Alumni in Print

The Apple: A Delicious History

The Apple: A Delicious History by Sally Coulthard (1994 Archaeology and Anthropology) takes its readers on a complete tour of the 10,000-year-long story of the world’s most symbolic fruit. Spanning not only culinary, horticultural, social, and commercial history, Sally’s far-reaching investigation into the apple also explores its deep traditions in mythology, folklore, and religion. Paired with delicious apple recipes and the stories behind them, readers of The Apple: A Delicious History will journey from the apple’s humble beginnings in the Tian Shan mountains, to its erotically charged symbolism in Greek myth, the first new cultivated apple variety in the 1600s, and the explosion of 21st-century apple growing. The perfect book for nature enthusiasts, gardeners, and apple enjoyers alike.

A Practical Guide to Autism

A Practical Guide to Autism: Support for Parents and Carers by Dr Andy Evans (1980 Engineering Science) provides practical advice for parents and carers who look after an autistic child or young person. Without the right support, caring for autistic children or young people can feel overwhelming or isolating, due to the unique challenges that come with it. Through this book’s illustrations, accessible terminology overview, comprehensive guidance on a carer’s role, and helpful lessons taken from Andy’s personal experience and others’ lived experiences, Andy advises his readers on making the best decisions for themselves and the person they care for, while looking after the welfare of both.

Jumping into Jeopardy

Jumping into Jeopardy by Chris Haslam (1970 Modern Languages) is an encompassing exploration into the psychological and physical challenges that jump jockeys come face to face with. Curated from over nine years of research, Chris brings to life and weaves together the stories of notable jump racers, shedding light on the numerous risks involved in the sport. From the dangers of riding at speed over obstacles to the risk of serious injury, the long hours of travel, strict diets, and the looming threat of retirement at any moment, Jumping into Jeopardy outlines the stamina, total mental and physical dedication, patience, courage, self-awareness, consistency and luck that jockeys must have to succeed in such a gruelling sport.

The Blue Hour

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (1992 Philosophy, Politics and Economics) is a gripping thriller set on a Scottish island, home to only one inhabitant, which is connected to the mainland for only a few hours per day. The dynamic novel follows three individuals when it is discovered that a small bone at the centre of a famous sculpture is human, triggering an unravelling of the intertwined secrets and lies that connect them all. Author of the #1 New York Times bestselling novel The Girl on the Train, Paula masterfully immerses her readers into a world coloured by ambition, legacy, and perception.

The Wansbeck Railway

The Wansbeck Railway: Morpeth to Reedsmouth and on to Bellingham and Rothbury by Roger Jermy (1964 Zoology) is an exhaustive exploration into the history of Northumberland’s Wansbeck Railway or, as it is colloquially known, the ‘Wannie Line’. Containing 21 chapters, four appendices, and over 300 illustrations, Roger’s account of the Wannie Line is packed with every aspect of its rich past. Readers are transported through the railway’s early years, plans, and construction, as well as its diverse services—passenger and goods services, Royal trains, and special military trains, to name a few—and delving into every aspect of managing a line, from accidents, signalling, weather, and closure, to Wannie Line poetry and diary entries.

Positive Leaders, Positive Change

Positive Leaders, Positive Change by Graham Keen (1968 Engineering Science) discusses the psychological insights, evidence-based strategies, and techniques to improve wellbeing and profitability in leadership. It asks the questions, ‘How can one both protect profit and growth and protect the interaction between business and goals that value its people when in challenging times?’ and ‘How can corporate leaders not only survive but thrive when resilience is tested?’ To answer, Graham shares research and wisdom that promises the capacity for lasting change, stable organisational growth, advanced careers, boosted happiness, and power for transformation. A game-changing book for professional leaders looking to make a meaningful, positive difference.

Translation and Mysticism

Translation and Mysticism: The Rose and the Wherefore by Dr Philip Wilson (1977 Modern Languages) investigates how mystics and their translators are able to write about the indescribable, delving into how both translation and mysticism shed light on one another. Using a ‘Wittgensteinian’ approach to language, Philip addresses how mysticism can be used to conceptualise translation, the issues that mysticism raises for translation theory and practice, and how mystical texts have been and might be translated. This volume explores six case studies of translations in a range of languages to discuss these points, outlining connections between the art of rendering one text in another language and the art of the ineffable.