For Beginners Series

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(91 reviews)

We've selected books in Usborne's For Beginners series as our books of the month and for our featured blog posts many times over the years, and for good reason. They're packed full of information for curious readers aged 10+.

Each book is a chunky, good-value-for-your-money 128 pages long, fully illustrated in colour throughout and written by an expert in the book's topic of choice. From politics and climate crisis to law and chemistry, this series covers an incredible variety of STEM subjects, offering full glossaries, how-to pages, infographics, diagrams and links to specialised websites.

You don't have to read the books in any order, and you can pick and choose to read the ones that most inspire you based on your interests and curiousities.

All the For Beginners books in order:

Book 1: Politics for Beginners (2018)
Book 2: Business for Beginners (2018)
Book 3: Money for Beginners (2019)
Book 4: Economics for Beginners (2020)
Book 5: Philosophy for Beginners (2020)
Book 6: Climate Change for Beginners (2021)
Book 7: Law for Beginners (2021)
Book 8: Physics for Beginners (2022)
Book 9: Psychology for Beginners (2022)
Book 10: Mathematics for Beginners (2022)
Book 11: Ecology for Beginners (2023)
Book 12: Geography for Beginners (2023)
Book 13: Chemistry for Beginners (2024)
Book 14: History for Beginners (2024)
Book 15: Biology for Beginners (June 2025)
Book 16: AI for Beginners (July 2025)

Book 1
Book 1

Politics for Beginners

A highly illustrated, fun and easy-to-read guide to politics in the modern world.An informative guide to political syste... MorePolitics for Beginners

(32 reviews) 5 32
Review
Book 2
Book 2

Business for Beginners

Dive into the world of business with this lively introduction, whether you want to be an entrepreneur or a smarter consu... MoreBusiness for Beginners

(4 reviews) 5 4
Review
Book 3
Book 3

Money for Beginners

An informative introduction to the world of money, covering everything from bank accounts, earning and borrowing to gove... MoreMoney for Beginners

(3 reviews) 5 3
Review
Book 4
Book 4

Economics for Beginners

Nobody has everything they need, all the time - so how can we make do with what we have? Economics is all about understa... MoreEconomics for Beginners

(1 review) 5 1
Review
Book 5
Book 5

Philosophy for Beginners

Philosophy is a way of thinking about just about anything. It asks big questions, such as "how can I be good?" or "what ... MorePhilosophy for Beginners

(1 review) 4 1
Review
Book 6
Book 6

Climate Change for Beginners

Climate change is having an enormous impact on the world around us - it has become a Climate Crisis. This book uses simp... MoreClimate Change for Beginners

(14 reviews) 5 14
Review
Book 7
Book 7

Law for Beginners

An entertaining and thought-provoking guide to what laws are, who makes them and how people enforce them. It covers crim... MoreLaw for Beginners

(12 reviews) 5 12
Review
Book 8
Book 8

Physics for Beginners

Part of the best-selling '...for Beginners' series that brings to life the wide world of physics. Rather than explaining... MorePhysics for Beginners

(2 reviews) 5 2
Review
Book 9
Book 9

Psychology for Beginners

Fully-illustrated and filled with real-world examples, this book explains the basics of psychology, from how people thin... MorePsychology for Beginners

(1 review) 5 1
Review
Book 10
Book 10

Mathematics for Beginners

This book WON'T test your mental maths or teach you countless ways to find x. It WILL show you just how fascinating math... MoreMathematics for Beginners

(1 review) 5 1
Review
Book 11
Book 11

Ecology for Beginners

This book is the perfect answer to the question "What is Ecology, and why should I care?"Explore the basics of Ecology b... MoreEcology for Beginners

(1 review) 5 1
Review
Book 12
Book 12

Geography for Beginners

The world we live in is complex and constantly changing. It's battered by weather, shaken by earthquakes, and mined, far... MoreGeography for Beginners

(0 reviews)
Review
Book 13
Book 13

Chemistry for Beginners

This engaging introduction to chemistry tackles the key concepts and big ideas in a friendly and accessible way. From at... MoreChemistry for Beginners

(8 reviews) 5 8
Review
Book 14
Book 14

History for Beginners

Every nation tells its own history in its own way. This important book explains what's going on behind the scenes in tho... MoreHistory for Beginners

(11 reviews) 5 11
Review
Book 15
Book 15

Biology for Beginners

This book explores the fascinating world of biology - the study of all life, from tiny bacteria to plants, animals and e... MoreBiology for Beginners

(0 reviews)
Review
Book 16
Book 16

AI for Beginners

Artificial Intelligence is all about humans asking computers and other machines to think and even behave like humans, an... MoreAI for Beginners

(0 reviews)
Review
Book 17
Book 17

Astronomy For Beginners

Have you ever wondered what stars are made of, or how they blaze into life? What about how a black hole works, or whethe... MoreAstronomy For Beginners

(0 reviews)
Review
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  • Money for Beginners

    Money for Beginners

    The 10 year old loved this book!

    Well written and not totally dumbed down but written in such a way as to explain financial workings that even I th...

  • History for Beginners

    History for Beginners

    This is a fantastic reference for tweens and teens as they start to properly study history. It’s easy to follow and is brilliantly illustrated.
    I wou...

  • Politics for Beginners

    Politics for Beginners

    by MrsV

    Since visiting Parliament, my daughter has become interested in politics and how things work, so this book has been a great way for us to explore that...