Oxbridge Reading List

Oxbridge Reading List

We have compiled a reading list for prospective Oxbridge and top UK university applicants. These books will challenge you intellectually, widen your knowledge of your intended course beyond what you may have learnt in the classroom and providing new ideas and analytical material for writing a compelling personal statement. They may also help you confirm whether your proposed subject is the right fit for you. See what piques your interest! This isn’t an exhaustive list, so if you want further or more tailored suggestions, just reach out to us.


Archaeology and Anthropology

  • “How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive” J. Diamond

  • “The Innocent Anthropologist” N. Barley

Architecture

  • “The Details of Modern Architecture” E.R. Ford

  • “An Outline of European Architecture” N. Pevsner

Biochemistry

  • “The Selfish Gene” R. Dawkins

  • “Why Chemical Reactions Happen” J. Keeler and P. Wothers

Biology

  • “Life at the Extremes” F. Ashcroft

  • “Why Elephants Have Big Ears: Understanding Patterns of Life on Earth” C. Lavers

Chemistry

  • “Why Chemical Reactions Happen” J. Keeler and P. Wothers

  • “The Periodic Table” P. Levi

Classics

  • “Classics: A Very Short Introduction” M. Beard and J. Henderson

  • “The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian” R. Lane Fox

Computer Science

  • “AI: Its Nature and Future” M. Boden

  • “Computer Science: An Overview” J. Glenn Brookshear

Economics / Economics and Management

  • “The Undercover Economist” T. Harford

  • “Free Lunch: Easily Digestible Economics” D. SmithComputer Science

Engineering

  • “Think Like an Engineer: Inside the Minds That are Changing Our Lives” G. Madhavan

  • “Engineering: A Beginner's Guide” N. McCarthy

English Literature

  • “A Short History of English Literature” R. Barnard

  • “The Palgrave Guide to English Literature and its Contexts 1500–2000” P. Widdowson


Geography

  • “The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, the Lost Hero of Science” A. Wulf

  • “The Shock of the Anthropocene” C. Bonneuil and J. Fressoz

History

  • “In Defence of History” R. Evans

  • “What is History Now?” D. Cannadine

History of Art

  • “The Story of Art” E.H. Gombrich

  • “A World History of Art” H. Honour, J. Fleming

Law

  • “What About Law?” C. Barnard, J. O'Sullivan, G. Virgo 

  • “Is Eating People Wrong? Great Legal Cases and How They Shaped the World” A. Hutchinson

Mathematics

  • “How to solve it” G. Polya

  • “Foundations of Science Mathematics” D. Sivia, S. Rawlings

Medicine

  • “The Logic of Life” J. Black, C. Boyd, D. Noble

  • “Oxford Textbook of Functional Anatomy” P. MacKinnon, J. Morris

Modern Languages

  • “The Language Instinct: How The Mind Creates Language” S. Pinker

  • “One Hundred Years of Solitude” G. García Márquez (Spanish)
    (Márquez’s Nobel Prize speech, “The Solitude of Latin America” is also well worth reading -
    here)

  • “The Plague” A. Camus (French)

Oriental Studies

  • “The Open Empire: A History of China to 1600” V. Hansen

  • “A New Introduction to Islam” D. Brown

PPE

  • “Democracy for Realists” C. Achen, L. Bartels

  • “Logic” W. Hodges

Philosophy

  • “Philosophy: the Basics” N. Warburton

  • “Think” S. Blackburn

Physics

  • “Understanding Physics” M. Mansfield, C. O’Sullivan

  • “Physics for Scientists and Engineers” P. Tipler, G. Mosca

Veterinary Science

  • “How To: Collected Articles from BSAVA Companion” M. Goodfellow

  • “Learning Medicine” P. Richards, S. Stockill, R. Foster, S. Ingall

 

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