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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A man and a woman dressed in workout clothes embrace and flex their biceps, in front of a sofa where two grey people languish
Hugh Bethell (St John's 1960)

Like most of us, you probably know you need to keep fit – but just why is it so vital? And what sort of exercise should you be doing – how often, how hard and for how long? Perhaps you feel you are fit already – but how much exercise are you really taking? What are the consequences of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles?

Front cover depicting Greek mosaic of a man's eyes and half of face
Roderick Beaton (Peterhouse 1970)

The Greeks is the story of a culture that has contributed more than any other to the way we live now in the West. It is a story that travels the entire globe and four millennia, taking us from the archaeological treasures of the Bronze Age Aegean, myths of gods and heroes, to the politics of the European Union today. Here are the glories of the classical city-states of Athens and Sparta, the far-reaching conquests of Alexander the Great, the foundations of early Christianity, the thousand-year empire of the Byzantines, and the rediscoveries of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.

Front cover showing earth partially visible from the moon
McIntyre Michael Edgeworth (St John's 1963)

Professor Michael Edgeworth McIntyre is an eminent scientist who has also had a part-time career as a musician. From a lifetime's thinking, he offers this extraordinary synthesis exposing the deepest connections between science, music, and mathematics, while avoiding equations and technical jargon.

Front cover showing the silhouette of a woman with black hair, red lipstick and a red coat
Freya Berry (Trinity 2010)

My debut novel follows a captivating dictator's wife standing trial for her dead husband's crimes in post-communist eastern Europe, and the web of lies she weaves around the young female lawyer defending her.

Published as a lead launch by Headline Review as 'the most darkly gripping debut of the year'.

Book cover that shows African workers on a ladder, near a palm tree
Michelle Liebst (Trinity Hall 2013)

Important and broadening study of the way Africans engaged with missions, not as beneficiaries of humanitarian philanthropy, but as workers. The important role missions played as places of work has been underexplored, yet missionaries were some of the earliest Europeans who tried to control African labour. African mission workers' roles were not just religious and educational, as they were actively involved, not always voluntarily, in building and domestic work.

Front cover showing hands touching a medical tube in black and white
Daniel Menchik (Hughes Hall 2001)

Exploring how the authority of medicine is controlled, negotiated, and organized, Managing Medical Authority asks: How is knowledge shared throughout the profession? Who makes decisions when your heart malfunctions—physicians, hospital administrators, or private companies who sell pacemakers? How do physicians gain and keep their influence?

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

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