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In this episode, Walter A. Friedman introduces American business history and its evolution since the early 20th century when the United States was first described as a ‘business civilization’. Learn more about “American Business History: A Very Short Introduction” here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/american-business-history-a-very-short-introduction-9780190622473 Walter A. Friedman is a historian and lecturer at Harvard Business School, where he directs the Business History Initiative and curriculum development at the Case Method Project. He is author of Birth of a Salesman: The Transformation of Selling in America and Fortune Tellers: The Story of America’s First Economic Forecasters. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Peter Holland introduces the animal kingdom and explains how our understanding of the animal world has been vastly enhanced by analysis of DNA and the study of evolution and development in recent years. Learn more about The Animal Kingdom: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/american-business-history-a-very-short-introduction-9780190622473 Peter Holland is Linacre Professor of Zoology and Head of the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford. After a degree in Zoology and a PhD in Genetics he has spent the last 20 years undertaking research into the evolution of the animal kingdom, focussing primarily on the genetic and developmental differences between animal groups. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode Nick Groom introduces the Gothic, a wildly diverse term which has a far-reaching influence across culture and society, from ecclesiastical architecture to cult horror films and political theorists to contemporary fashion. Learn more about The Gothic: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-gothic-a-very-short-introduction-9780199586790 Nick Groom is Professor of English Literature at the University of Macau. He has published widely for both academic and popular readerships, and is the author and editor of many books, including Oxford World’s Classics editions of Frankenstein (2018), The Italian (2017), The Monk (2016), and The Castle of Otranto (2014). Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Michael Wert introduces samurai, whose influence in society and presence during watershed moments in Japanese history are often overlooked by modern audiences. Learn more about Samurai: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/samurai-a-very-short-introduction-9780190685072 Michael Wert is Associate Professor of East Asian History at Marquette University. Specializing in early modern and modern Japan, he is also the author of Meiji Restoration Losers: Memory and Tokugawa Supporters in Modern Japan. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Susan Blackmore introduces the last ‘great mystery for science’ – consciousness and the questions it poses for free will, personal experience, and the link between our mind and body. Learn more about Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/consciousness-a-very-short-introduction-9780198794738 Learn more about consciousness with Susan here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSNg6dNw_7U Susan Blackmore is a psychologist, writer, and Visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth. Her research ranges through out-of-body experiences and claims of the paranormal to minds, memes, and the mysteries of consciousness and free will. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, David Gerber introduces immigration, one of the most contentious issues in the United States today which has shaped contemporary American life and fuels strong, divisive debate. Learn more about American Immigration: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/american-immigration-a-very-short-introduction-9780195331783 David A. Gerber is Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at the University at Buffalo. He is the author of The Making of an American Pluralism and Authors of Their Lives. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Kathryn Kalinak introduces film music, which began as an accompaniment to moving pictures and is now its own industry, providing a platform for expressing creative visions and a commercial vehicle for growing musical stars of all varieties. Learn more about “Film Music: A Very Short Introduction” here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/film-music-a-very-short-introduction-9780195370874 Kathryn Kalinak is Professor of English and Film Studies at Rhode Island College. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Donald Wright introduces Canada, a country of complexity and diversity, which isn’t one single nation but three: English Canada, Quebec, and First Nations. Learn more about “Canada: A Very Short Introduction” here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/canada-a-very-short-introduction-9780198755241 Donald Wright is a specialist in Canadian history and politics and is Professor of Political Science at the University of New Brunswick in Canada. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Jon Balserak introduces Calvinism, which has gone on to influence all aspects of contemporary thought, from theology to civil government, economics to the arts, and education to work. Learn more about Calvinism: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/calvinism-a-very-short-introduction-9780198753711 Jon Balserak is Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Bristol. He has published numerous scholarly articles on John Calvin and the Calvinist and Reformed tradition. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Barbara Graziosi introduces Homer, whose mythological tales of war and homecoming, The Iliad and The Odyssey, are widely considered to be two of the most influential works in the history of western literature. Learn more about Homer: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/homer-a-very-short-introduction-9780199589944 Barbara Graziosi teaches classics at Durham University. She is the author of Inventing Homer (Cambridge University Press, 2002), and together with Johannes Haubold she wrote Homer: The Resonance of Epic (Duckworth, 2005), and completed a commentary on Iliad 6 for the Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics (Cambridge University Press, 2010). Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Jim Fraser introduces forensic science, a subject of wide fascination and importance, as a criminal case can often hinge on a piece of evidence like a hair, a blood trace, half a footprint, or a tyre mark. Learn more about Forensic Science: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/forensic-science-a-very-short-introduction-9780198834410 Jim Fraser has 40 years’ experience in forensic science and has worked on many high profile cases, in various roles, including as an expert witness, case reviewer, senior police manager, policy adviser, and researcher.  