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Very Short Introductions
Book series

Very Short Introductions (VSI) is a book series published by Oxford University Press, offering concise, expert-written introductions to diverse subjects for a general audience. Since its start in 1995, over 750 titles have been published or announced, many originally created for the series, though around 60 were adapted from earlier works including the Past Masters series. Each book is typically under 200 pages and numbered on the spine, with numbers roughly matching publication order. Notably, two titles were replaced within the series: #60, originally Germaine Greer’s "Shakespeare," was succeeded by Stanley Wells’s William Shakespeare. The series is available in multiple languages and accessible online through institutional subscriptions.

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Reception

Writing in the New Yorker in 2017, Kathryn Schulz praised the diversity of topics covered but noted significant gaps in coverage, including an absence of women and people of colour in its 54 biographies and "a British bias in the choice of subjects".8 Schulz also described the quality of the books as variable, favourably comparing the books written about Teeth, Deserts and Robotics against those written on Mountains, Home and Archaeology.9

In the Fortnightly Review, Michelene Wandor said that the series "successfully bridged the gap between academic and trade publishing" and reviewed six volumes.10

List of books in the series

See List of Very Short Introductions books.

Boxed sets

Six boxed sets, each with a different theme, were released in 2006. Five books from the series on the given theme were included, plus the series' promotional volume A Very Short Introduction to Everything.

See also

  • Fontana Modern Masters, a similar series on 20th century thinkers.
  • Découvertes Gallimard, a similar series in French of introductory books written by experts, started in 1986, noted for its fine illustration. Some titles are translated in other languages.
  • For Dummies, a series of instructional reference books and beginners guides with a focus on the practical aspects or application of various topics.
  • Que sais-je?, a similar series in French of introductory books written by experts, started in 1941. Some titles are translated in other languages.
  • Rough Guides, whose non-travel books also cover culture and science.

References

  1. "Very Short Introductions". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 September 2011. http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/series/VeryShortIntroductions/ ↩

  2. "Very Short Introductions – General Series". Oxford University Press (UK). Retrieved 18 April 2018. https://global.oup.com/academic/content/series/v/very-short-introductions-vsi/ ↩

  3. "Very Short Introductions". Oxford University Press. http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/series/VeryShortIntroductions/ ↩

  4. "Languages: A Very Short Introduction". Oxford University Press (UK). Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20131224101632/http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/academic/series/general/vsi/9780199590599.do?sortby=pubDateAscend&page=32&thumbby=10&thumbby_crawl=10 ↩

  5. Glendinning, Simon (2011). Derrida: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. ii. ISBN 978-0-19-280345-0. 978-0-19-280345-0 ↩

  6. "Very Short Introductions". Oxford University Press (UK). Retrieved 16 February 2015. https://www.veryshortintroductions.com/ ↩

  7. Schulz, Kathryn (9 October 2017). "How to Be a Know-It-All". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Retrieved 24 January 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/16/how-to-be-a-know-it-all ↩

  8. Schulz, Kathryn (9 October 2017). "How to Be a Know-It-All". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Retrieved 24 January 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/16/how-to-be-a-know-it-all ↩

  9. Schulz, Kathryn (9 October 2017). "How to Be a Know-It-All". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Retrieved 24 January 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/16/how-to-be-a-know-it-all ↩

  10. "A brief guide to Oxford's 'Very Short Introductions'". The Fortnightly Review. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2023. https://fortnightlyreview.co.uk/2011/12/oup-short-introductions/ ↩