The goal of Oxford's "Very Short Introductions" series is to provide brief, basic information on subjects that would interest typical undergraduates and give a good historical and conceptual background to each topic. Blundell (Oxford, UK) certainly succeeds in Magnetism. It is impressive that he is able to cover the history and physics of magnetism in so few pages. Without the use of mathematics, the author covers fundamental laws of magnetism and gives very good nontechnical explanations, including discussions of the effects of magnets as well as the source of magnet fields. The material is made particularly accessible through the use of an examination of the Earth's magnetic field as a model for understanding magnetism. Furthermore, Blundell includes important applications and also looks at the relationship of magnetism to relativity and quantum mechanics. He even includes a chapter titled "Exotic Magnetism," which explores topics like antiferromagnetism and monopoles. This book will interest anyone who wants a good nontechnical understanding of magnetism. This reviewer was initially skeptical that such a small book could provide an interesting and thorough introduction to magnetism; he was wrong. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates. E. Kincanon Gonzaga University