's work led...
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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2012
Description
"Metaphysics is one of the traditional four main branches of philosophy, alongside ethics, logic and epistemology. It is also an area that continues to attract and hold a fascination for many people yet it is associated with being complex and abstract. For some it is associated with the mystical or religious. For others it is known through the metaphysical poets who talk of love and spirituality.
This Very Short Introduction goes right to the heart...
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Rivers have acted as cradles for civilization and agents of disaster; a river may be a barrier or a highway, bearing trade and sediment, culture and conflict. This volume is a celebration of rivers in all their diversity. The author, a geographer covers a wide and eclectic range of river-based themes, from physical geography and mythology, to industrial history and literary criticism. Offering a truly global look at rivers including the Amazon, the...
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Stars: a very short introduction
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"Law has played a central role in American history. From colonial times to the present, law has not just reflected the changing society in which legal decisions have been made-it has played a powerful role in shaping that society, though not always in positive ways. In this Very Short Introduction, eminent legal scholar G. Edward White-author of the ongoing, multi-volume Law in American History-offers a compact overview that sheds light on the impact...
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The British Empire: a very short introduction
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Food
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Mao: a very short introduction
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Rastafari: a very short introduction
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Publisher
Oxford University Press, USA
Pub. Date
[2014]
Description
"African American Religion offers a provocative historical and philosophical treatment of the religious life of African Americans. Glaude argues that the phrase "African American religion" is meaningful only insofar as it singles out the distinctive ways religion has been leveraged by African Americans to respond to different racial regimes in the United States. That bold claim frames how he reads the historical record. Slavery, Jim Crow, and current...
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Ethnomusicology: a very short introduction
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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
[2021]
Description
"Henry James: A Very Short Introduction places Henry James's notoriously difficult writings in their historical and biographical context. Henry James had a major impact on the literary culture of his time and ever since. From his childhood through his mature life, James created a unique body of fiction, travel writing, reviews, and theory that represents one of the greatest achievements in America's literary history. This VSI studies various fictional...