Book shelf

Book shelf

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

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The Offset cover
Calder Szewczak (Natasha Calder and Emma Szewczak, both Corpus Christi 2013)

THE OFFSET is a work of science fiction that explores the issues of environmentalism and anti-natalism, positing a world in which, on their eighteenth birthday, every child must choose one of their parents to die as a carbon offset for their own life. The book has been compared to Sophie's Choice and The Handmaid's Tale, and described as "the science fiction novel for our times" by science journalist Angela Saini.

Xu Zhimo in Cambridge − life and poetry
Stuart Lyons (King's 1962)

In the ten years between his admission to King’s College in 1921 and his death in an air crash, Xu Zhimo transformed Chinese poetry.  This book illuminates his life and friendships in Cambridge, and his love of the Backs and surrounding countryside. It contains 24 poems in Xu’s original Chinese with Pinyin transliteration and English verse translations by the winner of the Stephen Spender Prize 2020 for poetry in translation.

The Misadventures of Nicholas Nabb cover
Jenny Moore (Selwyn 1985)

A botched bread roll robbery spells trouble for Victorian sewer scamp, Nicholas Nabb... BIG trouble. But when a mysterious veiled widow, Annie, steps in to save him, it looks like his luck might finally be changing. Only Annie vanishes before they can become properly acquainted, leaving Nick with nothing but questions. Who is the lady behind the black veil? Why does she have a baby photo of him inside her locket? And, most importantly of all, where is she now? Nick will stop at nothing to find out.

Troy cover
Stephen Fry (Queens' 1978)

'Troy. The most marvellous kingdom in all the world. The Jewel of the Aegean. Glittering Ilion, the city that rose and fell not once but twice . . .'

The story of Troy speaks to all of us - the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against that great city, to which they will lay siege for ten whole and very bloody years.

Our Dear-Bought Liberty cover
Michael D. Breidenbach (Wolfson 2008)

How early American Catholics justified secularism and overcame suspicions of disloyalty, transforming ideas of religious liberty in the process.

Rethink cover
Amol Rajan (editor)

After darkness, there is always light.

Based on the hit BBC podcast, and with introductions by presenter and journalist Amol Rajan, Rethink gives us the opportunity to consider what a better world might look like and reaffirms that after darkness there is always light.

Why Calories Don't Count cover
Dr Giles Yeo (Fellow, Wolfson)

Calorie information is ubiquitous. On packaged food, restaurant menus and online recipes we see authoritative numbers that tell us the calorie count of what we're about to consume. And we treat these numbers as gospel; counting, cutting, intermittently consuming and, if you believe some 'experts' out there, magically making them disappear. We all know, and governments advise, that losing weight is just a matter of burning more calories than we consume.

Meet the Georgians cover
Robert Peal (Sidney Sussex 2007)

‘Mad, bad and dangerous to know’ is how Lord Byron, the poet who drank wine from a monk’s skull and slept with his half-sister, was described by one of his many lovers. But ‘mad, bad and dangerous’ serves as a good description for the entire Georgian period: often neglected, the hundred or so years between the coronation of George I in 1714 and the death of George IV in 1830 were years when the modern world was formed, and changes came thick and fast.

German Justice cover
Marcus Fedder (Emmanuel 1982)

In German Justice, Max Hardenberg, a recently retired German judge, revisits Russia in 1990 to trace back the way he had gone as a young soldier in Hitler's army. In 1944 he had witnessed crimes committed by the SS and now, finding Natasha, one of the victims of these crimes, he realises that, still today, there are many open chapters that noone has dealt with - the people who had committed those crimes are still alive.

Charting an Asian Trajectory for Literacy Education cover
Su Li Chong (St Edmund's 2010)

Weaving outwards from a centripetal force of biographical stances, this book presents the collective perspectives of literacy researchers from Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Taiwan. It represents the first all-Asian initiative to showcase the region’s post-colonial, multilingual and multicultural narratives of literacy education.

