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In this very short introduction to the gene, Jonathan Slack explores the discovery, nature, and role of genes in evolution and development. Looking at how genes are understood as a concept, the nature of genetic variation, and how their mutation can lead to disease, this is an ideal guide for anyone curious about what genes are and how they work.

Many people would be able to agree on a list of things that fall under the umbrella of pseudoscience - astrology, phrenology, UFOlogy, creationism, and eugenics might come to mind. But defining what makes these fields 'pseudo' and differentiates them from genuine science is a far more complex issue. This volume explores the philosophical and historical attempts to address this problem of demarcation. Michael D. Gordin guides readers along a bewildering array of marginalized doctrines, focusing on some of the central debates about what science is and is not, and how such controversies have shifted over the centuries. An historical tour is provided through various theories, offering readers the tools to think deeply about scientific controversies both past and present.

"This book explores two centuries of suburban growth as integral to global urbanism. It argues that the future of an urbanizing world will be a suburban world and presents suburbs as places that are interesting and viable on their own terms rather than simply poor cousins of big cities. Examples come from every peopled continent, offering glimpses of suburbs from London to Lima, Sao Paolo to Singapore, Cairo to Chicago, and Dublin to Delhi. The approach is both historical and thematic. The book first traces the history of suburban development in England and North America to 1940 and then examines three different trajectories of suburbanization in more recent decades. The United States and other nations drawing on British planning traditions have built low density suburbia characterized by owner-occupied housing, dependence on automobiles, planned new towns, and a legacy of racial residential segregations. High-rise housing built by national governments dominated suburban rings in Eastern Europe and parts of Western Europe and East Asia. Where neither government nor private market has been able to meet demand, residents have acted themselves to create informal communities with self-built housing on cheap peripheral land, sometimes misleadingly called shantytowns. After this world tour, a chapter explores suburban rings as places of work, from early dispersed manufacturing and industrial suburbs to research and development suburbs in developed economies about the world. Another thematic chapter examines the negative and even dystopian reputation of suburbs and sprawl in literature, popular media, and science fiction"-- Provided by publisher

• Structures and jurisdictions
• Roles and functions
• Powers and motivations
• People
• Process
• Politics and policy.

"The book provides a very short, but complete introduction to the institutions and people, the rules and processes, that make up the American judicial system. Jargon free and aimed at a general reader, it explains the where, when, and who of American courts. It also makes clear the how and why behind the law as it affects everyday people. It is, in a word, a starting place to understanding the third branch of American government at both the state and the federal levels, a guide to those wishing to know the basics of the American judicial system, and a cogent synthesis of how the various elements that make up the law and legal institutions fit together"-- Provided by publisher.

• List of illustrations Introduction
• 1. American English as a Poetic Resource
• 2. Convention and Idiosyncrasy
• 3. Auden and Eliot: Two Complicating Examples
• 4. Conclusion: On the Present and Future of American Poetry References Further Reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

