Catalog Search Results
Author
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2023.
Language
English
Description
"Following the discovery of the Higgs boson, Frank Close has produced this major revision to his classic and compelling introduction to the fundamental particles that make up the universe. Frank Close takes us on a journey into the atom to examine known particles such as quarks, electrons, and the ghostly neutrino, and explains the key role and significance of the Higgs boson. Along the way he provides fascinating insights into how discoveries in...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 654
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2020.
Language
English
Description
"Modern Brazil: A Very Short Introduction provides an account of modern Brazil, covering some of the major features of the country's transformation. Brazil is alternately praised as a rising power or written off as a country forever failing to reach its potential. This VSI discusses the rise of the modern state in the mid-20th century, and the domestic economic, political, and social challenges faced by the country today. Highlighting some of the...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 433
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
[2023]
Language
English
Description
Infectious disease is a moving target: new diseases emerge every year, old diseases evolve into new forms, and ecological and socioeconomic upheavals change the pathways of transmission. But where does disease come from? How is it transmitted from one person to another? And how can humans try to control its spread? In this Very Short Introduction, Marta L. Wayne and Benjamin M. Bolker address these questions through the lenses of ecology and evolution,...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 75
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
[2023]
Language
English
Description
"Democracy refers to both ideal and real forms of government. The concept of democracy means that those governed -- the demos -- have a say in government. But different conceptions of democracy have left many out. Naomi Zack provides here a fresh treatment of the history of this idea and its key conceptions. In the ancient world, direct and representative democracy in Athens and Rome privileged elites, as did democratic deliberative bodies in Africa,...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 742
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
[2023]
Language
English
Description
"It is often claimed that the French invented cinema. Dominating the production and distribution of cinema until World War 1, when they were supplanted by Hollywood, the French cinema industry encompassed all genres, from popular entertainment to avant-garde practice. The French invented the "auteur" and the "cine-club"; they incubated criticism from the 1920s to our own day that is unrivalled; and they boast more film journals, fan magazines, TV...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 657
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
[2020]
Language
English
Description
"American Military History: A Very Short Introduction outlines the forces shaping the American military for the past 400 years. Since the colonial period, the United States has struggled to balance standing armed forces with citizen soldiers and sailors. Technological developments and two world wars forced the military to embrace professionalism and its increased obligations. The United States emerged from World War II in a strong position but failed...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 644
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2020.
Language
English
Description
Canada is not one nation, but three: English Canada, Quebec, and First Nations. Yet as a country Canada is very successful, in part because it maintains national diversity through bilingualism, multiculturalism, and federalism. Alongside this contemporary openness Canada also has its own history to contend with; with a legacy of broken treaties and residential schools for its Indigenous peoples, making reconciliation between Canada and First Nations...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 680
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
[2021]
Language
English
Description
"The storied writ of habeas corpus--literally, to hold the body--has enjoyed celebrated status in the common law tradition for centuries. Writing in the eighteenth century, the widely influential English jurist and commentator William Blackstone once labeled the writ of habeas corpus a 'bulwark of our liberties.' Soon thereafter, a member of Parliament glorified the writ as '[t]he great palladium of the liberties of the subject.' Meanwhile, across...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 611
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2019.
Language
English
Description
Covering Geoffrey Chaucer's life and work, David Wallace considers the influence and enduring appeal of his body of writing, explores the wide ranging geography and iconic characters in his stories, and discusses how Chaucer's own experiences contributed to his literature.
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