Stanford Briefs—an imprint of Stanford University Press—presents an innovative collection of new books. Published across our various disciplines, these books address the essence of a topic. Briefs are essay-length works freed from the technical requirements of the scholarly journal article and the elaborate documentation of the full-length research monograph. Short and incisive, Briefs should appeal to specialists and nonspecialists alike by reducing formalization and focusing on debates of broader interest.

All Briefs are peer-reviewed, and the criteria that we use to select and approve each manuscript match the rigor and high quality of our traditional monographs. Without sacrificing the quality of carefully edited and produced content, these books are published on four-month schedules, allowing for time-sensitive dialogue. Stanford Briefs will promote mindful action and intelligent debate, bringing novel perspectives and theoretical approaches to the fore.