Very Short Introductions: Difference between revisions

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'''Very Short Introductions''' ('''VSI''') is a [[book series]] published by the [[Oxford University Press]] (OUP) since 1995. Books in the series offer concise introductions to particular subjects, intended for a general audience but written by experts in the field. (For example, authors of ''VSI'' entries in philosophy include [[A. J. Ayer]], [[Roger Scruton]], [[A. C. Grayling]], and [[Peter Singer]].) Individual titles range from 96 to 224 pages in length, with most between 120 and 180, and nearly all contain suggestions for further reading. While authors may present personal viewpoints, the books are meant to be "balanced and complete" as well as thought provoking.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/series/VeryShortIntroductions/|title=Very Short Introductions|publisher=Oxford University Press|accessdate=22 September 2011}}</ref>

As of MarchFebruary 20152017, there are 425over 510 titles in the series, with 33 more (and 8 updated editions) scheduled for publication by May 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=httphttps://ukcatalogueglobal.oup.com/navacademic/p/category/academiccontent/series/generalv/very-short-introductions-vsi.do?sortby=pubDateDescend&thumbby_crawl=10&thumbby=all#productList/|title=Very Short Introductions – General Series|publisher=Oxford University Press (UK)|accessdate=3125 MarchFebruary 20152017}}</ref> The publisher states that "the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library."<ref name="oup">{{cite web |url=http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/series/VeryShortIntroductions/ |title=Very Short Introductions |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>

The ''VSI'' series has been very commercially successful. By 2011, OUP was giving sales figures for the series as over five million copies worldwide,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/academic/series/general/vsi/9780199590599.do?sortby=pubDateAscend&page=32&thumbby=10&thumbby_crawl=10 |title= Languages: A Very Short Introduction |publisher= Oxford University Press (UK) |accessdate= 2011-12-03}}</ref> and ''VSI'' books have been published in more than 25 languages.<ref>{{cite book|last=Glendinning|first=Simon|title=Derrida: A Very Short Introduction|year=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|___location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-280345-0|page=ii}}</ref>