The Basics is a highly successful series of accessible guidebooks which provide an overview of the fundamental principles of a subject area in a jargon-free and undaunting format.
Intended for students approaching a subject for the first time, the books both introduce the essentials of a subject and provide an ideal springboard for further study. With over 50 titles spanning subjects from Artificial Intelligence to Women’s Studies, The Basics are an ideal starting point for students seeking to understand a subject area.
Each text comes with recommendations for further study and gradually introduces the complexities and nuances within a subject.
By Brian M. Fagan, Nadia Durrani
February 08, 2022
Archaeology: The Basics, rewritten for this fourth edition, is a short, engaging book that takes the reader on a journey through the fascinating world of archaeology and archaeologists. Written in a non-technical style by two experienced archaeologists and writers about the past, the book begins by...
By Nicholas Walliman
December 31, 2021
Research Methods: The Basics is an accessible, user-friendly introduction to the different aspects of research theory, methods and practice. This third edition provides an expanded and fully updated resource suitable for students and practitioners in a wide range of disciplines including the ...
By Jacques Berlinerblau
December 31, 2021
Secularism: The Basics is a concise and engaging introduction to confusing and contradictory public discussions of secularism across the globe. “Secularism” must be the most confused and convoluted term in the entire global political lexicon. From New York to Paris, to Istanbul, to Addis Ababa, to ...
By Jeanette Reedy Solano
December 24, 2021
Religion and Film: The Basics is an accessible and engaging introduction to the history, diverse approaches, and ideas associated within the study of religion and film. Referencing films from around the world from the early 20th century to the present day, this unique introduction includes the ...
By Darius von Güttner
December 23, 2021
French Revolution: The Basics is an accessible and concise introduction to the history of the revolution in France. Combining a traditional narrative with documents of the era and references to contemporary imagery of the revolution, the book traces the long-and short-term causes of the French ...
By Brian M. Fagan, Nadia Durrani
November 30, 2021
World Prehistory: The Basics tells the compelling story of human prehistory, from our African origins to the spectacular pre-industrial civilizations and cities of the more recent past. Written in a non-technical style by two archaeologists and experienced writers about the past, the story begins ...
By Joseph Holden
November 18, 2021
This second edition, enhanced with more than 30 new figures, provides an up-to-date overview of physical geography suitable for all those with a personal or professional interest in environmental processes, climate change and understanding of the Earth’s landforms and dynamics. The text provides ...
By Amy Villarejo
November 17, 2021
A comprehensive overview of how to study film, this updated third edition provides concise and provocative summaries for approaching the language of film analysis, ways of thinking about film history, and approaches and methods for studying cinema, from national cinemas to genre to stardom and ...
By Andrew Dix
November 03, 2021
American Studies: The Basics is an accessible and concise introduction that aims to unpack what American studies does and why it matters. From Moby-Dick to baseball, Hollywood westerns to #BlackLivesMatter, and Disneyland to the U.S. Supreme Court, American studies engages with a myriad of topics ...
By Andreea S. Micu
October 26, 2021
Performance Studies: The Basics offers an overview of the multiple, often overlapping definitions of performance, from performance art, performance as everyday life, and rituals, to the performative dimensions of identity, such as gender, race and sexuality. This book defines the interdisciplinary...
By Henkjan Honing
September 30, 2021
Why do people attach importance to the wordless language we call music? Music Cognition: The Basics considers the role of our cognitive functions, such as perception, memory, attention, and expectation in perceiving, making, and appreciating music. In this volume, Henkjan Honing explores the ...
By Ken Plummer
September 30, 2021
A lively, accessible and comprehensive introduction to the diverse ways of thinking about social life, Sociology: The Basics has been translated into six languages. The volume is packed with thought-provoking summaries, questions, quotations and activities. It offers an absorbing narrative about ...