Very Short Introductions provide you with an excellent way to acquire a quick and reliable overview of your topic or get ahead rapidly in an area that’s entirely new to you. Expert authors, who include Fellows and Tutors at New College, combine facts, analysis, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make themes and concepts highly readable.

A collection of over 600 Very Short Introductions

 

 

Scope and Use of the Collection

Published by Oxford University Press, the Very Short Introductions (VSIs) cover a very wide range of subjects.  New College Library’s Very Short Introductions Collection provides approaching 600 titles, one of the largest holdings in the University.

All the VSIs are shelved in the Group Study Room on the Library’s Lower Floor.  All these books start with the shelfmark VSI/.  All may be borrowed by New College students and staff.

To identify titles you need to borrow, word-search the listing below, with the name of the topic you need concise information on (using synonyms, as necessary).  All VSIs are listed here alphabetically, by title:


A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |


Suggest New Resources

Is there a published VSI you need that the Library does not hold?  If you wish to suggest new VSI titles to be added to the Collection, you are invited to contact the Librarian.
 

 

A

VSI/NEW

Abolitionism

VSI/COH The Abrahamic Religions
VSI/NOB

Accounting

VSI/BER Adam Smith
VSI/SMI Adolescence
VSI/FLE

Advertising

VSI/LED Aerial Warfare
VSI/NAN Aesthetics
VSI/GLA

African American Religion

VSI/PAR

African History

VSI/TAY African Politics
VSI/OLU

African Religions

VSI/PAC

Ageing

VSI/Le P

Agnosticism

VSI/GLO Albert Camus
VSI/BOW

Alexander the Great

VSI/FRI American Business History
VSI/BOY

American History

VSI/GER

American Immigration

VSI/WHI

American Legal History

VSI/SYM American Naval History
VSI/CAP American Poetry
VSI/CRI

American Political History

VSI/MAI

American Political Parties and Elections

VSI/VAL

American Politics

VSI/JON

The American Presidency

VSI/WIL

American Slavery

VSI/ARO

The American West

VSI/WAR American Women’s History
VSI/KEM Amphibians
VSI/O’DO

Anaesthesia

VSI/BEA

Analytic Philosophy

VSI/PRI

Anarchism

VSI/RAD

Ancient Assyria

VSI/SHA

Ancient Egypt

VSI/RIG

Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture

VSI/CAR

Ancient Greece

VSI/TAU Ancient Greek and Roman Science
VSI/POD

The Ancient Near East

VSI/ANN

Ancient Philosophy

VSI/SID

Ancient Warfare

VSI/JON

Angels

VSI/CHA

Anglicanism

VSI/BLA

The Anglo-Saxon Age

VSI/HOL

The Animal Kingdom

VSI/DeG

Animal Rights

VSI/WIL Anselm
VSI/DOD

The Antarctic

VSI/ELL

Anthropocene

VSI/BEL

Antisemitism

VSI/FRE

Anxiety

VSI/FOS

The Apocryphal Gospels

VSI/GOR Applied Mathematics
VSI/SCH Arbitration
VSI/BAH

Archaeology

VSI/BAL

Architecture

VSI/DOD The Arctic
VSI/DOY

Aristocracy

VSI/BAR

Aristotle

VSI/ARN

Art History

VSI/BOD Artificial Intelligence
VSI/FRE

Art Theory

VSI/CAT

Astrobiology

VSI/BIN Astrophysics
VSI/BAG

Atheism

VSI/PAL

The Atmosphere

VSI/CHA

Augustine

VSI/MOR

Australia

VSI/FRI

Autism

VSI/MAR Autobiography
VSI/COT

The Avant-Garde

VSI/CAR

The Aztecs

 

B

VSI/BRY

Babylonia

VSI/AMY

Bacteria

VSI/GOD

Banking

VSI/CUL

Barthes

VSI/STE

The Beats

VSI/SCR

Beauty

VSI/SUT

Bestsellers

VSI/RIC

The Bible

VSI/CLI

Biblical Archaeology

VSI/HOL

Big Data

VSI/LOR Biochemistry
VSI/MAC Biodiversity Conservation
VSI/LEE

Biography

VSI/BLU

Black Holes

VSI/COO

Blood

VSI/WAL

The Blues

VSI/GIV

The Book of Mormon

VSI/DIE

Borders

VSI/O’SH

The Brain

VSI/JON

Branding 

VSI/COO The BRICS
VSI/BAR British Cinema
VSI/LOU

The British Constitution

VSI/JAC

The British Empire

VSI/WRI

British Politics

VSI/CAR

The Buddha

VSI/KEO

Buddhism

VSI/KEO

Buddhist Ethics

VSI/MAX Business and Sustainability [on order]
 