He has also advised many public agencies including police organisations in the UK and abroad, the Home Office, the Scottish Parliament, and the UK Parliament. He is a Research Professor in Forensic Science at the University of Strathclyde. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Anthony Pereira introduces modern Brazil, a country associated in many people’s minds with conviviality, sensuality, and natural beauty yet is still something of an enigma. Learn more about Modern Brazil: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/modern-brazil-a-very-short-introduction-9780198812081 Anthony W. Pereira is a Professor and Director of the Brazil Institute at King’s College London. He has held positions at the New School for Social Research, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Tulane University, and the University of East Anglia. He is the author and co-author of many books and is an occasional commentator on Brazil for the BBC, CNN, France 24, The Conversation, and other media organisations. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Andrew Davies introduces projects, a temporary organization and one-time process established to achieve a desired outcome which now shape the human-built world in which we live, work, and play. Learn more about Projects: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/projects-a-very-short-introduction-9780198727668 Andrew Davies is the RM Phillips Freeman Chair and Professor of Innovation Management in SPRU, University of Sussex Business School Andrew (2019-). He is researcher, educator, consultant and advisor who is fascinated by understanding and making innovation happen in complex projects, with a focus on large-scale infrastructure in the built environment. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Hermione Lee introduces biography, one of the most popular, best-selling, and widely-read literary genres. Learn more about Biography: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/biography-a-very-short-introduction-9780199533541 Dame Hermione Lee is the Director of the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing at Wolfson College and a trustee of the Wolfson Foundation. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the British Academy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Honorary Fellow of New, St Hilda’s, and St Cross Colleges, Oxford. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Marina Warner introduces the fairy tale, a form of literature that has had the power to enchant us and spark our imaginations for hundreds of years. Learn more about Fairy Tale: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/fairy-tale-a-very-short-introduction-9780199532155 Marina Warner is a writer, historian, cultural critic, and novelist. She is a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Honorary Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the British Academy. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Laura Marcus introduces one of the most popular written forms, the autobiography, form that offers understanding of the ways in which lives have been lived and fundamental accounts of what it means to be a self in the world. Learn more about Autobiography : A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/autobiography-a-very-short-introduction-9780199669240 Laura Marcus is Goldsmiths’ Professor of English Literature and Fellow of New College at Oxford. She is also a Fellow of the British Academy. Marcus has published widely on nineteenth and twentieth-century literature and culture, with books on autobiography, Virginia Woolf, modernist writing and literature and film. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Paul Klenerman introduces the immune system, central to all human health and area of continual focus in medical research. Learn more about The Immune System: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-immune-system-a-very-short-introduction-9780198753902 Paul Klenerman is Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Research Fellow and Professor of Immunology at the University of Oxford. He is also Immune Theme Lead at the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Kimberly Reynolds introduces children’s literature, which not only encompasses picture books, pop-ups, and novels, but has modernised to also include online games and eBooks. Learn more about Children’s Literature: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/childrens-literature-a-very-short-introduction-9780199560240 Kimberley Reynolds is Professor of Children’s Literature in the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics at Newcastle University. She was President of the International Research Society for Children’s Literature (2003 – 2007). Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Catriona Kelly introduces Russian literature centred around the figure of Alexander Pushkin that permeates into national culture. Learn more about Russian Literature: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/russian-literature-a-very-short-introduction-9780192801449 Catriona Kelly is a Professor of Russian, University of Oxford and Fellow of New College and Lecturerer at Merton College. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

In this episode, Joachim Whaley introduces the Holy Roman Empire, once described by Voltaire as ‘neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire’, as its history and significance is often misunderstood. Learn more about The Holy Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-holy-roman-empire-a-very-short-introduction-9780198748762 Joachim Whaley is Professor of German History and Thought at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of several books on religious toleration in early modern Germany and on the Holy Roman Empire in the early modern period, all of which have been translated into German. He has written numerous articles on the religious and intellectual history of the German lands in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 2015. Follow The Very Short Introductions Podcast on: – Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2SQQ79R – Blubrry: https://oxford.ly/2IVCep0 – Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/34W2bvY – SoundCloud: https://oxford.ly/3nPvtoD – Spotify: https://oxford.ly/3dxUJuP – Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/3k9kEvH © Oxford University Press Twitter Facebook LinkedIn