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 Stuart Hanscomb
June 28, 2023
Critical Thinking: The Basics is an accessible and engaging introduction to the field of critical thinking, drawing on philosophy, communication, and psychology. Emphasising its relevance both to academic literacy and to decision-making in a range of contexts, this book introduces and explains the ...
By Sandie Taylor, Lance Workman
June 28, 2023
Psychopathy: The Basics is an accessible text that provides a compact introduction to the major findings and debates concerning this complex personality disorder. This book provides an overview of the field and covers a wide range of research findings from genetics to psychosocial developmental ...
By Calum Neill
June 27, 2023
Jacques Lacan: The Basics provides a clear and succinct introduction to the work of Jacques Lacan, one of the key thinkers of the twentieth century. Lacan’s ideas are applied in the study of the humanities, politics, and psychology as well as contemporary media and the arts, but their complexity ...
By Phillip W. Gray
June 20, 2023
Totalitarianism: The Basics is an easy-to-read introduction into the main concepts, ideologies, and regimes associated with totalitarianism. Starting with an overview of how scholars have attempted to define totalitarianism, Phillip W. Gray begins with an examination of the various types of terms ...
By Naomi Van Bergen, Allard R. Feddes, Liesbeth Mann, Bertjan Doosje
June 13, 2023
Imitation: The Basics is an engaging introduction to the topic of imitation behavior in humans, providing a summary of existing scientific research on imitation, covering everything from examples of imitation across each developmental stage to animal imitation such as monkeys imitating each other. ...
By Megan E. Birney
June 12, 2023
Self and Identity: The Basics is a jargon-free and accessible introduction that draws on key theories and ideas in Social Psychology to explore the ways that other people affect our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Highlighting selfhood as a function of identity, the book shows that it is our ...
By Michael D. Reiter
June 01, 2023
Family Therapy: The Basics provides a clear and concise overview of the field of family therapy and its foundational models. This text explores the history, skills, and theories upon which family therapy rests, highlighting the main figures, concepts, ethical principles, and methods.Focusing on the...
By Salvatore Schiavo-Campo
May 31, 2023
Public administration is the set of instruments – the rules, incentives, organizations, information, systems and people – to implement public policy. Public Administration: The Basics is a reader-friendly and up-to-date synthesis of the subject, complete with relatable examples, analogies, and...
By Ruth O'Shaughnessy, Katherine Berry, Rudi Dallos, Karen Bateson
April 04, 2023
This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to key concepts of attachment theory, from the work of its founder John Bowlby to the most recent research within the field. The first part of the book gives readers a clear understanding of attachment theory during infancy, ...
By Philip Corr, Anke Plagnol
March 31, 2023
The second edition of Behavioral Economics: The Basics summarizes behavioral economics, which uses insights from the social sciences, especially psychology, to explain real-world economic behavior. Behavioral economic insights are routinely used not only to understand the choices people make but ...
By Erik Banks
March 31, 2023
Now in its fourth edition, Finance: The Basics is a clear and practical introduction to the world of finance. It thoroughly explains essential financial statements, tools, and concepts; fundamental financial instruments and transactions; and global financial participants, markets, and systems. ...
By Michael Pasquier
March 29, 2023
Religion in America: The Basics is a concise introduction to the historical development of religions in the United States. It is an invitation to explore the complex tapestry of religious beliefs and practices that shaped life in North America from the colonial encounters of the fifteenth century ...