The academic field is always evolving and changing. New ideas and concepts are frequently being introduced and, as a result, textbooks with the most up-to-date information are in demand. The academic publishing industry has responded to this need and new texts are constantly being published. These days, professors and students have more options than ever to pursue their studies.

However, in the haste and urgency of it all, many textbooks get lost in the queue or their shelf life is far too brief when compared to the amount of time and energy put in by the scholars who write them. The concern is then: how do you write a textbook that not only gets noticed but remains relevant and useful beyond the first years of its publication?

For almost 10 years now, Walter G. Moss’s book, ‘A History of Russia (Vol I)’ has been used in classrooms throughout the US. In fact, just this semester a professor made it a required reading text for a Russian history course at Harvard University. So, with almost a decade of success, we asked him why he thought his book has prospered over the years.

Dr Moss provided the following reasons:

1. It is well written and organized with the average student in mind
2. It deals with a wide variety of topics: e.g., the role of women and numerous nationalities in the Russian/Soviet empires, everyday rural and urban life, law, religion, literature, art, popular culture, references to varying historical perspectives
3. It provides numerous additional features such as illustrations and maps, fully updated bibliographies accompanying each chapter as well as a general bibliography, a glossary, and chronological and genealogical lists

Additionally, Andrew Gentes, a lecturer in Russian and European History at University of Queensland, said that Dr Moss’ book ‘manages to embrace a wide range of topics while at the same time remaining accessible and interesting…Balances humorous anecdotes with provocative concepts, and discusses historiography in a clearer and more contemporary fashion than that found in Riasanovsky’s ‘A History of Russia’, now in its sixth edition and looking a bit musty by comparison…There is little to fault with this volume.’

History texts naturally lend themselves to a longer shelf life, as opposed to other more time-sensitive subject matters such as digital media, business marketing, or contemporary scientific theory. But what makes a good book remains the same at its core. If you can capture that essence, it too will stand the test of time.

Read more about the ‘A History of Russia (Vol I)’ here and/or check out Vol II, here.

Over the past year, we have been working on developing our Anthem Studies in Theatre and Performance series. Looking at a wide range of theatre, from historically traditional forms to less structured, contemporary acts, this series seeks to analyse one of the most dynamic aspects of culture with a broad, global perspective.

This December, we released a book on writer and theatre director, Samuel Beckett, titled ‘On Beckett.’ This book, edited by S. E. Gontarski, features a collection of writings about the Nobel-Prize winning author, providing both an insight into the man as well as his complete works:

‘On Beckett’ brings together some of the most perceptive writings from the vast amount of scrutiny that has been lavished on the man; in addition to widely read essays there are contributions from more obscure sources, viewpoints not frequently seen. Together they allow the reader to enter the world of a writer whose work has left an impact on the consciousness of our time perhaps unmatched by that of any other recent creative imagination.

Additionally, we are pleased to share that one of the books in the series, Molière on Stage, What’s So Funny? by Robert W. Goldsby, has recently been included in Choice’s annual ‘Outstanding Academic Title’ list. The book was chosen for its ‘excellence in scholarship and presentation, the significance of [its] contribution to the field, and [its] value as an important treatment of the subject.’ The book analyses the playwright’s works both in a contemporary and historical context, exploring Moliére’s attempt to ‘fulfil the universal need for union’ with his writing through laughter. Read more about the book here.

For the most part, there are three kinds of environmental books being published today. The first offers scientific or engineering evidence in an effort to draw attention to a particular environmental phenomenon, like acidification of the ocean. The second offers an explanation, often in the form of a scholarly analysis, of why the problem, like air pollution or water pollution, is occurring and suggests why efforts to solve the problem have failed. Inevitably these analyses reflect the disciplinary biases of the authors (i.e., because we have failed to “get the price right, ” according to economists, we have not created adequate incentives to encourage investment in pollution control technology). The third kind of environmental book tells a story of a successful effort to do things in a more sustainable fashion or to solve a particular environmental problem. The story of an effort to deploy new offshore wind energy technology might be an example. The number of books in all three categories is growing.

Anthem’s Environment and Sustainability publishing initiative seeks to do something different. We are publishing books that combine description, analysis and prescription. Our audience is policy-makers or those in government, business and civil society who seek to influence policy and practice. They want to understand why and how certain problems have emerged and they want to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different ways of tackling problems. They want less advocacy and more analysis of options. We have chosen to focus on a series of recurrent problems faced by communities around the world, including how to manage transboundary waters, how to improve implementation of global environmental agreements, how to finance renewable energy projects and how to incorporate the science of climate change into policy-making. And we have selected three emerging themes: how to value ecosystem services and enable restoration of ecosystems that have been impaired; how to assess and manage the risks associated with natural resource management; and how to build a science of sustainable development. In each, we are looking for authors who can link descriptions of actual practice with multidisciplinary analysis of alternative policy prescriptions in ways that will be convincing to policymakers. We prefer manuscripts that take a global or comparative point of view.

We expect to blend books by well-established authors with the work of up-and-coming scholars. Some books may be aimed at libraries while others will be marketed to individuals. We are as open to electronic books as hardbound books. We are less interested in history and more concerned about what needs to happen in the future. While everything we produce will be peer-reviewed, we are committed to moving quickly so that we can catch the tide of public debate on the problems and themes listed above. It’s not easy to write in a way that is understandable to the lay public but also compelling to the relevant experts, but that is our goal. We are prepared to help authors condense complex research findings so that they are summarized in the books included in the AES publishing initiative, while lengthier methodological explanations and elaborate data sets are available online.

In addition, every month we will publish the Anthem EnviroExperts Review, an online set of micro-reviews and blog commentaries aimed at building a global community of practice. We seek to build a network of scholars, practitioners and policymakers seeking brief and reliable judgments on the wide range of environment and sustainability books being published regularly.

Lawrence Susskind, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, MIT