You may be OK with standard stuff like Conservatism and Democracy, but do you really know what Patrimonialism is? And what about Oligarchy? Anarcho-syndicalism? Politics is the most passionately argue
Takes the top 50 economic theories and explains them to the general reader. From Marxism to Mercantilism, this title presents the 'crash' course in economic theory.
When it comes to big science, very few things are conclusively known. From Quantum Mechanics to Natural Selection, what we have instead are theories - ideas explain why things happen the way they do.
The 50 key modes, garments, and designers, each explained in half a minute! Even if you’ re not a regular follower of Suzy Bubble, Le Happy, or The Sartorialist, you probably have some feeling for fas
The 50 most significant principles and styles in architecture, each explained in half a minute. The bestselling 30-Second series offers a new approach to learning about those subjects you feel you sho
As the central science that bridges biology and physics, chemistry explains the diversity of all things tangible at a molecular level. Chemistry is the science of matter--its composition, structure, p
The bestselling 30-Second… series takes a revolutionary approach to learning about those subjects you feel you should really understand. Each title selects a popular topic and dissects it into the 50
Almost two centuries since his death, Napoleon Bonaparte remains the subject of vigorous debate. On one side are those with a romantic attachment to ideals of liberty and democracy, on the other are t
The great painting and sculpture of the past is the indispensable backbone of most people’s visual library, but wrangling centuries of wonderful works by thousands of artists into a digestible form th
30-Second Rock Music starts with 1950s rock’n’roll (and its roots) and explores blues and folk, progressive and heavy metal, punk, indie and alt rock, profiling extraordinary bands and musicians along
Do you know your fission from your fusion? You will have heard of Einstein’s theory of relativity and his synonymous equation E=mc2, but do you really understand what they mean? With renewable energy a
"If you want to know more about France’s capital without the doorstop-heavy books, then 30-Second Paris will be right up your street." - Living France Think you know Paris? Why is it called the City o
Who are we? What is it about our species that sets us apart from every other living creature, past and present, on this planet? These are perennially compelling questions about human evolution and dev
30-Second Religion decants and demystifies the key beliefs, deities, origins, and iconography of the world's major religions, denominations, and less widespread sects and cults.