Alumni Services

May 2019

Our bookshelf is packed with alumni-penned literature spanning a variety of subjects and disciplines.

1.

Author Anne Andrew
Degree

Geological Sciences

Book

What They Don’t Teach in Prenatal Class

Anne Andrew wrote this book because of her experience as the mother of a troubled teenager. In seeking a way to help her daughter, she learned valuable insights she wished she’d known when her children were still young. 'What They Don’t Teach in Prenatal Class' is for parents of children of any age, but particularly for those who worry about a family history of depression or addiction.

Many people think that nurturing a child’s self-esteem is the answer. However, Anne discovered that the crucial message we must get across to children is that they are inherently worthy as human beings. Self-esteem is easily lost, but our Inherent Worth (IW) never changes. This concept is not only the key to happiness, it is also the key to prevention and to recovery.

You need to know that the negative beliefs that drive our behavior and our children’s behavior, and which can lead to addiction, get started in early childhood. While you can’t prevent your children from taking on these beliefs, you can help to counter them when they do.

 When you read this insightful parenting guide, you will learn how to:

  • Understand your child’s behavior and how it can be changed.
  • Apply the Choose Again Six-Step Process to turn off your hot buttons and deescalate conflict.
  • Improve communication and banish blame.
  • Strengthen your relationships (not just with your children).
  • Gain a new perspective on your role as a parent.

'What They Don’t Teach in Prenatal Class' also offers practical strategies that will help raise a kinder, happier, generation.

What They Don’t Teach in Prenatal Class

2.

Author

Kathy Blackwell and David Blackwell

Degree Music
Book

Piano Star Theory

Piano Star Theory is an activity book for young players in the early stages of learning the piano. Packed full of engaging exercises and games, it can be used alongside any beginner piano tutor to help develop a student’s understanding of musical notation. The imaginative activities link to practical music-making, building aural awareness and boosting the confidence of young musicians.

Key features:

  • Written and practical theory activities, covering the note values, rests, pitches, time signatures and other symbols most commonly found in beginner piano tutors.
  • Short, specially written pieces which can be sung, clapped or played.
  • Quizzes, puzzles and a Piano Star Theory board game.
  • Colourful illustrations and fun stickers.
  • The perfect companion to the Piano Star beginner repertoire books.

Piano Star Theory

Kathy and David's website

David's choral and organ music website

3.

Author Adam Cumming
Degree Chemistry, PhD, Honorary Professor
Book

Energetic Materials and Munitions

Provides a hands-on approach to demilitarization and environmental aspects of energetic materials and munitions This book gives an overview of the environmental impact of the production, use, and cleanup of energetic materials and munitions. It provides scientists, engineers, environmental specialists, and users with the understanding of environmental issues for munitions and of the ways to improve design and manage potential risks. It covers the various aspects of how chemical properties influence fate, transport, and toxicity of new formulations and prescribes tools for reducing or alleviating environmental risks. In addition, it discusses pyrotechnics and the problem of dealing with munitions underwater. Chapters in Energetic Materials and Munitions: Life Cycle Management, Environmental Impact and Demilitarization look at demilitarization in general, as well as in the future. Topics covered include logistics, costs, and management; life cycle analysis and management; and greener munitions. Another introduces readers to the "One Health" approach in the design of sustainable munition compounds. Following that, readers are taught about land assessment for munitions-related contamination in military live-fire training. The book also examines the development and integration of environmental, safety, and occupational health information.

  • Brings together in one source expertise and in-depth information on the current and future state of how we handle the production, use, and demilitarization of explosives and weaponry
  • A handy reference for experienced practitioners, as well as for training young professionals in the field
  • Every chapter contains real-life examples and proposes future directions for the field

Energetic Materials and Munitions: Life Cycle Management, Environmental Impact and Demilitarization is an important book for explosives specialists, pyrotechnicians, materials scientists, military authorities, safety officers, health officers, and chemical engineers.

Energetic Materials and Munitions

4.