Corporate Finance cover
Brindha Gunasingham (Fitzwilliam 1991), John Graham, Chris Adam,

Corporate Finance, 3rd Asia-Pacific Edition, offers a dynamic, modern and practical approach that illustrates how financial management really works and helps prepare you for a career in finance. It features up-to-date content including a focus on ethics in finance, following the Australian Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry.

Future Perfect cover
Felicia Yap (Sidney Sussex 2003)

What if today was your last day...

A bomb has exploded during a fashion show, killing a beautiful model on the catwalk. The murderer is still at large... and he may strike again. Yet this is the least of Police Commissioner Christian Verger's worries. His fiancée Viola has left him. He has to keep his tumultuous past a secret. To make things worse, his voice assistant Alexa is 99.74% sure he will die tomorrow.

Natural escapes – Ticino cover
Iwona Eberle (Newnham 1986)

For people of all ages who love to explore, swim and enjoy the outdoors – this book is a guide to spectacular locations on and in the water in the Swiss canton of Ticino, including many that almost nobody knows about.

Geology for Walkers cover
Steve Peacock (Corpus Christi 1975)

Written by a geologist and fellow walker, this book is for the outdoor enthusiast curious to learn more about, and develop a deeper appreciation for, the story behind the geology around them.

Constructed as a 'companion for the scientifically curious' - rather than as a textbook - Geology for Walkers is written in clear language and is packed with bold, colourful illustrations to convey the geological concepts at work.

Meet Me In Another Life cover
Catriona Silvey (Corpus Christi 2003)

Thora and Santi have met before…

Under the clocktower in central Cologne, with nothing but the stars above and their futures ahead.

They will meet again…

They don’t know it yet, but they’ll meet again: in numerous lives they will become friends, colleagues, lovers, enemies – meeting over and over for the first time, every time; each coming to know every version of the other.

Only they can make sure it’s not for the last time.

Science and Development cover
Dr David Gosling (Fitzwilliam 1963)

Dr David L. Gosling, Life Member and the first Spalding Fellow of Clare Hall, is the author of a new book titled Science and Development in Thai and South Asian Buddhism (Routledge, 2020). The book considers the role of Thai Buddhist religious people in development within Thailand. It discusses how Thai Buddhism has evolved philosophically and in its organisation to allow this, examines various examples of Buddhist people's engagement in development projects, and assesses how the situation is likely to unfold going forward.

HOWUL cover
David Shannon (Trinity 1975)

People in Blanow think that books are dangerous: they fill your head with drivel, make poor firewood and cannot be eaten (even in an emergency).
This book is about Howul. He sees things differently: fires are dangerous; people are dangerous; books are just books.
Howul secretly writes down what goes on around him in Blanow. How its people treat foreigners, treat his daughter, treat him. None of it is pretty. Worse still, everything here keeps trying to kill him: rats, snakes, diseases, roof slates, the weather, the sea.

English Grammar cover
Michael McCarthy (Downing 1966)

A step-by-step introduction to English grammar and brief, non-technical discussions of important grammatical theories and public and political debates in the English-speaking world. Suitable for first-year undergraduates but also for anyone who did not study English grammar at school, particularly the 'lost generation' of the 1960s to the 1990s.

Einstein's Fridge cover
Paul Sen (Downing 1980)

A compulsively readable account of the extraordinary people, battling internal demons and external adversaries, who discovered the laws of thermodynamics and the science of heat, and brought about a scientific revolution.

Indigenous Wellbeing and Enterprise cover
Rick Colbourne (St Catharine's 2004) and Robert Anderson

In this book, we explore the economic wellbeing of Indigenous peoples globally through case studies that provide practical examples of how Indigenous wellbeing is premised on sustainable self-determination that is in turn dependent on a community’s evolving model for economic development, its cultural traditions, its relationship to its traditional territories and its particular spiritual practices.

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