A leading critic explains what makes American poetry-a vast genre covering diverse styles, techniques, and form-distinctive. In this short and engaging volume, David Caplan proposes a new theory of American poetry. With lively writing and illuminating examples, Caplan argues that two characteristics mark the vast, contentious literature. On the one hand, several of America's major poets and critics claim that America needs a poetry equal to the country's distinctiveness. They advocate for novelty and for a break with what is perceived to be outmoded and foreign. On the other hand, American poetry welcomes techniques, styles, and traditions that originate from far beyond its borders. The force of these two competing characteristics, American poetry's emphasis on its uniqueness and its transnationalism, drives both individual accomplishment and the broader field. These two characteristic features energize American poetry, quickening its development into a great national literature that continues to inspire poets in the contemporary moment. American Poetry: A Very Short Introduction moves through history and honors the poets' artistry by paying close attention to the verse forms, meters, and styles they employ. Examples range from Anne Bradstreet, writing a century before the United States was founded, to the poets of the Black Lives Matter movement. Individual chapters consider how other major figures such as T.S. Eliot, Phillis Wheatley, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, W.H. Auden, and Langston Hughes emphasize convention or idiosyncrasy, and turn to American English as an important artistic resource. This concise examination of American poetry enriches our understanding of both the literature's distinctive achievement and the place of its most important writers within it.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• 1: The behavioural origins of CBT.
• 2: Putting the 'C' into CBT
• 3: The theory behind CBT
• 4: The style and structure of CBT
• 5: CBT methods
• 6: Applications of CBT
• 7: Future directions and challenges Further Reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological therapy. It is not a unitary approach, but instead has evolved through a range of approaches that share a common underpinning model of cognition (thought) and behaviour being important in understanding and alleviating psychological distress. While the earliest approaches focused on modifying observable behaviour, later versions emphasized cognitive processes. Most recently, the third wave approaches in CBT have moved the focus away from the content of an individual's thoughts to their relationship with their thoughts, and the processes underlying thinking. This Very Short Introduction gives an overview of what CBT is, where it came from, what it does, and when it can be used. It explores how one of the driving forces behind CBT's success and continued adaptation has been its basis in empiricism, and analyses how it must continue to evolve to meet future challenges. Looking to the future, Freda McManus also discusses how the scale of mental health problems and relative costs of traditional therapy formats have prompted investigations into alternative formats of CBT that have the potential to reach broader audiences, globally. She also considers the challenges of scale in training the workforce required to roll out such interventions, as well as those of determining the best ways of monitoring their competence and effectiveness. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• 1: Fluids
• 2: Viscosity
• 3: Pipes
• 4: Dimensions
• 5: Boundary layers
• 6: Vortices
• 7: Instabilities
• 8: Researching fluids and flows Further Reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Fluid mechanics is an important branch of physics concerned with the way in which fluids, such as liquids and gases, behave when in motion and at rest. A quintessential interdisciplinary field of science, it interacts with many other scientific disciplines, from chemistry and biology to mathematics and engineering. This Very Short Introduction presents the field of fluid mechanics by focusing on the underlying physical ideas and using everyday phenomena to demonstrate them, from dripping taps to swimming ducks. Eric Lauga shows how this set of fundamental physical concepts can be applied to a wide range of flow behaviours and highlights the role of fluid motion in both the natural and industrial worlds. This book also considers future applications of fluid mechanics in science. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• 1: Welcome To NanoPut
• 2: The Quantum, Confined
• 3: Tearing It Down, Building It Up
• 4: It From Bit, Bit From It
• 5: Molecules in Motion: Nanomachinery
• 6: Are The Nanobots Nigh?
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

