The “Berkshire Essentials” series are collections of concentrated content, inspired by requests from teachers who praise the encyclopedic approach of Berkshire’s reference works but crave focused volumes for course use. Each book in the Essentials series draws from Berkshire publications on a big topic: world history, Chinese studies, or environmental sustainability. Books in the Berkshire Essentials series can be purchased alone, in any combination, or as a set.
Natural Resources for Sustainability, a Berkshire Essential, includes thirty-two articles covering the nature, extraction, and uses of today’s most important natural resources, concerns, and management approaches.
Asian Cuisines: Food Culture and History of Asia from Japan and China to Afghanistan and Turkey (A Berkshire Essential) is a compilation of expert-written articles on national and regional cuisines as well as agriculture, important foodstuffs, and social and economic issues throughout the world's largest and most diverse continent.
Women’s and Gender History, a Berkshire Essential, provides a look at women's lives and the importance of gender in societies across cultures and time.
In Ecosystem Services for Sustainability, a Berkshire Essential, environmental scientists and ethicists explore the variety of benefits that ecosystems provide. The articles are written for the general reader interested in learning how nature provides for humankind, and how humankind can protect those valuable natural resources.
Energy Industries and Sustainability, a Berkshire Essential, covers the exploitation of energy resources—such as coal, petroleum, and wood—and the innovations that may provide the energy we need for a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable future.
The Internet in China, a Berkshire Essential, provides much-needed context and historical background for the technological development that is transforming Chinese society and creating new conflicts and new opportunities.
Big History, a Berkshire Essential, places the history of humanity and the Earth in the largest of contexts - that of the universe. Its interdisciplinary approach draws from diverse fields including archaeology, paleoanthropology, astronomy, and biology, and raises new questions about the future of our species and its relationship to the biosphere.
Africa in World History, a Berkshire Essential, stresses Africa's interrelatedness to other regions and cultures, from early trade routes, the arrival of Christianity and Islam, and the ramifications of colonialism to contemporary issues such as HIV/AIDS and apartheid that have thwarted Africa's efforts to establish unity.
Religion and Sustainability, a Berkshire Essential, explores the ties between humans and their environment across a wide range of perspectives: from Buddhism, Bahai, Hinduism, and Daoism to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, as well as those of indigenous traditions around the world.- Sale!
Finance and Investment for Sustainability, a Berkshire Essential, explores how a green economy can be created and sustained - using sustainability in both the environmental and financial sense of the word. 
Business Strategies and Management for Sustainability, a Berkshire Essential, explores how a green economy can be created and sustained. Articles cover a wide variety of topics including “greenwashing,” local economies, and corporate social responsibility.
Environmental Law and Sustainability, a Berkshire Essential, introduces environmental regulations and agreements from around the world, with a focus on those with the most potential for international impact.