The Oxford Very Short Introduction (VSI) series is a great way to explore a new topic. Started in 1995, this Oxford University Press series provides short (120-140 pages) overviews of hundreds of topics and disciplines.
Often used as course readings, the books in this series provide a great way to learn about a subject. For faculty and others who are intellectually curious, the books in this series can be a nice introduction to a topic outside of your discipline.
These small books (about the size of a smart phone) are very portable and for most titles we have them both in print and online, so you can choose your preferred format.
The books cover a diverse range of subject areas from Climate to Consciousness, Game Theory to Ancient Warfare, Privacy to Islamic History, Economics to Literary Theory.
You can find these little gems online at Very Short Introductions Online .
To see what we have in print and online, you can search in Mirlyn for the series title or individual book titles.
We have copies in most libraries, depending on the subject.