C

VSI/BAL

Calvinism

VSI/WRI Canada
VSI/JAM

Cancer

VSI/FUL

Capitalism

VSI/O’CO

Catholicism

VSI/MUM

Causation

VSI/ALL

The Cell

VSI/CUN

The Celts

VSI/SMI

Chaos

VSI/HAR Charles Dickens
VSI/ATK

Chemistry

VSI/GOS

Child Psychology

VSI/REY

Children’s Literature

VSI/KNI

Chinese Literature

VSI/ALL

Choice Theory

VSI/WIL

Christian Art

VSI/LON

Christian Ethics

VSI/WOO

Christianity

VSI/BEL

Citizenship

VSI/MUI

Civil Engineering

VSI/HOL The Civil Rights Movement
VSI/ALL

Classical Literature

VSI/MOR

Classical Mythology

VSI/BEA

Classics

VSI/HOW

Clausewitz

VSI/MAS

Climate

VSI/MAS

Climate Change

VIS/LLE Clinical Psychology
VSI/PAS

Cognitive Neuroscience

VSI/McM

The Cold War

VSI/TAY

Colonial America

VSI/ADO

Colonial Latin American Literature

VSI/BEV

Comedy

VSI/HOL

Communism

VSI/RAG Comparative Law
VSI/HOL

Complexity

VSI/INC

The Computer

VSI/STO Concentration Camps
VSI/GAR

Confucianism

VSI/RES

The Conquistadors

VSI/STR

Conscience

VSI/BLA

Consciousness

VSI/STA

Contemporary Art

VSI/EAG

Contemporary Fiction

VSI/CRI

Continental Philosophy

VSI/GIN Copernicus
VSI/SHE

Coral Reefs

VSI/MOO

Corporate Social Responsibility

VSI/HOL Corruption
VSI/COL

Cosmology

VSI/GLĂ Creativity
VSI/ROB Criminal Justice
VSI/BRO

Critical Theory

VSI/TYE

The Crusades

VSI/PIP

Cryptography

VSI/KRA

The Cultural Revolution

 

D

VSI/HOP

Dada and Surrealism

VSI/HAI

Dante

VSI/HOW

Darwin

VSI/LIM

The Dead Sea Scrolls

VSI/WEI

Decadence

VSI/TAY Dementia
VSI/CRI

Democracy

VSI/GLE

Derrida

VSI/SOR

Descartes

VSI/MID

Deserts

VSI/HES

Design

VSI/GOL

Development

VSI/WOL

Developmental Biology

VSI/OLD

The Devil

VSI/KEN

Diaspora

VSI/MUG

Dictionaries

VSI/NOR

Dinosaurs

VSI/SIR

Diplomacy

VSI/AUF

Documentary Film

VSI/HOB

Dreaming

VSI/IVE

Drugs

VSI/CUN

Druids

VSI/DUI Dynasty
VSI/SNO Dyslexia
 

E

VSI/KEL

Early Music

VSI/RED

The Earth

VSI/GHA Ecology
VSI/DAS

Economics

VSI/THO

Education

VSI/PIN

Egyptian Myth

VSI/LAN

Eighteenth-Century Britain

VSI/BAL

The Elements

VSI/POS Elizabeth Bishop
VSI/NEL

Émile Zola

VSI/EVA

Emotion

VSI/HOW

Empire

VSI/CAB Employment Law
VSI/JEN Energy Systems
VSI/CAR

Engels

VSI/BLO

Engineering

VSI/HOR

The English Language

VSI/BAT

English Literature

VSI/WES

Entrepreneurship

VSI/SMI

Environmental Economics

VSI/ATT Environmental Ethics
VSI/FIS

Environmental Law

VSI/ENG Enzymes
VSI/WIL

Epicureanism

VSI/SAR

Epidemiology

VSI/BLA

Ethics

VSI/RIC

Ethnomusicology

VSI/SMI

The Etruscans

VSI/LEV Eugenics
VSI/USH

The European Union

VSI/CHA

Evolution

VSI/FLY

Existentialism

VSI/WEA

Exploration

VSI/WIG Extinction
VSI/LAN

The Eye

 

