Books of the Year
A round-up of our most popular books in 2021 and a look-ahead at new titles coming this year
As we welcome in 2022, we look back to some of our most popular books last year as well as offering a glimpse of new books being published this year.
Most sought after in 2021
In addition to our top 2021 book choices, the following titles were the most sought out in our Cambridge Bookshop
located in the heart of Cambridge, UK, during the past year:
A User's Guide to Melancholy, by Mary Ann Lund
This guide to Robert Burton’s 1621 encyclopaedic masterpiece The Anatomy of Melancholy contributes to contemporary discussions about wellbeing and mental health.
Watch the author speak about the landmark Renaissance book on melancholy at our online event from March 2021.
Fighting the First Wave: Why the Coronavirus Was Tackled So Differently Across the Globe, by Peter Baldwin
This account of the global politics of the coronavirus pandemic uncovers the reasons why countries have responded very differently and some have clearly fared much better than others and shows nations’ responses depended on the political tools available.
Recipient of the prestigious 2021 Choice Outstanding Academic Title award.
The Chinese Communist Party: A Century in Ten Lives, edited by Timothy Cheek, Klaus Mühlhahn, & Hans van de Ven
Detailing the lives of ten people who led or engaged with the Chinese Communist Party, reflecting on its pursuit of power and adaptability since 1921 – this collection of essays also illuminates possible paths for China's future.
Leading authors, contributors and editors in the field spoke at our webinar on the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in July 2021.
A Philosopher Looks at Human Beings, by Michael Ruse
In this new series, a well-known thinker offers a personal and philosophical meditation on their chosen topic. The author offers a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion, drawing on Darwinism and existentialism to argue that only the view that the world is a machine does justice to our humanity.
The first interdisciplinary history of women's international thought goes over and analyses the ground-breaking work of 18 leading thinkers of international politics from the early to mid-twentieth century.
This thoughtful and compelling book tells the story of seven central economic misconceptions, explaining why believing in these leads to mistakes and loss while removing these from our thinking can help enable us to live in peace and prosperity.
The Cambridge Greek Lexicon is the first new dictionary of Ancient Greek in almost 200 years, based upon a complete review of source texts which took 23 years. Expressed in contemporary English, entries are organised according to meaning showing the developing senses of words and the relationships between those senses.
Nobel Life consists of original interviews with 24 Nobel Prize winners, each with a unique story to tell. Engaging and thought-provoking, this book provides an insight into life behind the laureates.
In this timely and essential book, Julian Cribb maps an empowering and hopeful way forward: to rid our planet of harmful human made toxins and return Earth to the clean, healthy condition which our forebears enjoyed, and our grandchildren should too.
A straightforward introduction to Einstein's general relativity theory, appealing to university students looking to improve their understanding of the principal concepts as well as science-literate readers seeking detail beyond a popular science treatment.
IGCSE science coursebooks
From our broad selection of schoolbooks and educational resources for students and teachers, our top three selling books in 2021 were:
Research from leading educational thinkers, expert authors and science teachers around the world underpins these resources for students learning science. Each chapter gives students a chance to reflect on their work, helping them become responsible, independent learners.
Teaching in Challenging Circumstances, by Chris Sowton
Winner of a Judges’ Commendation for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the British Council ELTons Awards for innovation in English language teaching 2021, this book supports teachers who are working with refugees or displaced people.
Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers: Pocket editions
Last year’s pocket editions included David Crystal’s 50 Questions About English Usage, in which Crystal answers questions from English language teachers globally. Herbert Puchta’s 101 Tips for Teaching Teenagers draws on the author’s experience to help teachers create positive classroom dynamics and guide teenage learners towards becoming mature and responsible adults.
Looking ahead
The following books are just some of the titles to look out for in the first half of 2022:
Black Legend, by Paulina L Alberto
Celebrities live their lives in constant dialogue with stories about them. Black Legend is the story of Raúl Grigera, an icon of Buenos Aires' bohemian nightlife in the 1900s who was unmade by defamatory storytellers. The gripping history exposes the destructive power of racial storytelling and narrates a new history of Black Argentina and Argentine Blackness across two centuries.
Dear John, by Susan L. Carruthers
Drawing on personal letters, oral histories and psychiatric reports, as well as popular music and movies, Susan L. Carruthers shows how the armed forces and civilian society have attempted to weaponise romantic love, from World War II to today. This compelling study will change the way we think about wartime relationships.
On Jazz, by Alyn Shipton
Award-winning writer and broadcaster, Alyn Shipton, recalls his life in jazz as a player, broadcaster and observer and his friendships with legendary musicians, revealing fresh discoveries about luminaries such as Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Abbey Lincoln and Geri Allen.
The Cambridge Centenary Ulysses, edited by Catherine Flynn
This new edition helps readers understand the pleasures of James Joyce's Ulysses and grapple with its challenges. It includes Joyce’s own errors as well as references to amendments made in later editions. Introduced by a leading Joyce scholar, each chapter discusses the novel’s plot and allusions, while also explaining crucial questions that have puzzled and tantalised readers.
25 Million Sparks, by Andrew Leon Hanna
25 Million Sparks is a tale of power, determination and dignity. It takes readers inside the Za’atari refugee camp to meet three courageous Syrian women entrepreneurs: Yasmina, a wedding shop and salon owner creating moments of celebration in Za’atari; Malak, a young artist infusing colour and beauty in her adoptive community; and Asma, a social entrepreneur with a storytelling initiative enriching children’s lives throughout the camp.
-
What’s on your reading list for 2022? Join the conversation by tweeting us at @CambPressAssess
-
Browse our trade catalogue to see the full list of our forthcoming publications.
