Elements represents a fresh approach to the literature of international law. It is a long series of short books. Following the traditional path of an international law textbook, Elements, rather than treating the whole of the field in one heavy volume, focuses on more narrowly-defined subject matters. There is nothing like Elements. It treats particular topics of international law much more extensively and in significantly more depth than traditional international law texts or encyclopedias. As each book in the Elements series has a relatively narrow focus, it provides a comprehensive treatment of a specialized subject matter, in comparison to the more limited treatment of the same subject matter in other general works.