Funny. I just started reading these Very Short Introductions in the last year. They are a bit like "Que sais-je ?" series in France. I really like these small books that are bit like extended wikipedia entries, though the copy editing could be a little better to catch typos and whatnot. My favorite so far, "Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction Book by David Catling". I am currently reading a VSI on the Silk Road. I have not been disappointed with any so far.
