Short Histories

   This post will be useful for those university students who have not read a book and now need to do so. Apparently even those at "The Ivies" show up having not read a book (see: "The Elite College Students Who Can't Read Books: To Read a Book In College, It Helps to Have Read a Book in High School," Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, Nov. 2024.) It will also be of use to oldsters, like myself, who are running out of time and want to read up on subjects about which they have forgotten - sex, for example. 
   I have done this before. At the beginning of 2019 I suggested that you could fulfill your intellectual resolutions for the new year by consulting Oxford University Press's Very Short Introductions.. and the 30 Second Books produced by Ivy Press, (see Intellectual Resolutions - 2019.) I see that I also showed you which titles were held by the London Public Libraries.

  Here is the list of Short Histories provided by "The Experiment" publishing company and additional information is found on their website. I will begin with the subject about which I have forgotten.

The Shortest History of Sex

Two Billion Years of Procreation and Recreation

by David Baker, Simon Whistler (Foreword)

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

From the first microbial exchanges of DNA to Tinder and sexbots, how did sex begin, and how did it evolve to be so varied and complex in humans? What influence do our genetic ancestors have on our current love lives?

Among the short titles, I also found one that is brief:

A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders Surprising Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps by Jonn Elledge Paper Over Boards | $24.95 US / $32.95 CAN Many lines on the map are worth far more than a thousand words, going well beyond merely marking divisions between nations. In this eye-opening investigation into the most remarkable points on the map, a single boundary might, upon closer inspection, …

The Shortest History of China

From the Ancient Dynasties to a Modern Superpower—A Retelling for Our Times

by Linda Jaivin

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

As we enter the “Asian century,” China demands our attention for being an economic powerhouse, a beacon of rapid modernization, and an assertive geopolitical player. To understand the nation behind the headlines, we must take in its vibrant, tumultuous past—a …

The Shortest History of Democracy

4,000 Years of Self-Government—A Retelling for Our Times

by John Keane

Paperback | $15.95 US / $21.00 CAN

This compact history unspools the tumultuous global story that began with democracy’s radical core idea: We can collaborate, as equals, to determine our own futures. Acclaimed political thinker John Keane traces how this concept emerged and evolved, from the earliest …

The Shortest History of Dinosaurs

The 230-Million-Year Story of Their Reign and Their World

by Riley Black

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

Despite their cultural influence, the grand narrative of the dinosaur story is rarely told. Most of us have heard of Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, for example, but these two dinosaurs lived more than eighty million years apart—a greater span of time....

The Shortest History of England

Empire and Division from the Anglo-Saxons to Brexit—A Retelling for Our Times

by James Hawes

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

England—begetter of parliaments and globe-spanning empires, star of beloved period dramas, and home of the House of Windsor—is not quite the stalwart island fortress that many of us imagine. Riven by an ancient fault line that predates even the Romans...

The Shortest History of Eugenics

From “Science” to Atrocity—How a Dangerous Movement Shaped the World, and Why It Persists

by Erik L. Peterson

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

Eugenics emerged in the nineteenth century as a potent and seemingly benevolent—even prudent—idea: The simplest way to rid society of social ills and bring about a healthier, more “desirable” humankind was through the “science” of better breeding. Seizing on advancements...

The Shortest History of Europe

How Conquest, Culture, and Religion Forged a Continent—A Retelling for Our Times

by John Hirst

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

Propelled by a thesis of startling simplicity, celebrated historian John Hirst’s fast-paced account of the making of modern Europe—from Ancient Greece to today—illuminates the continent as never before. Just three elements—German warrior culture, Greek and Roman learning, and Christianity.....

The Shortest History of France

From Roman Gaul to Revolution and Cultural Radiance—A Global Story for Our Times

by Colin Jones

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

France is the most popular tourist destination in the world, thanks to its unsurpassed cultural and historical riches. Gothic architecture, Louis XIV opulence, revolutionary spirit, café society, haute cuisine and couture . . . what could be more quintessentially French? …

The Shortest History of Germany

From Roman Frontier to the Heart of Europe—A Retelling for Our Times

by James Hawes

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

A country both admired and feared, Germany has been the epicenter of world events time and again: the Reformation, both World Wars, the fall of the Berlin Wall. It did not emerge as a modern nation until 1871—yet today, Germany …

The Shortest History of Greece

The Odyssey of a Nation from Myth to Modernity

by James Heneage

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

Philosophy, art, democracy, language, even computers—the glories of Greek civilization have shaped our world even more profoundly than we realize. Pericles and the Parthenon may be familiar, but what of Epaminondas, the Theban general who saved the Greek world from …

The Shortest History of India

From the World’s Oldest Civilization to Its Largest Democracy—A Retelling for Our Times

by John Zubrzycki

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

India—a cradle of civilization with five millennia of history, a country of immense consequence and contradiction—often defies ready understanding. What holds its people together—across its many cultures, races, languages, and creeds—and how has India evolved into the liberal democracy it …

The Shortest History of Israel and Palestine

From Zionism to Intifadas and the Struggle for Peace

by Michael Scott-Baumann

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

The ongoing struggle between Israel and Palestine is one of the most bitter conflicts in history, with profound global consequences. In this book, Middle East expert Michael Scott-Baumann succinctly describes its origins and charts its evolution from civil war to ...

