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Combining history and anthropology in a global examination of families and power, this book connects medieval kings and queens to contemporary family business empires. Its sweeping overview of five millennia of rulership uncovers recurring predicaments of bloodline succession, and sheds light on divergence and change in dynastic practice.

Energy supply is foundational to modern society, but damaging to the environment. This book takes a 'systems view', from extraction of primary fuel, through conversion to usable energy, and transportation to point of use. It explores initiatives to generate electricity in an environmentally benign manner, and decarbonise the supply of energy.

Do you touch wood for luck, or avoid the number 13? Despite the dominance of science in today's world, superstitious beliefs - both traditional and new - remain surprisingly popular. From black cats to lucky pennies, Stuart Vyse explores the history of our deepest superstitions, and the psychological reasons behind why they persist today.

With growing concerns over climate change and air pollution, the need to switch from fossil fuels to clean and renewable sources of energy has become pressing. Here, Nick Jelley describes the main renewables, explains how wind and solar farms can provide the cheapest energy in many parts of the world, and calls for urgent action.

Aerial warfare has dominated western war-making for over 100 years, and despite regular announcements of its demise, it shows no sign of becoming obsolete. Frank Ledwidge offers a sweeping global history of air warfare, introducing the major battles, crises, and controversies where air power has taken centre stage.

Systems biology utilises new computational tools to analyse biological processes on an extraordinary scale. We can now study complex biological phenomena within their natural contexts, applying a holistic, systems-based approach. This book explores what this interdisciplinary field is about, and how it will affect our understanding of life.

Although the great historic imperial systems have collapsed during the past, their legacies shape almost every aspect of life on a global scale. What has replaced the old territorial empires in world politics? Do the United States and its allies - the forces of 'globalization', constitute a new imperial system?

Written by a leading expert on the Puritans, this brief, informative volume offers a wealth of background on this key religious movement. This book traces the shaping, triumph, and decline of the Puritan world,

The Reformation was a seismic event in European history, and one which changed the medieval world. Much which followed in European history can be traced back to this event. In this Very Short Introduction Peter Marshall seeks to explain the causes and consequences of religious and cultural division and difference in western Christianity.

A study of the thought and works of Alexis de Tocqueville written by one of the premier political scientists of our time. Exploring his observations of contemporary democratic politics and his predictions for the triumph and pitfalls of democracy in the future, the volume features the new liberalism of Tocqueville's masterpiece, Democracy in America.

English Literature: A Very Short Introduction discusses why literature matters, how narrative works, and what is distinctly English about English literature. Jonathan Bate considers how we determine the content of the field, and looks at the three major kinds of imaginative literature - English poetry, English drama and The English novel.

Simon Glendinning explores Jacque Derrida's work, from his engagement with the history of metaphysics to his views on law and justice and ethics and politics. Confronting and refuting claims that Derrida was an irresponsible 'postmodernist' or 'nihilist' he instead reveals Derrida's significant contributions to philosophy.

Environmental economics can be controversial, but it is also central to some key policy issues facing governments and society today, including industrial pollution, global warming, and waste/recycling. Stephen Smith looks at how economic activity affects the environment in which we live, and how environmental policies can most effectively be used.

How many languages are there? What differentiates one language from another? Are new languages still being discovered? Why are so many languages disappearing? These are some of the questions considered in this Very Short Introduction. By examining the science of languages, we find that the answers are not as simple as we might expect.

In this essential guide for students of chemistry, Peter Atkins' Very Short Introduction explains the principles and phenomena of physical chemistry. Using few formulas, Atkins shows how physical chemistry draws its ideas from physics, quantum mechanics, and mathematics, and how it has contributed to our understanding of the natural world.

The Middle Ages (c.500-1500) includes a thousand years of European history. In this Very Short Introduction Miri Rubin tells the story of the times through the people and their lifestyles. Including stories of kingship and Christian salvation, agriculture and trade, Rubin demonstrates the remarkable nature and legacy of the Middle Ages.

Blood is a vital component of the bodies of most multicellular animals. Chris Cooper discusses blood's critical role in both biology and in human society, ranging from its place in religious rituals to its uses in modern medicine.

This Very Short Introduction explores the concept of measurement, its mathematical underpinnings, and its wide range of application from the sciences and social sciences to economics and commerce.

A concise and gripping account of eugenics from its origins in the twentieth century and beyond.

This Very Short Introduction provides a concise, accurate, and lively portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte's character and career, situating him firmly in historical context. Throughout, David Bell emphasizes the astonishing sense of human possibility - for both good and ill - that Napoleon represents.

The nature of the virtues has a long tradition of thought, from Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas. This book considers the virtues in various cultural, religious, and philosophical contexts. Examining the key virtues, and some of the vices, it explores the cultivation of the virtues as an alternative way of moral thinking.

In this brief and readable account, the cinema's formative decades come vividly to life. Covering the full span of the silent era and touching on films and filmmakers from every corner of the globe, Silent Film offers a unique window into the origins of the modern movie industry.

Tom McLeish delves into the growing field of soft matter - the study of materials such as polymers, colloids, liquid crystals, and foams. Looking beneath their appearance to their inner structure, he discusses their shared physical properties, the principle of Brownian Motion that underlies all soft matter, and the applications of these materials.

Invasive species have become a major environmental issue in ecosystems across the world. Julie Lockwood considers how plant and animal species are introduced to new environments; the ecological, social, and economic impacts they can have; and approaches to managing them, against the broader backdrop of environmental change.

This stimulating Very Short Introduction throws open the doors on a remarkably diverse musical genre, with a world-wide reach that goes far beyond America's shores to discuss folk music of every possible kind and in every corner of the globe.

A highly stimulating Very Short Introduction to the history of Ancient Greek civilization, from the first documented use of the Greek language in about 1400 BCE, through the glories of the Classical and Hellenistic periods, to the foundation of the Byzantine empire in about CE 330.

An account of the literature of the Spanish-speaking Americas from the time of Columbus to Latin American Independence, this book examines the origins of colonial Latin American literature in Spanish, the writings and relationships among major literary and intellectual figures of the colonial period, and the story of how Spanish literary language developed and flourished in a new context. Authors and works have been chosen for the merits of their writings, their participation in the larger debates of their era, and their resonance with readers today.

Arbitration is a legal dispute resolution mechanism, alternative to courts. This book explains what arbitration is, how it works, what parties who have agreed to go to arbitration should expect, the relationship between arbitration and the law, and the politics of arbitration. It also considers where the global system of arbitration is headed.

Philosophy of physics is concerned with the deepest theories of modern physics - quantum theory, our theories of space, time and symmetry, and thermal physics - and their strange, even bizarre conceptual implications. This book explores the core topics in philosophy of physics, and discusses their relevance for both scientists and philosophers.