Wherever you are in the world and whatever you’re interested in, our ‘Books of the month’ features a broad sample of recent releases authored by University of Liverpool staff. From architecture to business, photography to tourism, there’s something for everyone.
The University of Liverpool Library has curated a reading list for Books of the Month which is available and searchable for University of Liverpool staff and students. The newest titles are added at the top of the list for visibility, and further information can be found in the notes area.
If you are a member of staff and would like your new or recent (2023, 2024 & 2025) publication to be featured, please email the details to the Research Communications Team at rescomms@liverpool.ac.uk.
Collecting Stories: The cultural collections of the University of Liverpool
Author: Katy Hooper
Published: 2025
Collecting Stories introduces 52 striking items from the University of Liverpool’s heritage collections. Acquired over fifteen decades from the 1880s to the 2020s, they invite new research insights across academic disciplines and all levels of research engagement, from undergraduate to emeritus, to wider cultural partnerships in Liverpool and beyond.
Available to purchase from University of Liverpool Press with a 20% direct purchase discount.
Katy Hooper is Special Collections Librarian at the University of Liverpool.
Read more in the recent University of Liverpool news story.
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Translation and Multilingualism in Indian Francophone Writing
Author: Sheela Mahadevan
Published: 2025
This open-access book casts light on an understudied corpus of Indian Francophone literatures by writers originally from former French territories of India and from other regions of India, who also engage in processes of translation: Ari Gautier (Pondicherry), M.
Mukundan (Mahé), Manohar Rai Sardessai (Goa), Toru Dutt (Calcutta) and Shumona Sinha (Calcutta). By examining the range of ways in which these writers write between languages, Sheela Mahadevan advances theories of translation and literary multilingualism.
Moreover, the book demonstrates how the self-reflective process of translating Indian Francophone writing into English can be employed as a theoretical tool that unlocks fresh ways of conceptualizing literary multilingualism and translation.
Applying this methodology, the author explores the ways in which the linguistic framework and region of the readership of a text can determine the visibility and effects of literary multilingualism, and demonstrates how a text may consequently be interpreted as simultaneously monolingual and multilingual.
The book thereby also intervenes in debates about translation as research in Translation Studies. Ultimately, the book offers a more nuanced and alternative vision and understanding of the Indian literary landscape by exploring not only how and why Indian Francophone writers adopt French in their writing, but also by demonstrating how certain regional literary traditions of India have been significantly shaped by French literatures owing to processes of translation undertaken by these writers.
The author also advances existing research on Indian translation traditions, including the concept of ‘transcreation’ and the meaning of ‘originality’ in the Indian context.
Through the lens of Indian Francophone writing, the book explores the various factors which trigger the fluidity of boundaries between translation and creative writing that is commonplace in the Indian context. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.
Open access was funded by UKRI.
Sheela Mahadevan is Lecturer in French and Francophone Studies, in Languages, Cultures and Film, School of Histories, Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, at the University of Liverpool.
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Brief Histories: Ancient Egypt
Author: Campbell Price
Published: 2024
Journey back in time to explore one the most fascinating and influential periods of ancient history.
In this concise and incredibly readable short history, Egyptologist Dr Campbell Price asks us how we know so much about life in ancient Egypt, from the working lives of pyramid builders to the power of the Pharaoh. The book explores the complexities of the hieroglyphic writing system, the meanings behind the ritual of mummification, and the functions of Egyptian art. What was the legacy of famous pharaohs like Tutankhamun and Queen Cleopatra, and how does the colonial nature of archaeology shape our understanding of ancient Egypt.
Brief Histories answers the most popular on ancient Egypt with some new perspectives on this fascinating civilisation.
Campbell Price graduated with a BA, MA and PhD in Egyptology from the University of Liverpool. His PhD dissertation examined the role of non-royal statues in temple spaces, focusing on material from the Karnak Cachette.
Campbell is Curator of Egypt and Sudan at the Manchester Museum, University of Manchester – one of the UK’s most significant Egyptology collections.