F

VSI/WAR

Fairy Tale

VSI/HER

Family Law

VSI/PAS

Fascism

VSI/ARN

Fashion

VSI/ROZ Federalism
VSI/WAL

Feminism

VSI/WOO

Film

VSI/KAL

Film Music

VSI/NAR Film Noir
VSI/HOW

The First World War

VSI/LAU Fluid Mechanics
VSI/SLO

Folk Music

VSI/KRE

Food

VSI/CAN

Forensic Psychology

VSI/FRA

Forensic Science

VSI/THO

Fossils

VSI/GUT

Foucault

VSI/BER

The Founding Fathers

VSI/FAL

Fractals

VSI/WAR

Free Speech

VSI/PIN

Free Will

VSI/ONN

Freemasonry

VSI/LYO

French Literature

VSI/GAU French Philosophy
VSI/DOY

The French Revolution

VSI/STO

Freud

VSI/RUT

Fundamentalism

VSI/GID

The Future

 

G

VSI/GRI

Galaxies

VSI/DRA

Galileo

VSI/BIN

Game Theory

VSI/PAR

Gandhi

VSI/CAM Garden History
VSI/SLA

Genes

VSI/ROB

Genius

VSI/ARC

Genomics

VSI/MAT

Geography

VSI/DUN Geometry
VSI/McG Geophysical and Climate Hazards
VSI/DOD

Geopolitics

VSI/WIX George Bernard Shaw
VSI/BOY

German Literature

VSI/BOW

German Philosophy

VSI/CHE The Ghetto
VSI/McG

Global Catastrophes

VSI/ALL

Global Economic History

VSI/MAS

Global Warming

VSI/STE

Globalization

VSI/BOW

God

VSI/MOO Gödel's Theorem
VSI/GRO

The Gothic

VSI/BEV

Governance

VSI/CLI

Gravity

VSI/RAU

The Great Depression & the New Deal

 

H

VSI/TYL Habeas Corpus
VSI/FIN

Habermas

VSI/RAD

The Habsburg Empire

VSI/VIL Hannah Arendt
VSI/HAY

Happiness

VSI/SIN

Hegel

VSI/INW

Heidegger

VSI/THO

The Hellenistic Age

VSI/WAL

Heredity

VSI/ROB

Herodotus

VSI/WIL

Hieroglyphs

VSI/KNO

Hinduism

VSI/ARN

History

VSI/HOS

The History of Astronomy

VSI/NOW

The History of Cinema

VSI/BRO The History of Chemistry
VSI/BEN

The History of Life

VSI/STE

The History of Mathematics

VSI/BYN

History of Medicine

VSI/HEI

The History of Physics

VSI/HOL

The History of Time

VSI/WHI

HIV & AIDS

VSI/TUC

Hobbes

VSI/FOX

Home

VSI/LUC

Hormones

VSI/KLE

Human Anatomy

VSI/WOO

Human Evolution

VSI/DAV Human Physiology
VSI/CLA

Human Rights

VSI/LAW

Humanism

VSI/AYE

Hume

VSI/CAR

Humour

 

I

 
VSI/WOO

The Ice Age

VSI/COU Identity
VSI/FRE

Ideology

VSI/GOS Imagination
VSI/KLE

The Immune System

VSI/HAM

Indian Philosophy

VSI/WAY Infectious Disease
VSI/STE

Infinity

VSI/FLO

Information

VSI/DOD

Innovation

VSI/LEA Insects
VSI/VAI

Intellectual Property

VSI/DEA

Intelligence

VSI/KOS

International Migration

VSI/WIL

International Relations

VSI/BRO

International Security

VSI/ANS

Iran

VSI/RUT

Islam

VSI/MAL Islamic Finance [on order]
VSI/SIL

Islamic History

VSI/HAI

Italian Literature

 

J

 
VSI/BAU

Jesus

VSI/STA Jewish Literature
VSI/HAR

Journalism

VSI/SOL

Judaism

VSI/STE

Jung

VSI/LER The Jury
 

K

 
VSI/DAN

Kabbalah

VSI/ROB

Kafka

VSI/SCR

Kant

VSI/SKI

Keynes

VSI/GAR

Kierkegaard

VSI/NAG

Knowledge

VSI/COO

The Koran

VSI/SET Korea
 

L

 
VSI/VIN

Lakes

VSI/THO

Landscape Architecture

VSI/GOU

Landscapes and Geomorphology

VSI/AND

Languages

VSI/CLA

Late Antiquity

VSI/WAC

Law

VSI/ATK

The Laws of Thermodynamics

VSI/GRI

Leadership

VSI/GUE

Lincoln

VSI/MAT

Linguistics

VSI/CUL

Literary Theory

VSI/DUN

Locke

VSI/PRI

Logic

VSI/De S

Love

 