What is Nanotechnology and how will it affect us? Nanobots, nanoprobes, nanoswarms, nanogenes the list goes on. Nanotechnology is a staple of science fiction and has a rather chequered history when it comes to public perception: will swarms of sentient nanomachines ultimately take over the world or will nanotech give us nothing more than improved sun creams? As this Very Short Introduction shows, the science underpinning nanotechnology is equally as fascinating as the best nano-inspired sci-fi. In this book, Philip Moriarty introduces the key scientific themes and concepts underpinning the field, including interatomic and intermolecular forces, single atom imaging, quantum confinement, self-assembly, molecular machinery, and nanomagnetism. Moriarty includes results from ground-breaking scientific studies, such as scanning probe microscope images of atomic and molecular "landscapes", providing visceral and intuitive insights into the nanoscopic world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• 1: Life and times
• 2: The modern subject
• 3: Nature and history
• 4: History and freedom
• 5: The culture industry
• 6: Society
• 7: Art and philosophy
• 8: Doing justice to things References Further reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring T.W. Adorno (1903-69) was a German philosopher and social and cultural theorist. His work has come to be seen as increasingly relevant to understanding the pathologies of contemporary society evident in today's climate emergency, the financial crash, the reappearance of fascism in many countries, and the growing instability of the world order. This Very Short Introduction covers Adorno's work and life, explaining his key philosophical concepts and the philosophical background and historical context of Adorno's thinking. Andrew Bowie shows how Adorno's exploration of why human reason can have irrational consequences led him to rethink basic concepts like 'nature', 'history', and 'freedom', offering alternatives to many ways of thinking about these concepts in contemporary philosophy. The book also examines Adorno's social theory, as well as his highly critical assessments of jazz and modern culture, which he considered threatened by the effects of modern capitalism. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Preface
• 1: The roots of biochemistry
• 2: Water, lipids and carbohydrates
• 3: Proteins: Nature's nano-machines
• 4: Nucleic acids: Life's blueprints
• 5: Powering a cell: Bioenergetics
• 6: Manufacturing and maintaining DNA
• 7: Following biochemistry within the cell
• 8: Biotechnology and synthetic biology Further reading References.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring From the simplest bacteria to humans, all living things are composed of cells of one type or another, all of which have fundamentally the same chemistry. This chemistry must provide mechanisms that allow cells to interact with the external world, a means to power the cell, machinery to carry out varied processes within the cell, a structure within which everything runs, and also governance through a web of interlocking chemical reactions. Biochemistry is the study of those reactions, the molecules that are created, manipulated, and destroyed as a result of them, and the massive macromolecules (such as DNA, cytoskeletons, proteins and carbohydrates) that form the chemical machinery and structures on which these biochemical reactions take place. It didn't take long for an understanding of the chemistry of life to turn into a desire to manipulate it. Drugs and therapies all aim to modify biochemical processes for good or ill: Penicillin, derived from mould, stops bacteria making their cell walls. Aspirin, with its origins in willow bark, inhibits enzymes involved in inflammatory responses. A few nanograms of botulinum toxin (botox), can kill by preventing the release of neurotransmitters from the ends of nerves and so leads to paralysis and death, or give a wrinkle free forehead (if administered in very tiny quantities).This Very Short Introduction discusses the key concepts of biochemistry, as well as the historical figures in the field and the molecules they studied, before considering the current science and innovations in the field, and the interaction between biochemistry, biotechnology, and synthetic biology. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• 1: Geology or biology?
• 2: Ancient reefs and islands
• 3: The architects of a reef
• 4: The resulting structure - a reef
• 5: Microbial and planktonic engines of the reef
• 6: Reef fish and other major predators
• 7: Regional scale pressures on reefs
• 8: Global scale pressures on reefs - Climate change
• 9: Doing something about it Further Reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Coral reefs are among the most beautiful, and most diverse, of ecosystems. Early seafarers were wary of them, naturalists were confused by them, yet many coastal people benefited greatly from these mysterious rocky structures that grew up to the surface of the sea. They have been rich in their supply of food, and they provided a breakwater from storms and high waves to countless coastal communities that developed from their protection. Their scale is enormous and their value high. Found in countless locations around the world, from the Indo-Pacific coral reef province to the Caribbean and Australia, they support both marine and human life. But today coral reefs are in trouble, with many dying or suffering from over-exploitation, pollution, and the warming and acidification of the oceans. Understanding reefs, their conservation and management, is vital, and so is conveying this to authority if we are to preserve these remarkable ecosystems. In this Very Short Introduction Charles Sheppard describes the complex structure and interdependencies of a reef, how reefs have evolved, the diversity of marine life that they support, and their importance to the human population who live beside them. This new edition describes the latest research on the complex symbioses of coral animals with microorganisms. It also highlights the scale of the challenge facing our reefs today, following recent ocean heatwaves - part of wider climate disruption - that killed half the world's reefs, and considers what can be done to preserve these essential and vibrant ecosystems. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• List of illustrations Prologue
• 1 Becoming Henry James
• 2 Global apprenticeship
• 3 The James brand
• 4 Professional author
• 5 Masterpieces Epilogue References Further reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

