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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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No Secrets Are Hid

No Secrets Are Hid

John Ironside (Peterhouse 1952)

Railway enthusiast Pal Shripney’s life ends gently as he listens to Arthur Honneger’s steam engine romp Pacific 231.  But for his son Pip, with his concubine Petra, and for his nephew Harry, a Cambridge history don, the locomotion gains pace. Wanting to marry and raise a family, Pip and Petra face hurdles. Where in this complicated world can an uncle legally marry his niece?  Meanwhile on an aid project in Cambodia they discover mysterious Chloe and unsettling Kevin.

Varian Studies Volume One: Varius

Varian Studies Volume One: Varius

Leonardo de Arrizabalaga y Prado (Trinity 1964)

Varius is the nomen of the Roman emperor misnamed Elagabalus or Heliogabalus. These are names of the Syrian sun god Elagabal, whose high priest Varius was while emperor. There is no evidence that he was ever so called when alive. Thus named, his posthumous legendary or mythical avatar thrives, in academic prose and popular imagination, as a Semitic monster of cruelty, depravity, fanaticism, mockery and extravagance. Recently, this monster has metamorphosed into an anarchist saint and martyr of gay liberation.

Varian Studies Volume Two: Elagabal

Varian Studies Volume Two: Elagabal

Leonardo de Arrizabalaga y Prado (Trinity 1964)

Elagabal is the name of the Syrian sun god whose high priest Varius was, at the same time as Roman emperor, AD 218-222. Because of this connexion, Varius was misnamed Heliogabalus or Elagabalus long after his death. Second in the series VARIAN STUDIES, this book discusses Elagabal’s architectural and sculptural legacy in Rome. These are represented by the Palatine site of THE VARIAN TEMPLE OF ELAGABAL IN ROME, and by relief sculpture on column capitals found in the Roman Forum, showing Elagabal with other deities, in a scene of sacrifice here reconstructed as ELAGABAL’S IDYLL.

Varian Studies Volume Three: A Varian Symposium

Varian Studies Volume Three: A Varian Symposium

Leonardo de Arrizabalaga y Prado (Trinity 1964)

Heliogabalus and Elagabalus are names given since late antiquity to the mythical or legendary avatar of Varius Avitus Bassianus. Varius was Roman emperor AD 218-222, ruling as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. He was simultaneously High Priest of the Syrian sun god Elagabal. Heliogabalus and Elagabalus, names derived from Elagabal, are often used as misnomers for Varius himself, but more properly designate his avatar, who is far better known than Varius.

Flying With Emma

Flying With Emma

John Ironside (Peterhouse 1952)

Helicopter pilot Emma Shripney’s steady world is to be shaken up as much as the ground below her as she flies over earthquake stricken Hastings and Napier on New Zealand’s North Island east coast. Rescuing the eighteen stranded people from Te Mata Peak leads to a sharing of tragedy and frustration, to a doomed romantic entanglement, to an involvement in commercial intrigue conflicting with ancient Maori lore, and to the experiencing of happy loyalty and a deepened love for her adopted country.

Things We Nearly Knew

Things We Nearly Knew

Jim Powell (Trinity Hall 1968)

Jim Powell was chosen as one of the best new novelists by BBC2’s ‘The Culture Show’ in 2011. His third novel explores our ignorance and misconceptions of the people and situations we think we know best. It is a story set in an unnamed place, at an unspecified time, told by an unnamed narrator, that asks: how much do we really know about those closest to us…and how much do we want to know?

So High a Blood: The Life of Margaret, Countess of Lennox

So High a Blood: The Life of Margaret, Countess of Lennox

Morgan Ring (Caius 2008)

Sometime heir to the English throne, courtier in danger of losing her head, spy-mistress and would-be architect of a united Catholic Britain: Lady Margaret Douglas is the Tudor who survived and triumphed — but at a terrible cost.

366 Days: Compelling Stories From World History

366 Days: Compelling Stories From World History

Scott Allsop (Emmanuel 1999)

Stretching from Ancient Rome to the World Wide Web and from the Danelaw to the Cold War, 366 Days is an engaging and entertaining chronicle of the highs and lows of world history. Whether it heralded a world-changing new discovery, the assassination of a leading politician, or a cow flying in a plane, this collection of true stories and trivia from world history proves that there is always something to be remembered 'on this day'. Each historical account has been painstakingly researched to clearly explain its causes, course and consequences.

Deep Sahara

Deep Sahara

Leslie Croxford (Selwyn 1963)

Recovering from a nervous breakdown provoked by the death of his wife, a man takes advice from a family friend and retreats to a monastery in the deep Sahara to sketch desert insects for a book.

Upon arrival, however, he comes upon an appalling crime. Numb and exhausted, he declines a police chief’s urgent suggestion that he leave. Despite his shock, the desert seems to promise solace, a vast nullity against which he can take stock of himself and do his work.