M

 
VSI/SKI

Machiavelli

VSI/SCU

Madness

VSI/DAV

Magic

VSI/VIN

Magna Carta

VSI/BLU

Magnetism

VSI/WIN

Malthus

VSI/HEN

Management

VSI/DAV

Mao

VSI/MLA

Marine Biology

VSI/Le M Marketing
VSI/PHI

The Marquis de Sade

VSI/HEN

Martin Luther

VSI/MIT

Martyrdom

VSI/SIN

Marx

VSI/SHE Mary Shelley
VSI/HAL

Materials

VSI/EAR Mathematical Analysis
VSI/DAV Mathematical Finance
VSI/GOW

Mathematics

VSI/COT Matter
VSI/RES The Maya
VSI/EAG

The Meaning of Life

VSI/HAN

Measurement

VSI/HOP

Medical Ethics

VSI/FOS

Medical Law

VSI/GIL

Medieval Britain

VSI/FOS

Memory

VSI/MUM

Metaphysics

VSI/ABR Methodism
VSI/KNI The Mexican Revolution
VSI/JAM

Michael Faraday

VSI/MON

Microbiology

VSI/DOU Microbiomes
VSI/DIX

Microeconomics

VSI/RUB

The Middle Ages

VSI/ECH

Military Strategy

VSI/VAU

Minerals

VSI/NAG

Miracles

VSI/COT

Modern Art

VSI/PER Modern Brazil
VSI/MIT

Modern China

VSI/SCH

Modern France

VSI/JEF

Modern India

VSI/PAŠ

Modern Ireland

VSI/CEN

Modern Italy

VSI/GOT

Modern Japan

VSI/ECH

Modern Latin American Literature

VSI/ENG

Modern War

VSI/BUT

Modernism

VSI/BAL

Molecules

VSI/DAV

Monasticism

VSI/ROS

The Mongols

VSI/BUS

Mormonism

VSI/BRO

Muhammad

VSI/RAT

Multiculturalism

VSI/COO

Music

VSI/KAT Music and Technology
VSI/SEG

Myth

 

N

 
VSI/BEL Napoleon
VSI/RAP

The Napoleonic Wars

VSI/GRO

Nationalism

VSI/BEN

Navigation

VSI/CAP Nazi Germany
VSI/BOE

Nelson Mandela

VSI/STE

Neoliberalism

VSI/CAL

Networks

VSI/JOH

The New Testament

VSI/KEE

The New Testament as Literature

VSI/ILI

Newton

VSI/HEI Niels Bohr
VSI/TAN

Nietzsche

VSI/HAR

Nineteenth-Century Britain

VSI/GAR

The Norman Conquest

VSI/PER

North American Indians

VSI/MUL

Northern Ireland

VSI/CLO

Nothing

VSI/IRV

Nuclear Power

VSI/SIR

Nuclear Weapons

VSI/WIL Number Theory
VSI/HIG

Numbers

VSI/BEN

Nutrition

 

O

 
VSI/GAU

Objectivity

VSI/STO

Oceans

VSI/COO

The Old Testament

VSI/HOL

The Orchestra

VSI/PAT

Organic Chemistry

VSI/HAT

Organizations

VSI/ANT

Organized Crime

VSI/SIE Orthodox Christianity
 

P

VSI/DAV

Paganism

VSI/BOD

Pain

VSI/BUN

The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

VSI/McM

Pandemics

VSI/CLO

Particle Physics

VSI/SAN

Paul

VSI/RIC

Peace

VSI/KAY

Pentecostalism

VSI/SCE

The Periodic Table

VSI/WIL Philosophical Method
VSI/CRA

Philosophy

VSI/OKA Philosophy of Biology
VSI/WAC

Philosophy of Law

VSI/WAL Philosophy of Physics
VSI/OKA

Philosophy of Science

VSI/EDW

Photography

VSI/ATK

Physical Chemistry

VSI/PER Physics
VSI/SLA

Plague

VSI/ROT

Planets

VSI/WAL

Plants

VSI/MOL

Plate Tectonics

VSI/ANN

Plato

VSI/O’DO Poetry
VSI/MIL

Political Philosophy

VSI/MIN

Politics

VSI/MUD

Populism

VSI/YOU

Postcolonialism

VSI/BUT

Postmodernism

VSI/BEL

Poststructuralism

VSI/JEF

Poverty

VSI/GOS

Prehistory

VSI/OSB

Presocratic Philosophy

VSI/WAC

Privacy

VSI/HAI

Probability

VSI/NUG

Progressivism

VSI/DAC

Projects

VSI/NOL

Protestantism

VSI/BUR

Psychiatry

VSI/BUT

Psychology

VSI/MAR The Psychology of Music
VSI/VID Psychopathy
VSI/BUR

Psychotherapy

VSI/BER Public Health
VSI/BRE

Puritanism

 

