A-Z of Cambridge

The city of Cambridge is justly renowned for its world-famous university, but its history encompasses much more. Lying just south of the Fens in East Anglia it has been an important town in the region since the Middle Ages and today it is a rapidly growing centre for the most advanced high-tech industries.

A–Z of Cambridge is a readable yet factual alternative history of the city, revealing the stories behind Cambridge’s streets, buildings and people. It brings to life the centuries-old rivalry between town and gown, and tells the tale of how the city’s residents and its university population have shaped the Cambridge of the twenty-first century. All aspects of Cambridge’s history are included, from books, with one of Britain’s oldest chained libraries at Trinity Hall and Samuel Pepys’ original diary at his old college at Magdalene, to oysters, sold at the largest fair in medieval Europe, once held every year on Stourbridge Common. Famous residents have also left their mark, not least Sir Isaac Newton - apple trees in the city are said to be derived from the original tree under which the mathematician sat when he formulated his theory of gravity.

This quirky A–Z guide to the history of the city is fully illustrated with colour photography and will appeal to all those with an interest in Cambridge.