What Are They Talking About? A Very Short Introduction

Do you remember Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure? In this, now retro, movie from 1989, two teens use a time machine, disguised as a phone booth, in an attempt to pass history class. They collect important figures from the past to help them with their oral history report. One of the historical figures that they pick up in their travels is Socrates whom they refer to as “So-Crates”. Bill and Ted paid so little attention in class, that they didn’t even know how to pronounce his name.


All of us are a little bit like Bill and Ted. Every day we hear someone refer to something that we know we learned along the way. “That name is familiar, but what was that all about?” Without a good grasp of these references, it is hard to mentally or physically participate in current conversations. Many of us no longer remember all of what we learned whether it was 20 years ago or two years ago.


There is no shame in not knowing, but it would be a shame not to find out!

Introducing…

A Very Short Introduction

a series that is here to remind you about all the things you have forgotten, all the things that you have wondered about, and many more things that you didn’t even know to wonder about. Each of these little books offers balanced and complete discussions of central issues. If a term is in blue on this page, it is the title of A Very Short Introduction that we have waiting for you.


In school, we are drilled on facts and frequently led to believe that science is fact. So, I was saddened to hear that I no longer knew the correct answer to how many planets there are in the solar system and what their names are, facts that I remember being so proud to have acquired as a child. But like many things, ideas and knowledge change over time as can be seen in The History of Astronomy.


You may have noticed that Nuclear Weapons are still in the news. We have a Very Short Introduction that will help you understand the history, the science, the politics, and the philosophy surrounding this topic.


So whether you fondly remember Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure or you are wondering what a phone booth is, stop in to the library and check out one of these great little books today.