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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 showing a brown and gold landscape scene, with a sun and a river

The Lost Way to the Good: Dionysian Platonism, Shin Buddhism, and the Shared Quest to Reconnect a Divided World

Thomas Plant (Selwyn 2008)

The West has lost its way. But which way was it? Disoriented by postmodern relativism and critical theory, many seek refuge in older certainties of religious or political traditions. But many of these paths, author Thomas Plant maintains, are only recent forks off a wider, older road—a way that belongs as much to the East as to the West, and can unite Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and more in pursuit of the truly common Good.

Front cover showing one tree full of leaves, and one with bare branches

Walking Through The Four Seasons

Eugene Stelzig (King's 1966)

This, my third published volume of poetry (126 pages), subtitled An Impromptu Poetry Journal, is an experiment in which I took up the challenge of writing poems every few days about my walks in the countryside of Western New York over the course of an entire year, to comprehend and complete the full circle or cycle of the seasons. What this collection seeks to trace is the geography of a reflective mind in touch with the natural world and itself.

Front cover showing a painting of a battle scene, one man brandishing a gun and another holding a French flag

The Personality of Paris: Landscape and Society in the Long Nineteenth-Century

Alan Baker (Emmanuel 1988)

What was the personality of 19th-century Paris? To answer that question, Alan - who has lived in Queen Edith's for 43 years and was one of its city councillors from 2002 to 2010 - starts with the legacies that late 18th-century Paris inherited from its foundation in pre-Roman and Roman times and from its medieval infancy and early-modern adolescence. His book unpacks the social and material complexity of the 19th-century city. It considers the role of immigration in the making of Parisians and in the city's growth from half a million people in 1801 to almost three million in 1911.

Front cover depicting a silhouette of Napoleon on a quarter of a watch face, in sepia

Needing Napoleon

Gareth Williams (Queens' 1984)

Needing Napoleon is a remarkably original feat of imagination: an irresistible adventure that spirits the reader from present-day Paris to the battle of Waterloo and beyond. Can you change what has already happened? As a history teacher, Richard Davey knows the answer. At least, he thinks he does. On holiday in Paris, he stumbles across a curious antiques shop. The eccentric owner reveals a secret Richard dares not believe. Richard's conviction that Napoleon Bonaparte should have won the Battle of Waterloo could be put to the test.

Front cover showing four wooden blocks on a blue background. On the blocks are written class, race, sex and age.

The Identity Myth

David Swift (Girton 2006)

Karl Marx outlined the idea of a material ‘base’ and politico-cultural ‘superstructure’. According to this formula, a material reality – wealth, income, occupation – determined your politics, leisure habits, tastes, and how you made sense of the world. Today, the importance of material deprivation, in terms of threats to life, health and prosperity, are as acute as ever. But the identities apparently generated by these realities are increasingly detached from material circumstances.

A man and a woman dressed in workout clothes embrace and flex their biceps, in front of a sofa where two grey people languish

Get off the Couch Before It's Too Late - All the Whys and Wherefores of Exercise

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

The Greeks: A Global History

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

Science, Music, and Mathematics

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

The Dictator's Wife

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

Labour & Christianity in the Mission: African Workers in Tanganyika and Zanzibar, 1864-1926

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

Managing Medical Authority

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

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.

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