Author Andrew Monaghan
Degree History
Book

Dealing with the Russians

How to handle Russia? This question has become ever more prominent as the Euro-Atlantic community’s relations with Russia languish in deep in systemic crisis, with dialogue suspended, reciprocal sanctions in place and proxy wars raging. The wars in Ukraine and Syria, accusations of Russian interference in domestic politics and the attempted assassination of the Skripals on UK soil have all contributed to soaring tension in the relationship.

Yet faced with this array of serious challenges, Euro-Atlantic thinking about Russia remains stuck in twentieth-century rhetoric, trapped by misleading abstract labels and unsure whether to engage Moscow in dialogue or enhance deterrence and collective defence. Instead of thinking in these terms, leading Russia expert Andrew Monaghan argues that we must devise a new grand strategy for dealing with the Russians. Examining the ongoing Euro-Atlantic debate over Russia and framing Moscow’s own position towards the West, he sets out the foundations of a forward-looking strategy; one that can accommodate the many complex challenges presented by this new era of competition between Russia, Europe and the United States.

Dealing with the Russians

5.

Author

Robin Moore

Degree MA, BCom
Book

Singing for Arthur

This book is devoted to Arthur Oldham, one of the greatest English chorus masters in the second half of the twentieth century. It is written from the point of view of a chorister who had the privilege of singing symphonic choral music under Oldham’s direction, first as a member of the LSO Chorus from 1969 to 1974 and then the Edinburgh Festival Chorus from 1974 to 1977. The book describes how Arthur Oldham became a chorus master, and examines his approach and methods with regard to choral training. It looks at the origins and development of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and Oldham’s work with the LSO Chorus. Pre-eminent among the conductors he worked with are Carlo Maria Giulini and Colin Davis and the book examines his relationship with both. The list of legendary conductors he also worked with includes Bernstein, Stokowski, Kertesz, Previn, Abbado and Barenboim. To that list two composer-conductors, Britten and Tippett need to be added, and particularly the former as Arthur was Britten’s only composition pupil. The book looks at and compares the differing interpretative approaches to the choral masterworks of these conductors and reviews the critical reaction to the resulting concerts and recordings. It also chronicles the stresses and satisfactions of an amateur chorister who has to hold down a demanding job while singing symphonic choral music at the highest level with major orchestras under the leading maestros of the day. 

Singing for Arthur

6.

Author

David F. Noble

Degree PhD Divinity
Book

Correct Your Own English: How to Use Better and Fewer Words in Your Writing and Speaking

This Kindle ebook is not about grammar or punctuation but words: better words (for good usage), fewer words (to overcome wordiness), and redundancies (to help students share the fun of spotting and correcting redundant expressions in writing and speaking). The book comments on common mistakes in English collected over thirty-five years from the writing of undergraduate and graduate university students, business communications students, technical writing students, and authors submitting book manuscripts for publication.

As an ebook, this short volume is downloadable to many different electronic devices (cell phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and so on). What makes this ebook especially handy is that the table of contents is interactive for on-the-spot advice or corrections. That is, if you click any listing in the complete table of contents, you jump immediately to where that item is discussed in the ebook.

Correct Your Own English: How to Use Better and Fewer Words in Your Writing and Speaking

7.

Author

Sean Michael Wilson

Degree MA Scottish Ethnology & Scottish Historical Studies; PhD Arts
Book The Many Not the Few

Illustrated by Robert S Brown Consultant on union history, Doug Nicolls, ​General Secretary of the GFTU. With a foreword by Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party. ​ With a mix of serious research and family jokes old union rep, Joe, and his granddaughter, Arushi, go into the complicated history, the ideological battles, the class conflict, a consideration of what unions are for, and what the future of unions may be. Starting way back with the 14th-century Peasants' Revolt, taking in the Levellers and the Luddites, the expansion of the unions in the 19th century, the height of their power in the '70s, the great conflicts and decline of the '80s, and considering the future positive role for unions.

The Many Not the Few

Your book

If you are a member of the alumni community and have recently published a book, we would be delighted to include it in the Alumni Bookshelf. Email the information, along with your degree details, to Brian Campbell:

Email Brian Campbell

Please note

Books are added to the bookshelf in order of submission. All of the further information links listed are the external websites of the book publisher, the author, or the bookseller. The University of Edinburgh is not responsible for the content and functionality of these sites.