Q

 
VSI/DAN

The Quakers

VSI/POL

Quantum Theory

 

R

 
VSI/RAT

Racism

VSI/TUN

Radioactivity

VSI/EDM

Rastafari

VSI/JAC Reading
VSI/TRO

The Reagan Revolution

VSI/WES

Reality

VSI/GUE Reconstruction
VSI/MAR

The Reformation

VSI/LOE Refugees
VSI/STA

Relativity

VSI/BEA

Religion in America

VSI/BRO

The Renaissance

VSI/JOH

Renaissance Art

VSI/JEL Renewable Energy
VSI/GOL

Revolutions

VSI/TOY

Rhetoric

VSI/FIS

Risk

VSI/MID

Rivers

VSI/WIN

Robotics

VSI/ZAL

Rocks

VSI/SAL

Roman Britain

VSI/KEL

The Roman Empire

VSI/FER

Romanticism

VSI/WOK

Rousseau

VSI/GRA

Russell

VSI/CON The Russian Economy
VSI/HOS

Russian History

VSI/KEL

Russian Literature

VSI/SMI

The Russian Revolution

 

S

 
VSI/YAR Saints
VSI/PRI Scepticism
VSI/FRI

Schizophrenia

VSI/JAN

Schopenhauer

VSI/DIX

Science and Religion

VSI/SEE

Science Fiction

VSI/PRI

The Scientific Revolution

VSI/HOU

Scotland

VSI/MOT

Sexuality

VSI/ZUK Sexual Selection
VSI/POS

Shakespeare’s Sonnets and Poems

VSI/WEL Shakespeare’s Tragedies
VSI/KAH The Short Story
VSI/NES

Sikhism

VSI/KOR Silent Film
VSI/MIL

The Silk Road

VSI/ROZ Simone Weil
VSI/GRE

Slang

VSI/LOC

Sleep

VSI/COB Smell
VSI/MON

Social and Cultural Anthropology

VSI/NEW

Socialism

VSI/EDW

Sociolinguistics

VSI/BRU

Sociology

VSI/TAY

Socrates

VSI/McL Soft Matter
VSI/GOL

Sound

VSI/LOV

The Soviet Union

VSI/GRA

The Spanish Civil War

VSI/LAB

Spanish Literature

VSI/BAY The Spartans
VSI/SCR

Spinoza

VSI/SHE

Spirituality

VSI/CRO

Sport

VSI/KIN

Stars

VSI/HAN

Statistics

VSI/SLA

Stem Cells

VSI/INW Stoicism
VSI/BLO

Structural Engineering

VSI/MOR

Stuart Britain

VSI/JUD The Sun
VSI/BLU

Superconductivity

VSI/STE

Symmetry

VSI/VOI Systems Biology
 

T

 
VSI/SMI

Taxation

VSI/UNG

Teeth

VSI/TOW

Terrorism

VSI/CAR

Theatre

VSI/FOR

Theology

VSI/EVA Thinking and Reasoning
VSI/KER

Thomas Aquinas

VSI/BAY

Thought

VSI/KAP

Tibetan Buddhism

VSI/BOW Tides
VSI/MAN

Tocqueville

VSI/POO

Tragedy

VSI/REY

Translation

VSI/VAN Trigonometry
VSI/CLI

The Trojan War

VSI/HAW

Trust

VSI/GUY

The Tudors

VSI/MOR

Twentieth-Century Britain

VSI/LUN Typography
 

U

 
VSI/HAN

The United Nations

VSI/PAL

Universities and Colleges

VSI/RIT

The U.S. Congress

VSI/BOD

The U.S. Constitution

VSI/GRE

The U.S. Supreme Court

VSI/LAZ

Utilitarianism

VSI/SAR

Utopianism

 

V

VSI/BLA Vatican II
VSI/YEA

Veterinary Science

VSI/HEW The Victorians
VSI/RIC

The Vikings

VSI/LEI The Virgin Mary
VSI/BOY The Virtues
VSI/CRA

Viruses

VSI/CRO

Voltaire

 

W

VSI/DUN

Weather

VSI/WEL

William Shakespeare

VSI/GAS

Witchcraft

VSI/GRA

Wittgenstein

VSI/FIN

Work

VSI/BOH

World Music

VSI/NAR

The World Trade Organization

VSI/WEI

World War II

VSI/ROB

Writing and Script

 

Z

 
VSI/STA

Zionism

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