The Basics
About the Book Series
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.
Language: The Basics
3rd Edition
By Andreea S. Calude
September 15, 2026
Language: The Basics provides a concise, plain language introduction to the study of language. The new edition of this classic text by R. L. Trask has been revised and completely rewritten to bring it up to date. Written in an engaging and entertaining style, this book features: new chapters on ...
Philosophical Theology: The Basics
1st Edition
By Dafydd Mills Daniel, David Mills Daniel
August 28, 2026
What is philosophical theology? How does philosophy relate to theology? Should theology be philosophical? This book explores answers to these questions from the ancient world to the present day, introducing the reader to the basic theories and thinkers in philosophical theology, within the ...
New Religious Movements: The Basics
2nd Edition
By Joseph P. Laycock
August 26, 2026
This engaging book provides a concise introduction to the field of New Religious Movements (NRMs). Now in its Second Edition, this book outlines how NRMs fit with a popular understanding of cults, and how scholarly definitions can help us understand NRMs. Introducing the reader to some of the key ...
Spiritual But Not Religious: The Basics
1st Edition
By Robert C. Fuller, William B. Parsons
August 12, 2026
Spiritual But Not Religious: The Basics is an accessible guide to the defining attributes of individuals who define themselves as Spiritual but Not Religious (SBNR), who comprise at least 25% of the American population. Topics covered include: What does it mean to consider oneself “religious” or “...
Contemporary India: The Basics
2nd Edition
By Rekha Datta
July 27, 2026
Fully updated and expanded throughout, this second edition of Contemporary India: The Basics provides readers with a clear and accessible guide through the richness, diversity, and complexity of modern-day India. This essential second edition highlights the changes that contemporary India has ...
Public Health: The Basics
1st Edition
By Fiona Sim, Jenny Wright
July 22, 2026
Public Health: The Basics is the essential introduction to this evolving and vital subject. Accessible and engaging, the book takes readers through the key principles and themes that inform contemporary public health, encompassing both physical health and mental wellbeing. It spotlights the most ...
Queer Theologies: The Basics
2nd Edition
By Chris Greenough
July 21, 2026
Queer Theologies: The Basics is a concise and illuminating introduction to the study of this controversial and discursive subject area. As an updated Second Edition, this popular book provides an accessible exploration into the major themes within queer studies, queer and trans theologies, and ...
Urban Anthropology: The Basics
1st Edition
By Julian Brash
July 12, 2026
This book is a clearly and accessibly written short guide to the contemporary state of urban anthropology. It outlines what urban anthropologists study, how they do so, and what they have learned about urbanization and urbanism in the past and present in a way that makes sense to readers new to the...
Seneca: The Basics
1st Edition
By Christopher V. Trinacty
July 10, 2026
This book offers a comprehensive guide to the works of Seneca the Younger (4 BCE–65 CE), the foremost rhetorician, tragedian, and philosopher of his time who had a major role in the politics and culture of the age of Emperor Nero. It provides readers with the historical, philosophical, and literary...
Thought: The Basics
1st Edition
By Léa Salje
July 03, 2026
Our heads buzz with them while we're awake. They can spur us to action and creativity, or to daydream. They can be opinionated or contemplative, fleeting or recurring. We couldn’t do without them. Yet it remains surprisingly difficult to explain even the rudiments of thought without confusion or ...
Queer Studies: The Basics
1st Edition
By Katherine Hubbard, David Griffiths
July 01, 2026
Queer Studies: The Basics offers a concise and accessible introduction to the foundational principles, history, and contemporary concerns of queer studies. Organised across eight themed chapters, the book traces the development of queer theory from the late 20th century to the present, while ...
China: The Basics
1st Edition
By Anna L. Lora-Wainwright
May 29, 2026
Drawing on over two decades of research in and on China and on extensive reviews of current scholarship, China: The Basics introduces readers to the key aspects of Chinese society, culture, and politics. The book provides an empirically rich overview of China’s global position and the ...