Very Short Introductions book series by Oxford University Press

From the Oxford University Press website :

Oxford’s Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects – from Public Health to Buddhist Ethics, Soft Matter to Classics, and Art History to Globalization. Each volume provides an authoritative and engaging assessment of a concept, field, or body of work, drawing out the central ideas, themes, and approaches. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, new insights, and enthusiasm to make often challenging topics highly readable to develop your core knowledge. With over 700 titles and many more in development, as well as regularly updated new editions, the series is constantly evolving to reflect a contemporary readership. Whatever your area of study, whatever the topic that fascinates you, the series is an indispensable and accessible guide that will enrich your understanding.

OUP designer Philip Atkins created the overall design in 2000 and painted himself some of the abstract, heavily textured backgrounds which since have become synonymous with the series. Artist Joanna Usherwood is credited with most of the recent ones.

While these painted covers have done a lot to establish the visibility and popularity of the Very Short Introductions series, the unusual typographic pairing is probably just as iconic: Carol Twombly’s Lithos is used for each book’s title, while all secondary information appears in two weights of Neue Helvetica.