An elegant introduction to one of America's most complex and influential writers. From his childhood in a family of leading American intellectuals through his mature life as a major American man of letters, Henry James (1843-1916) created a unique body of fiction that represents one of the greatest achievements in the nation's literary history. James's transnational life in the US and England and his extraordinary siblings (the philosopher William James and diarist Alice James) made his life as complicated as the fictions he produced. In this elegant introduction to the work of Henry James, Susan L. Mizruchi places the notoriously difficult and obscure writings in their historical and biographical context. As James grew in confidence as a writer, his fictions evolved accordingly. These complex accounts of human experience engage with the vital issues of both James's era and our own. Among the works treated in this introduction are Washington Square, The Europeans, Daisy Miller, The Portrait of a Lady, The Golden Bowl, and The Turn of the Screw. Through his novels, as well as his journalistic and critical endeavors, James explores themes related to gender relations, human sexuality, the nature of modernity, the threat of relativism, the rise of mass culture, and the role of art. Since their creation, James's writings have been a consistent subject of both literary theory and popular culture, receiving a diverse array of theoretical treatments, from formalism, deconstruction, phenomenology, and pragmatism to Marxism, new historicism, and gender and queer theory. James's novels have been adapted into numerous films by directors including William Wyler, Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Winner, Merchant/Ivory, and Jane Campion. The impact of Henry James cannot be overstated.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• 1: Human physiology: what it is and how it is done
• 2: Energy: food, oxygen, blood, heat, waste
• 3: Homeostasis: the stability of the internal environment
• 4: Sensation
• 5: Reacting and thinking
• 6: From thought to action
• 7: Defence
• 8: Reproduction
• 9: Concluding remarks Further reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Physiology is the science of life, and sets out to understand how living things work and what makes them distinct from the non-living. It considers how our bodies are supplied with energy, how they maintain their internal parameters, the ways in which we gather and process information, the ways we take action, and the creation of new generations. This Very Short Introduction explores the field of human physiology, considering how the body works, senses, reacts, and defends itself. As Jamie A. Davies shows, human life (and indeed, all life) is sustained by the interplay of a wide variety of physiological mechanisms and principles. He discusses the physiological experiments and research undertaken to understand these processes, and analyses the ethical issues involved. He also considers the evolution of the scientific field itself, showing how enhanced understandings of physiological knowledge can help inform medical research and care. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction
• 1: Plague: what's in a name??
• 2: Pandemics and epidemics
• 3: Big impacts: the Black Death
• 4: Private horrors
• 5: Public health
• 6: Enduring images
• 7: The lessons of histories References Further Reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Throughout history plague has been the cause of many major catastrophes. It was responsible for the 'Plague of Justinian' in 542, the Black Death of 1348, and the Great Plague of London in 1665, as well as for devastating epidemics in China and India between the 1890s and 1920s. In the 21st century Coronavirus pandemics have served as a powerful reminder that we have not escaped the global impact of epidemic diseases. In this Very Short Introduction, Paul Slack takes a global approach to explore the historical and social impact of plague over the centuries, looking at the ways in which it has been interpreted, and the powerful images it has left behind in art and literature. Examining what plague meant for those who suffered from it, and how governments began to fight against it, he demonstrates the impact plague has had on modern notions of public health, and how it has shaped our history. This new edition also includes evidence on the nature of plague taken from recent discoveries in ancient DNA as well as new research on plague in the Middle East. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• 1: Beginnings
• 2: Creation revealed
• 3: Beautiful theories, ugly facts
• 4: What are planets made of?
• 5: A grand tour of exoplanets
• 6: Planetary climate and habitability
• 7: How it all ends Further Reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Not long ago, the Solar System was the only example of a planetary system - a star and the bodies orbiting it - that we knew. Now, we know thousands of planetary systems, and have even been able to observe planetary systems at the moment of their birth. This Very Short Introduction explores this new frontier, incorporating the latest research. The book takes the reader on a journey through the grand sweep of time, from the moment galaxies begin to form after the Big Bang to trillions of years in the future when the Universe will be a dilute soup of dim galaxies populated mostly by red dwarf stars. Throughout, Raymond T. Pierrehumbert introduces the latest insights gained from a new generation of telescopes that catch planetary systems at the moment of formation, and to the theoretical advances that attempt to make sense of these observations. He explains how the elements that make up life and the planets on which life can live are forged in the interiors of dying stars, and make their way into rocky planets. He also explores the vast array of newly discovered planets orbiting stars other than our own, and explains the factors that determine their climates. Finally, he reveals what determines how long planetary systems can live, and what happens in their end-times. Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Preface
• 1: What are stem cells?
• 2: Embryonic stem cells
• 3: Personalised pluripotent stem cells
• 4: Therapy using pluripotent stem cells
• 5: Tissue-specific stem cells
• 6: Therapy using tissue-specific stem cells
• 7: Expectations: realistic and unrealistic Glossary Further Reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

The topic of stem cells has a high profile in the media. We've made important advances in our scientific understanding, but despite this the clinical applications of stem cells are still in their infancy and most real stem cell therapy carried out today is some form of bone marrow transplantation. At the same time, a scandalous spread of unproven stem cell treatments by private clinics represents a serious problem, with treatments being offered which are backed by limited scientific rationale, and which are at best ineffective, and at worse harmful. This Very Short Introduction introduces stem cells, exploring what they are, and what scientists do with them. Introducing the different types of stem cells, Jonathan Slack explains how they can be used to treat diseases such as retinal degeneration, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, and spinal trauma. He also discusses the important technique of bone marrow transplantation and some other types of current stem cell therapy, used for the treatment of blindness and of severe burns. Slack warns against fake stem cell treatments and discusses how to distinguish real from fake treatments. He also describes the latest scientific progress in the field, and looks forward to what we can expect to happen in the next few years Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• 1: Meeting Mary: The Surprising Virgin
• 2: Mary in the New Testament, History, and Earliest Christianity
• 3: Mary After the Gospels
• 4: Mary the Goddess?
• 5: Eastern Mary - Byzantium and Islam
• 6: Empress of Heaven and Hell: Mary in the Middle Ages and Renaissance
• 7: Modern Mary - Reformation to the Present Glossary References Further Reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

