Oxbridge reading list
“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall”
Roald Dahl
As the holiday season approaches, we have compiled a reading list for prospective Oxbridge and top UK university applicants. Compiled by our subject specialists, 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. Smith
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 & Linguistics
“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