Shelley's second novel, focuses on the intricate details of 13th-century Tuscan politics, with a resolute filtering of the bloody heroics of the age through the sensibilities of two women who are destroyed by them. A feminist perspective so conspicuously missing from "Frankenstein" is revealed.

This Very Short Introduction explores the backstory, event, and reception of the Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, in light of the wider history of the Catholic Church and places it in the exciting and tumultuous context of the 1960s.

Rainforests around the world keep our world in perfect balance. They are essential to life on earth and are the world's oldest living ecosystems. The Earth's Essential Rainforests introduces why rainforests are so important to us and our planet, and what we can do to protect them.

The Earth's Immense Oceans is the perfect way for young readers to quickly get to grips with the principles of the subject and its terminology. With clear and entertaining explanations, coupled with comic strips, photographs, and illustrations, it reveals how oceans work, the creatures that live in them, and how humans have affected the oceans.

Data answers big questions about our world. It tells us about our planet, our history, and even predicts what we like and might want to buy. The Expanding World of Data unpacks what data is and how it is a bigger part of our lives than we may realize.

The Invisible World of Germs is the perfect way for young readers to get to grips with the subject and its terminology. With a clear and entertaining explanation, with comic strips, photographs, and illustrations, this book reveals what germs are, how they spread, how we defend ourselves, and whether a world without germs is possible.

James Yeates covers the history of veterinary science, considering the roles of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in animal health. Discussing recent challenges such as the outbreak of BSE, and antibiotic resistance, he considers the future of the field, and difficulties in balancing the interests of owners and animals when they don't coincide.