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Very Short Introductions – a series that cover a vast range of topics, they provide a great introduction to the existing work on a subject . This series is a great place to start because you can find the book that corresponds best to your area of interest and find out who the most prevalent historians are working on that topic, and plenty more in-depth suggestions if you want them. Below are just a few examples of the areas of history that they cover, .

• Arnold, John. History : A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. 
• Ware, Susan. American Women’s History : A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. 
• Sidebottom, Harry. Ancient Warfare : A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. 
• Sarris, Peter. Byzantium : A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. 
• Caplan, Jane. Nazi Germany : A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. 
• Holt, Thomas C. (Thomas Cleveland). The Civil Rights Movement : A Very Short Introduction. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2023. Print.
• Doyle, William. The French Revolution : A Very Short Introduction. 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019.
• Whatmore, Richard. The History of Political Thought : A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021. 
• Dixon, Thomas (Thomas M.). The History of Emotions : A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2023. 
• Rossabi, Morris. The Mongols : A Very Short Introduction. New York ; Oxford University Press, 2012.

Watching one online lecture that relates to your area of interest will help you engage with different angles and perspectives on that topic. Sample lectures available to watch for free on the . You can also watch lectures for free through the .

Look at books you may have already read across your subjects and read other books written by that author so you can engage with them by comparing, or read other books on a similar theme. These do not need to be academic histories, they can even be fictional coverage of a historical event or theme that piqued your interest, you can still use them to show your engagement with a topic.

Reading about your local area over time, maybe even visiting a local archive or museum if you have one, is a great way to narrow down an overwhelming search for resources. Finding out about its role in bigger historical events offers a really interesting insight. Look at a place that is of specific interest to you! Some examples include:

• Lockwood, Ian. The History of Skipton. London: Austin Macauley Publishers, 2018. 
• Simpson, Andrew. Manchester : Remembering 1914-18. Stroud: The History Press, 2017. 
• Wood, Simon. Scotland and the Second World War. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1997.