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Explore a selection of publications by alumni and academics, and books with a link to the University or Cambridge

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Front cover depicting a painting, showing a table set with food and drinks next to a window looking out onto a veranda

Pierre Bonnard Beyond Vision

Lucy Whelan (Corpus Christi 2007)

An unparalleled reassessment of Pierre Bonnard, exploring his paintings, drawings, photography, and prints.

As one of the founders of the post-Impressionist group the Nabis, French artist Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) is frequently seen as a transitional figure between the Impressionists and modernists. This beautifully illustrated book offers a fresh interpretation, revealing the artist’s central concern with expanding representation beyond the limits of natural vision. The result is a new understanding not only of Bonnard but of modernism itself.

Book cover depicting a manuscript, with a man wearing a hat, holding a spear and wearing boots drawn on the paper

The Saga of Vilmundur the Outsider - Vilmundar saga viðutan

Jonathan Y. H. Hui (Fitzwilliam 2013)

The Saga of Vilmundur the Outsider is an entertaining romance composed in the late Middle Ages in Iceland, where it remained popular for another five centuries. It tells of the adventures of Vilmundur, the rustic son of a farmer, whose rise through society is characterised by a combination of unrefined social etiquette and raw athletic prowess.

Front cover showing two people in a boat on a lake with a background of mountains

Don't fuss, Love God, Don't fuss

Ruth Bamforth (Newnham 1994)

What is a Christian? What is prayer? How should I pray? What does the Lord's Prayer actually mean? These are just some of the questions people often ask as they explore their Christian faith. Don't fuss, Love God, Don't fuss seeks to answer these and other questions in a straightforward, down to earth, and unapologetic way.

Through this insightful compilation of reflections Don't fuss, Love God, Don't fuss helps those at the beginning of their journey into their Christian faith, as well as those seeking to deepen their understanding of Christianity.

Front cover showing a magnifying glass hovering over stars in space on multicoloured background

The Invisible Universe

Matthew Bothwell (Girton 2007)

Since the dawn of our species, people all over the world have gazed in awe at the night sky. But for all the beauty and wonder of the stars, when we look with just our eyes we are seeing and appreciating only a tiny fraction of the Universe. What does the cosmos have in store for us beyond the phenomena we can see, from black holes to supernovas? How different does the invisible Universe look from the home we thought we knew? Dr Matt Bothwell takes us on a journey through the full spectrum of light and beyond, revealing what we have learned about the mysteries of the Universe.

Front cover depicting title on a multicoloured triangular tiles

Local literacies in early childhood: Inequalities in Place, Policy and Pedagogy

Helen Victoria Smith (Hughes Hall 1999)

This book contributes to current debates about the importance of early literacy and the different ways that literacy resources offer support to parents with young children. It sheds light on the impact of policy discourse and austerity measures on community resources designed to support children’s early literacy learning.

Book cover depicting abstract heads and thought bubbles in different colours within a grid

Theory of Mind in Middle Childhood and Adolescence: Integrating Multiple Perspectives

Rory T. Devine (St John's 2008) & Serena Lecce

This landmark text integrates diverse perspectives on how humans understand others’ minds (or ‘theory of mind’) beyond early childhood into middle childhood and adolescence. It explores how the neural, cognitive, and social changes of middle childhood and adolescence shape the ongoing development of theory of mind, and how theory of mind helps children navigate their lives.

Front cover featuring a hand doing the 'rock on' sign with a pink painted nail, on a pink background

Reclaim the Rebel: 12 Rebellious Acts to Achieve Unconditional Love for Your Body

Lizzy Cangro (Newnham 2008)

If you’re like most women, you probably think another weight loss program or an extra mile on the treadmill will get you closer to the body you want. But all that work won’t get you anywhere if you can’t shut up your inner mean girl. She knocks you down with negative stories, distorted body image, and anxiety about food and fitness. When she’s in charge, you’re living in an abusive relationship with your body.

It’s time to reclaim unconditional love for yourself and silence that mean girl for good.

Front cover featuring title of book on burning map

The Young Alexandrians

Andrew Metaxas (St John's 1987)

The novel follows a non-linear narrative where events are portrayed out of chronological order. It centres on the seemingly unrequited love between Alexis and Nina, two young Alexandrians who meet in 1956. It concludes, tragically in 2018, with the two protagonists as partners and aid workers in Gaza on the eve of Nakba, or Catastrophe, day just prior to the formal announcement by the US to transfer their Embassy to Jerusalem.

Front cover featuring green background and autumn coloured leaves

Jane Austen and Shelley in the Garden: A Novel with Pictures

Janet Todd (Newnham 1961)

Eccentric Fran wants a second chance. Thanks to her intimacy with Jane Austen, and Shelley, she finds one. Jane Austen is such a presence in Fran's life that she seems to share her cottage and garden, becoming an imaginary friend. Fran's conversations with Jane Austen guide and chide her - but Fran is ready for change. An encounter with a long-standing friend, and a new one, a writer, lead to something new. The three women unite in their love of books and in a quest for the idealist poet Shelley at two pivotal moments: in Wales and Venice.

