
The Antarctic: A Very Short Introduction
Klaus Dodds
Antarctic: A Very Short Introduction provides a modern account of Antarctica, highlighting the main issues facing the continent today, looks at how the Antarctic has been ...
More

Anthropocene: A Very Short Introduction
Erle C. Ellis
Humanity’s impact on the planet has been profound. From fire, intensive hunting, and agriculture, it has accelerated into rapid climate change, widespread pollution, plastic accumulation, ...
More

Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction
David C. Catling
What fascinates people about astrobiology is that it seeks answers to long-standing unsolved questions: How quickly did life evolve on Earth and why did life persist here? Is there life ...
More

The Atmosphere: A Very Short Introduction
Paul I. Palmer
The atmosphere is the thin, diffuse fluid that envelops the Earth’s surface. Despite its apparent fragility, the existence of this fluid is vital for human and other life on Earth. The ...
More

Climate: A Very Short Introduction
Mark Maslin
Climate: A Very Short Introduction considers all aspects of the global climate system, exploring and explaining the different components that control the climate on Earth. ...
More

Deserts: A Very Short Introduction
Nick Middleton
Deserts: A Very Short Introduction explores the nature of deserts and the extent of their variety, climates, landscapes, wildlife, and human habitation. Typified by drought and ...
More

Dinosaurs: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
David Norman
Dinosaurs: A Very Short Introduction discusses how dinosaurs were first discovered and interpreted, and how our understanding of them has changed over the past 200 years. It ...
More

The Earth: A Very Short Introduction
Martin Redfern
The Earth: A Very Short Introduction provides an introduction to the processes that govern the changing geology of the Earth. About 30 years ago, two things happened that began ...
More

Earth System Science: A Very Short Introduction
Tim Lenton
The concept of the Earth’s atmosphere, biosphere, oceans, soil, and rocks operating as a closely interacting system has rapidly gained ground in science. Earth System Science: A Very Short ...
More

Fire: A Very Short Introduction
Andrew C. Scott
Fire: A Very Short Introduction considers fire’s four-hundred-million-year history, its chemical composition, its role in human development, and its different meanings, from ...
More

Fossils: A Very Short Introduction
Keith Thomson
How did Darwin use fossils to support his theory of evolution? What are ‘living fossils’? What fossils will we leave behind for future generations to examine? Fossils: A Very Short ...
More

Geography: A Very Short Introduction
John A. Matthews and David T. Herbert
Geography: A Very Short Introduction charts modern geography's development from its historical roots in exploring foreign lands and mapping the regions of the world. Spanning ...
More

Geology: A Very Short Introduction
Jan Zalasiewicz
Geology: A Very Short Introduction provides a concise introduction to the fascinating field of geology. Describing how the science began, it looks at the key discoveries that ...
More

Geophysics: A Very Short Introduction
William Lowrie
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth. It encompasses areas such as seismology, plate tectonics, gravity, and the Earth’s magnetic field, all of which give clues to both the structure and ...
More

Glaciation: A Very Short Introduction
David J. A. Evans
Vast, majestic, and often stunningly beautiful, glaciers lock up some 10 per cent of the world’s fresh water. These great bodies of ice play an important part in the Earth system, carving ...
More

The History of Life: A Very Short Introduction
Michael J. Benton
The History of Life: A Very Short Introduction introduces ideas from a range of scientific disciplines, from evolutionary biology and earth history, to geochemistry, ...
More

The Ice Age: A Very Short Introduction
Jamie Woodward
The study of the Quaternary ice age has revolutionized ideas about Earth system change and the pace of landscape and ecosystem dynamics. The Ice Age: A Very Short Introduction looks at ...
More

Isotopes: A Very Short Introduction
Rob Ellam
An isotope is a variant form of a chemical element, containing a different number of neutrons in its nucleus. Most elements exist as several isotopes. Many are stable, others are ...
More

Lakes: A Very Short Introduction
Warwick F. Vincent
From the mysterious depths of Lake Vostok, Antarctica, to tropical floodplain lakes, inland seas, hydro-reservoirs, and numerous waterbodies in our local environment, lakes encompass a huge ...
More

Landscapes and Geomorphology: A Very Short Introduction
Andrew Goudie and Heather Viles
Landscapes and Geomorphology: A Very Short Introduction presents an introduction to landscapes and the methods and techniques used to study it. Examining what landscapes are, ...
More