I've bought about five of these Very Short Introduction books and so far they've all been duds...

I've bought about five of these Very Short Introduction books and so far they've all been duds. None of them seemed very "introductory" at all. I'm either retarded, or these books were just an easy way for Oxford Press to make money. I don't want to stay a plebe forever. What are some good intro level books- to any subject?

Those are the like 50 page piece of crap they sell at the counter at waterstones, right? Yeah, avoid those.

There are plenty of guides to the best introductory texts for a given subject. Just ask Veeky Forums or Veeky Forums or Veeky Forums or whichever board is most appropriate, or check their stickies.

Also

>A """""short introduction"""""
>Literally everything an expert on the topic knows about the topic

I always found this suspicious. Not for this series I mean, just this genre of book.

Introduction to Intro is a good starting point.

I read this edition of Kant by Roger Scruton. Somehow more difficult in parts than Kant himself.

Yes, they're small books and I'd hoped I could read them to continue on to more academic books in a given area of study.

If I wanted to read more about world literature, or literature in general, what would you suggest? I also tried reading the Very Short Introductions to plague, medicine, and democracy.

they are shit, OP, I agree. Just have to go looking for something else I guess. Try browsing genlib a bit, maybe you'll find something.

I think they're bretty good honestly. They give a nice level of depth that is relevant for starting out on a subject. I had to read like 5 of them for my Intro Religion Class freshman year and they seemed to do the job considering we were focusing on breadth. Honestly though they can be pretty dense in places as well which makes me feel like they use the 70-80 pages quite economically. I read Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Rastafari for the class and I'd recommend them. Also I've read the Film one and I'd say that one is pretty good but not altogether very informative about modern film criticism.

Also, it should be noted that they're, for the most part, written by different people and the flavor from one "Very Short Intro" can be quite different than some of the others.

Those books are garbage, but they're really what they say on the tin. You should instead just read the wikipedia article then follow the sub-links that interest you (maybe you care most about 20th century American feminist literature for example) and narrow your focus.

>Studies religion and film criticism at college level
>expects people to care about his opinion

:( it's just what I'm passionate about user. you don't have to be rude

That's OK user, we all have retarded interests.

I really like dancing.

I understand that from the point of view of the run of the mill edgy Veeky Forums poster studying something as fake as religion is quite retarded.

>thinks college is job-training
>expects people to care about his opinion

Some of them are great

Try also Routledge Companions and Guides for the Perplexed

All introductions and glosses are hit-and-miss because of bad communication of methodology to the writers. Some writers just summarize, some dumb down and provide an idiotic skim, but some actually make an attempt to translate, induct, and provide entry-points.

>I'm either retarded
>or these books were just an easy way for Oxford Press to make money.

or both

I think Oxford/Cambridge Companions are a lot better than these very shitty introductions.

The one on mathematics was good; masturbated to it in fact. I didn't clean my seed, though, I rubbed it into my thigh. Thinking about the book gets me hard as I type this. I love it. MATH! oh how wonderful and gory it was as my semen its blood filling the pages the cock stabbed the book like the whore it was. The end. Or is it? No, because after my corpse rots in the dirt my love will continue forever, for love is forever.

I haven't read any of those, but since most of these books seem to be by different authors I might give those a shot.

In particular, I'm trying to find books on the Reformation period in Europe.
That was really beautiful.

>in line at the bookshop, come to pick up my order of Pound's Cantos.
>woman in front of me buys "A Very Short Introduction to Post-Modernism" and "A Very Short Introduction to Atheism"
>mfw
>the cashier makes a comment, something like: 'are you an undergraduate?'
>'no', she says (ever so earnestly) 'I'm a teacher'

I broke into hysterical laughter and had to run out of the shop.

Plebs.. Plebs everywhere..

scruton can be difficult, he is my favourite writer though

it's very hit or miss, re introductoriness. the critical theory one isn't introductory at all. still an interesting read though.

they're not introductory at all.

...

Now do it naked.

>buys Pound and feels superior
>Plebs.. Plebs everywhere..
tell me about it pham

Avoid it at all costs- I got one on Kierkegaard, it was horrible.

But I AM supeweeor

I'm reading pic related and I'm finding it rather enjoyable. The author explains everything so that even someone with basic knowledge of psychics can understand it.

I'm reading the exact same book as you, OP, and I do know what you mean. I've read quite a few of these VSIs and they haven't been very introductory (except for the one on Hegel written by Peter Singer). The structure is confusing as well and a lack of preface leads me to wonder how I should approach the book, confusing me further.