Massive congratulations to our alumni authors who have have had their books published.

Take a look at the latest books available from our alumni authors:

Harry Edmanson (BSc Archaeology with Forensic Science, 2013) has recently had his children’s picture book – The Diabetic Dinosaur – published, which he wrote and illustrated.

Tommy is a happy young dinosaur with not a care in the world. One day he begins to feel unwell, so his friend, Pterry, takes him to see the Witch Doctor. The Witch Doctor discovers that Tommy has Type 1 Diabetes and shows him how to test his blood sugar levels, take insulin and what to do when his blood sugars go too low. With the Witch Doctor’s help Tommy is able to go on to lead a normal and healthy life, while still having fun with his friends. Harry has Type 1 diabetes himself and through the telling of Tommy’s story, he hopes to help children of all ages come to terms with, and understand, this life changing but not necessarily limiting disease.

This book is available to purchase online.

Andrew Gaylor (Mathematics and Music, 1976) has published Practical Meal Planning for patients recovering from Head and Neck Cancer

In 2015 Andrew had major surgery and radiotherapy for a malignant tumour in his neck. This had a devastating impact on his ability to eat and drink and initially he survived on liquid nutrition drinks – even those had a bitter metallic taste due to his radiotherapy. Over the following years his ability to eat slowly improved, although he still has to plan his meals carefully. During his recovery he kept a record of what he could eat, thinking that it might be useful in the future which gradually developed into a meal planning book specifically to help head and neck cancer patients – and anyone who finds eating solid food difficult. The e-book was published by The Swallows, a national charity for head and neck cancer patients.

This book is available to view online.

Dr Todd Gray (PhD, 1988) has recently published Exeter’s Lost Buildings, Destruction from 1800 – 1899.

The book is a project of the Exeter Local History Society and Dr Todd Gray. It examines the widely-held premise that German bombs and Exeter City Council in the 1900s were responsible for the loss of the majority of the city’s heritage buildings. The research unveils a longer history in which cathedral authorities and Improvement officers deliberately destroyed hundreds of buildings in the 1800s. The use of previously unread documents and the unearthing of unknown images will alter long-held views. As Exeter’s historic buildings face new challenges in Post-Covid society, this research will help decision-makers in safeguarding architectural treasures.

This book is available to purchase online

Dr Rachel Trethewey (MA Victorian Studies, 2008 and PhD, 2013) has recently has her fifth non-fiction book – Mothers of the Mind – published.

This book focuses on the mother’s of Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie and Sylvia Plath and their profound influence on their daughter’s life, literature and feminism. Too often in the past these writers have been defined by their lovers but this book redresses the balance by charting the complex, often contradictory, bond between mother and daughter. It received the Lady Antonia Award for a biography of women or a woman from the Society of Authors.

This book is available to purchase online.