Book cover featuring a painting of Indian women dressed in yellow sharing alcohol

An Unholy Brew: Alcohol in Indian History and Religions

James McHugh (Christ's 1991)

The first comprehensive book on alcohol in pre-modern India, An Unholy Brew: Alcohol in Indian History and Religions uses a wide range of sources from the Vedas to the Kamasutra to explore drinks and styles of drinking, as well as rationales for abstinence from the earliest Sanskrit written records through the second millennium CE.

Front cover featuring half a union jack and six griffins

Six of the Best; A Pantheon of Great British Heroes

Sean Brunton (Christ's 1986)

This is a book about heroism. It consists of a collection of 6 mini-biographies or essays. The British heroes celebrated are Richard the Lionheart, Sir William Wallace, Lord Nelson, The Duke of Wellington, Albert Ball V.C. and Roger Bushell (aka ‘Big X’). Each essay provides an historically accurate biography of their lives and deeds, celebrating their patriotism, bravery and independence of spirit. However, each searches for and focuses on their own particular brand of heroism; for Wallace his defiant belief in freedom; for Nelson, his patriotic quest for honour.

Front cover depicting a zoomed in blue eye with the book title and author name in the pupil

Being You - A New Science of Consciousness

Anil Seth (King's 1990)

The instant Sunday Times Bestseller and Guardian Book of the Week, Being You is an accessible and revolutionary book that will forever alter your relationship with the world - and with yourself.

Somehow, within each of our brains, billions of neurons work to create our conscious experience. How does this happen? How is it that we experience the colour red, the pangs of jealousy, the pain of toothache? Why do we experience life in the first person?

Front cover of book entitled Ghosted, featuring a person's torso and a face covered with flowers on a dark background

Ghosted: A Love Story

Jenn Ashworth (Newnham 2000)

One ordinary morning, Laurie's husband Mark vanishes, leaving behind his phone and wallet. For five weeks, she tells no one, carrying on her job as a cleaner at the local university, visiting her difficult, dementia suffering father and holing up in her tower block flat with a bottle to hand. When she finally reports Mark as missing, the police are suspicious. Why did she take so long? Wasn't she worried? It turns out there are many more lacunae in Laurie's account of events. At the time, she couldn't explain much of her behaviour herself.

Of Kings and Nobilities cover

Of Kings and Nobilities

B. J. Sadiq (Hughes Hall 2005)

Of Kings and Nobilities is a zany romp through world history, penned by writer B.J.Sadiq under the guise of his pseudonym "B. J. Hughes" the initials BJ are his own, whereas the inspiration for the last name is drawn not from the British poet laureate, the genius Ted, but from Hughes Hall, a Cambridge college, where the author of this book once lodged, and where he first thought of writing this epic satire.

The Man Who Died Twice cover

The Man Who Died Twice

Richard Osman (Trinity 1989)

It's the following Thursday.

Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He's made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.

As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus?

Tia Merauke cover

Tik Merauke: an epidemic like no other

John Richens (King's 1970)

A study of culture, colonialism, and an epidemic in New Guinea. 

Enhancing Wellbeing and Independence for Young People with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties cover

Enhancing wellbeing and independence for young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties (pmld): Lives Lived Well

Andrew Colley (Wolfson 2017) and Julie Tilbury

Bringing together the results of extensive UK and international surveys of over 100 teachers, school leaders and other practitioners who work with young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties (pmld), this book explores what well-being, community participation and independence mean for young people with pmld and presents the many innovative ways in which schools are working to ensure young people with pmld have lives of

Don't Get Your Tutu in a Twist cover

Don't Get Your Tutu in a Twist!

Jenny Moore (Selwyn 1994)

Miss Gorilla is holding a dance show, but the rehearsals are not going well! Can they pull it all together in time for the big night?

'Don't Get Your Tutu in a Twist!' is a fun, rhyming picture book starring tip-tapping toe-tangled animals and a generous pinch of chaos. Illustrated by Barbara Bakos.

The Gate to China cover

The Gate to China: A New History of the People's Republic & Hong Kong

Michael Sheridan (Jesus 1977)

The rise of China and the fall of Hong Kong to authoritarian rule are told with unique insight in this new history by Michael Sheridan, drawing on eyewitness reporting over three decades, interviews with key figures and documents from archives in China and the West

The story sweeps the reader from the earliest days of trade through the Opium Wars of the 19th century to the age of globalisation, the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China. It ends with the battle for democracy on the city’s streets and the ultimate victory of the Chinese Communist Party.

The Piano cover

The Piano - a History in 100 Pieces

Susan Tomes (King's 1972)

An astonishingly versatile instrument, the piano allows just two hands to play music of great complexity and subtlety. For more than two hundred years, it has brought solo and collaborative music into homes and concert halls and has inspired composers in every musical genre—from classical to jazz and light music.

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