The Shortest History of Italy

3,000 Years from the Romans to the Renaissance to a Modern Republic—A Retelling for Our Times

by Ross King

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

The calendar. The Senate. The university. The piano, the heliocentric model, and the pizzeria. It’s hard to imagine a world without Italian influence—and easy to assume that inventions like these could only come from a strong, stable peninsula, sure of … The Shortest History of Japan: From Mythical Origins to Pop Culture Powerhouse - The Global Drama of an Ancient Island Nation

by Leslie Downer

Price: $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

Discover the aesthetic traditions, political resilience, and modern economic might of this singular island nation. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.

The Shortest History of Migration

When, Why, and How Humans Move—From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow’s Migrants

by Ian Goldin

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

For hundreds of thousands of years, the ability of Homo sapiens to travel across vast distances and adapt to new environments has been key to our survival as a species. And yet this deep migratory impulse is being tested as …

The Shortest History of Music

From Bone Flutes to Synthesizers, Hildegard von Bingen to Beyoncé—5,000 Years of Instrument and Song

by Andrew Ford

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

No art form is as widely discussed—or as readily available—as music. With the click of just a few buttons, modern humans can decide what they think of the brand-new Beyoncé just as quickly as they can form opinions on Brahms …

The Shortest History of Our Universe

The Unlikely Journey from the Big Bang to Us

by David Baker, John Green (Foreword)

Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

In this thrilling history, David Baker captures the longest-possible time span—from the Big Bang to the present day—in an astonishingly concise retelling. His impressive timeline includes the “rise of complexity” in the cosmos and the creation of the first atoms; …

The Shortest History of War

From Hunter-Gatherers to Nuclear Superpowers—A Retelling for Our Times

by Gwynne Dyer

Paperback | $15.95 US

War has changed, but we have not. From our hunter-gatherer ancestors to the rival nuclear powers of today, whenever resources have been contested, we’ve gone to battle. Acclaimed historian Gwynne Dyer illuminates our many martial clashes in this brisk account, tracing …

—------- CANCON:

Canada also has "IVIES", but they are called "MAPLES".

Canadian Maple League Universities

    

   I realized that I have not posted in just over a month, so I will begin with a short one about a Canadian higher education entity of which I was unaware. It exists in the eastern part of the country in four locations in three different provinces and is known as the "Maple League of Universities." Perhaps you also did not know about it.

  The League members are: St. Francis Xavier, (Antigonish, Nova Scotia); Mount Allison, (Sackville, New Brunswick); Acadia, (Wolfville, Nova Scotia) and Bishop's University, (Sherbrooke, Quebec). The Maple League moniker is somewhat catchier than "The U4", which is how they were referred to in years past. 

   You may have guessed that these universities are consorting not because of a shared interest in the academic discipline of botany, but rather because the new brand under which they are united reminds you of the elite institutions located farther to the south. There are eight of them, which are identified here:

   

   I read about the members of the Maple League in an article which discusses the difficulties they are likely to face in the post-pandemic period, whenever that may be. The headline and opening paragraph indicate the source of their concerns: 

“For Maple League Universities, Shift to Online Education Threatens Close-Knit Appeal That They Rely On,” Joe Friesen, The Globe and Mail, June 2, 2020.

“The universities of the Maple League, with their historic red brick architecture and wide lawns, have long based their appeal on small classes,  a close-knit campus of dorms and clubs, and a level of attention from professors not always available at larger institutions.” 

   

   The concerns have spread beyond the campuses: “A fall without students could pose a grave threat to the local economy in university towns.” Such concerns have also spread like Covid across the country and are not restricted to the small liberal arts colleges.

Sources:

  The place to begin is at the website of the Maple League of Universities where links are provided to the four universities involved.  There is a short Wikipedia entry.

  There is a good piece in University Affairs, from which the following is taken. See" "Four Small Universities in Eastern Canada Rebrand as The Maple League," Moira MacDonald, Nov. 6, 2016.

"First coming together in 2013 under the less catchy banner of the “U4,” Acadia, Bishop’s, Mount Allison and St. Francis Xavier universities are now touting their pastoral, “small by design” campuses more loudly as an alternative to the larger, urbanized university experience many Canadians are familiar with.
The new name is “a little bit of a nod at the Ivy League,” acknowledged Michael Goldbloom, president of Bishop’s in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. “We’re not claiming that we’re Harvard or Princeton or Yale. But we do think that we share that same aspiration for excellence.”

"Why a Group of Small Universities Believes the Future is Theirs: Known as The "Maple League", the Four Universities Promote the Advantage They Have Over Big-City Schools: An Intimate Undergraduate Experience," Jennifer Lewington, Maclean's, March 14, 2017.

There are also some articles to be found at the institutions. See:
From Bishop's - "The Four Maple League Universities Sign Historic Agreement That Encourages Inter-Institutional Student Mobility," Bishop's University.
From Mount Allison - "What is the Maple League?" Laura Skinner, The Argosy, Feb. 6, 2019.
"Dr. James Devine, department head of politics and international relations at Mt. A, said that the Maple League shows potential: “It’s building a brand about small, primarily undergraduate institutions, which I think in Canada are a bit of a rarity.”

The Bonus Stuff: 
   You already know enough about the Ivy League. Perhaps you know less about the Public Ivies or the Hidden Ivies.  

    There is an Ivey here in London, but it is in a different league.

     There is also a university for women here in London - Brescia. It appears to be doing quite well and is apparently the only such institution of higher education in Canada. If, at some point, more aggressive 'branding' is required they could follow the example of the Maple Leaguers and try to figure out some way to associate themselves with  the "Seven Sisters",  which essentially were the elite, 'Ivey League-type' schools for women. It seems that only five of them continue to serve females only - Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith and Wellesley.