King Billy and the Royal Road

King Billy and the Royal Road

Reginald Ajuonuma (Darwin College 1999)

King Billy and the Royal Road follows the eponymous Billy as he wakes up hungry one day and, unable to rouse his mother, decides to go out and look for food.

His trip outside becomes a journey in which he learns about the world around him, which he hasn’t been truly exposed to before, and the importance of values such as love and consideration for others.

H is for Hadeda

H is for Hadeda

Alexandra Strnad (Homerton 2004)

“H Is for Hadeda is a luminous sequence of poems from a writer of great intelligence who combines elegance of expression with an excitingly visceral engagement with language. The polished surface, created by Strnad’s extraordinary dexterity and supple control of syntax and diction, belies deeper currents caused by the rift between older, Central European sensibilities and a newer, less urbane and sometimes less forgiving perspective.

The Demon in the Embers

The Demon in the Embers

Julia Edwards (Queens' 1995)

If you know how the Great Fire of London starts, you can stop it from happening ... can't you?

Joe Hopkins has been visiting the Tower of London when he slips through time. He finds himself in a city which is dirty, dark and chaotic.

Relieved to be welcomed once more into Lucy's home, he is horrified to find the Great Plague has killed half her family. Worse still, another great danger looms, a danger only Joe can see.

The Falconer's Quarry

The Falconer's Quarry

Julia Edwards (Queens' 1995)

The key that unlocks Lucy's world has a dangerous power.

It's Easter Saturday, and Joe Hopkins is out riding with his brother. When his horse throws him off, he lands, quite literally, in Tudor England. Joe has learned about the Tudors at school. But if he thinks that will help him, he soon discovers that he knows both too little and too much. He doesn't realise that by giving Lucy his St. Christopher, he is putting her in danger. And when it is taken from her, he faces even greater peril to get it back.

Saving the Unicorn's Horn

Saving the Unicorn's Horn

Julia Edwards (Queens' 1995)

What can you do when your closest friend lives hundreds of years away?

Joe Hopkins is staying in York for October half-term. He hasn't seen Lucy since the beginning of September and he's really missing her. But when at last he slips through time again, he's alarmed to find himself in a different world altogether. This isn't Roman Britain. It's Jorvik, in the age of the Vikings.

The Leopard in the Golden Cage

The Leopard in the Golden Cage

Julia Edwards (Queens' 1995)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel back in time?

Joe Hopkins isn't expecting to go anywhere. It's the first day of the summer holidays and he's fed up. His dad has moved out, and he doesn't know what to do with himself for the next six weeks.

Slaves for the Isabella

Slaves for the Isabella

Julia Edwards (Queens' 1995)

What if freedom wasn't something you could take for granted? What if you had to fight for it?

If there's one thing Joe Hopkins knows better than anyone, it's that the past can be very uncomfortable. But life in wealthy Georgian Bristol seems surprisingly civilized. Lucy's house is light and airy, and there are sandwiches and tea with sugar.

He soon discovers, however, that this civility is only skin deep: Lucy's family is shockingly involved in slavery.

El resorte de la conflictividad en Bolivia: Dinámicas, riesgos y transformaciones, 2000-2008

El resorte de la conflictividad en Bolivia: Dinámicas, riesgos y transformaciones, 2000-2008

Cinthya Nicole Jordan Prudencio (Trinity Hall 2016)

Between 2000 and 2008 in Bolivia, numerous and violent social conflicts, with deep historical roots took over the national stage. People belonging to different sectors and socioeconomic backgrounds united their protests and redirected them to complain about the government’s performance and policies. They demanded more inclusion in decision-making processes regarding the management of natural resources and the distribution of revenues.

The Stormy Present

The Stormy Present

Adam Smith (Sidney Sussex 1995)

In this engaging and nuanced political history of Northern communities in the Civil War era, Adam I. P. Smith offers a new interpretation of the familiar story of the path to war and ultimate victory. Smith looks beyond the political divisions between abolitionist Republicans and Copperhead Democrats to consider the everyday conservatism that characterized the majority of Northern voters. A sense of ongoing crisis in these Northern states created anxiety and instability, which manifested in a range of social and political tensions in individual communities.

Start to Exit: How to maximize the value in your start-up

Start to Exit: How to maximize the value in your start-up

Adrian Burden (Churchill College 1989)

For anyone looking to build a business ready for sale or merger, Dr Adrian Burden gives a clear and comprehensive guide of what actions to take based on the experience of his own company’s multimillion pound exit after 2½ years and on his work with hundreds of other ventures.

Step by step, he discusses how you can put in place the policies, strategies, systems, processes and tools to satisfy investors when they are sizing you up and deciding what funds to commit.

The Christmas Adventure

The Christmas Adventure

Laura Robson Brown (Murray Edwards 1990)

The Christmas Adventure is the latest addition to the Fitz and Will series (published October 2015). It’s Christmas Eve in Cambridge and the cats are off on a festive adventure, which brings them to King’s College. Mayhem is caused at the famous carol service, before Fitz and Will find themselves on a magical sleigh ride home.

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