The Virgin Mary - a Jewish mother - is central to Christianity, a revered woman in Islam, and a person of persistent fascination for centuries. Marian worship and theology has inspired countless appearances in art, as well as religious philosophy and doctrine, while the concept of the Virgin herself has been involved in controversial discussions over the Virginal body, race, anti-Semitism, and globalism. This Very Short Introduction describes the evolution of Marian thought from early Christianity to the present day. Mary Joan Winn Leith focuses on the centuries between the rise of Christianity and the Counter-Reformation, the eras when most of the doctrinal issues, popular traditions, and associated conventions of Marian iconography developed, and covers Catholic, Orthodox, and other Christian denominations, as well as the Islamic Mary. Taking an interdisciplinary approach that includes art history, archaeology, and gender studies as well as doctrinal history, she considers some of the misunderstandings and unquestioned assumptions about the Virgin Mary that pervade past and present Christian consciousness and today's secular world. Leith also discusses apparitions of Mary and representations of Mary in contemporary popular culture. Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• List of illustrations Acknowledgments Preface
• 1. The Jewish matrix (1200 BCE-70CE)
• 2. Jews, gentiles, and Christians (200 BCE-200 CE)
• 3. Constructing Judaism and Christianity (70 CE-1054 CE)
• 4. Islam: religion, politics, and the state (600-1258)
• 5. Medieval interactions (700-1500)
• 6. Reform and Enlightenment (1500-1900)
• 7. Modern encounters (1900-2010) Epilogue: Abrahamic Identities References Further Reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

In the book of Genesis, God bestows a new name upon Abram-Abraham, a father of many nations. With this name and his Covenant, Abraham would become the patriarch of three of the world's major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Connected by their mutual-if differentiated-veneration of the One God proclaimed by Abraham, these traditions share much beyond their origins in the ancient Israel of the Old Testament. This Very Short Introduction explores the intertwined histories of these monotheistic religions, from the emergence of Christianity and Islam to the violence of the Crusades and the cultural exchanges of al-Andalus. Each religion continues to be shaped by this history but has also reacted to the forces of modernity and politics. Movements such as the Reformation and that led by seventh-century Kharijites have emerged, intentioned to reform or restore traditional religious practice but quite different in their goals and effects. Relationships with states, among them Israel and Saudi Arabia, have also figured importantly in their development. The Abrahamic Religions: A Very Short Introduction brings these traditions together into a common narrative, lending much needed context to the story of Abraham and his descendants.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Preface 1: Camus, son of France in Algeria 2: Camus, from reporter to editorialist 3: Camus and the absurd 4: Rebel without a cause 5: Camus and Sartre
• the breaks that made them inseparable 6: Camus and Algeria 7: Camus' legacies Further reading Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Few would question that Albert Camus (1913-1960), novelist, playwright, philosopher and journalist, is a major cultural icon. His widely quoted works have led to countless movie adaptions, graphic novels, pop songs, and even t-shirts. In this Very Short Introduction, Oliver Gloag chronicles the inspiring story of Camus' life. From a poor fatherless settler in French-Algeria to the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Gloag offers a comprehensive view of Camus' major works and interventions, including his notion of the absurd and revolt, as well as his highly original concept of pure happiness through unity with nature called "bonheur". This original introduction also addresses debates on coloniality, which have arisen around Camus' work. Gloag presents Camus in all his complexity a staunch defender of many progressive causes, fiercely attached to his French-Algerian roots, a writer of enormous talent and social awareness plagued by self-doubt, and a crucially relevant author whose major works continue to significantly impact our views on contemporary issues and events. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Acknowledgements Preface List of illustrations
• 1: What is art history?
• 2: Writing art history
• 3: A global art history?
• 4: Presenting art history
• 5: Thinking about art history
• 6: Reading art
• 7: Looking at art References Further information Glossary Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Art history encompasses the study of the history and development of painting, sculpture and the other visual arts. In this Very Short Introduction, Dana Arnold presents an introduction to the issues, debates, and artefacts that make up art history. Beginning with a consideration of what art history is, she explains what makes the subject distinctive from other fields of study, and also explores the emergence of social histories of art (such as Feminist Art History and Queer Art History). Using a wide range of images, she goes on to explore key aspects of the discipline including how we write, present, read, and look at art, and the impact this has on our understanding of art history. This second edition includes a new chapter on global art histories, considering how the traditional emphasis on periods and styles in art originated in western art and can obscure other critical approaches and artwork from non-western cultures. Arnold also discusses the relationship between art and history, and the ways in which art can tell a different history from the one narrated by texts. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)