[jokeneversoke]

My high school librarian has been very interested in the series; around 10% of the library budget has been spent on solely on buying books in this series. We currently have collected around 370 of them[0].

Most of my time in the library was spent reading sci-fi and world history. Of the few encounter with these books, I've found them as a great initial boost. Apart from their own content, the references and further reading sections serve as a fantastic reading list. All _without_ the need of a knowledgeable expert by your side. As I'm applying to computer science, the introductions to classical philosophy and economics were really helpful as I did not take relevant courses.

I wouldn't bother reading a random one of them out of boredom though. Many of the topics may not be relevant to what you already know, and would be quickly flushed away and not survive a single week in your brain unless you do further reading.

p.s. as of this comment I have a cart full of newly arrived Short Introduction books behind me, about 130+ in count.

[0]: I am a long time volunteer at the school library, so statistics are available.