All books below and across our UC Press website are on sale this holiday season! Use code HOLIDAY30 at checkout to claim 30% off your purchase.
UC Press has gift recommendations for every type of reader. For the wine enthusiast, there’s Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud. Those who want to explore the history of Africa in its stunning visual beauty, check out Great Kingdoms of Africa. And the environmental activist in your life will love Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean.
We are pleased to present just some ideas for gifts for the readers in your life.
Holiday “Cheer” (by “cheer” we mean “wine”)
VINTAGE CRIME: A SHORT HISTORY OF WINE FRAUD by Rebecca Gibb
Vintage Crime will intrigue even the most sated of wine drinkers with its juicy tales of deception, raising interesting questions along the way: what counts as wine, why do we drink it, and what makes a wine truly authentic?
More gifts for the wine enthusiast:
- Notes on a Cellar-Book by George Saintsbury
- Imperial Wine: How the British Empire Made Wine’s New World by Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre
- The Goode Guide to Wine: A Manifesto of Sorts by Jamie Goode
- The Science of Wine: From Vine to Glass – 3rd edition by Jamie Goode
- Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs by Ian D’Agata
Celebrating and Protecting Our Home
SEA CHANGE: AN ATLAS OF ISLANDS IN A RISING OCEAN by Christina Gerhardt
Atlases are being redrawn as islands are disappearing. What does an island see when the sea rises? Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean weaves together essays, maps, art, and poetry to show us—and make us see—island nations in a warming world.
“You can island-hop just by flipping the page, and on every page you’ll encounter some scientific curiosity or historical factoid.”—Sierra Magazine
More gifts for the nature lover:
- Atlas of Yellowstone: Second Edition by W. Andrew Marcus, James E. Meacham, Ann W. Rodman, Alethea Y. Steingisser, and Justin T. Menke
- Vision of Nature: How Landscape Photography Shaped Settler Colonialism by Jarrod Hore
- Iconotypes: A Compendium of Butterflies and Moths
- The Accidental Ecosystem: People and Wildlife in American Cities by Peter S. Alagona
Remarkable and Rich Histories of Modern Culture
AMAZING GRACE: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF THE BELOVED HYMN by James Walvin
A fascinating journey through the history of “Amazing Grace,” one of the transatlantic world’s most popular hymns and a powerful anthem for humanity.
“[James Walvin’s] affection for his subject is contagious and his engagement comprehensive, and his account is full of fascinating detail.”—Wall Street Journal
Listen to our curated Spotify playlist of renditions of “Amazing Grace” referenced in the book.
More gifts for cultural history connoisseurs:
- Drag: A British History by Jacob Bloomfield
- Freedom Moves: Hip Hop Knowledges, Pedagogies, and Futures edited by H. Samy Alim, Jeff Chang, and Casey Wong
- License to Travel: A Cultural History of the Passport by Patrick Bixby
- Dictee: Restored Edition by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
Historic Collections
GREAT KINGDOMS OF AFRICA by John Parker
A groundbreaking, sweeping overview of the great kingdoms in African history and their legacies, written by world-leading experts. This groundbreaking book offers an innovative and thought-provoking overview that takes us from ancient Egypt and Nubia to the Zulu Kingdom almost two thousand years later.
“Illustrated with fantastic images of artifacts and landscapes, Great Kingdoms of Africa enlightens readers on the rich history of the continent before the brief period of European colonisation.”—Geographical
More gifts of beautifully packaged books:
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: The Authoritative Text with Original Illustrations by Mark Twain
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: The Authoritative Text with Original Illustrations by Mark Twain
- The Iliad and the Odyssey Boxed Set by Homer, translated by Peter Green
- Infinite Cities: A Trilogy of Atlases—San Francisco, New Orleans, New York by Rebecca Solnit, Joshua Jelly-Schpiro, and Rebecca Snedeker
Amazing Lives, Historical Impacts
BECOMING THE EX-WIFE: THE UNCONVENTIONAL LIFE AND FORGOTTEN WRITINGS OF URSULA PARROTT by Marsha Gordon
Credited with popularizing the label “ex-wife” in 1929, Ursula Parrott wrote provocatively about divorcées, career women, single mothers, work-life balance, and a host of new challenges facing modern women.
“Makes an excellent case for Parrott as an unjustly forgotten historical figure.”—The New Yorker
“Remind[s] us of the brazenly talented women sidelined by convention.”—New York Times
Watch author Marsha Gordon previewing her book.
More gifts exploring historical lives:
- Mirror in the Sky: The Life and Music of Stevie Nicks by Simon Morrison
- Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies by Lara Gabrielle
- Slow Cooked: An Unexpected Life in Food Politics by Marion Nestle
- Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amanda L. Tyler
Connecting a World of Languages and Literatures
THE BOOK OF YOKAI: MYSTERIOUS CREATURES OF JAPANESE FOLKLORE by Michael Dylan Foster
A lively excursion into Japanese folklore and its ever-expanding influence on global popular culture through the concept of yokai.
“Seen this way, even the most horrific yokai seems beautiful.”—Times Literary Supplement
“Foster . . . analyses and catalogues hundreds of yokai and tells many stories . . . enhanced by witty illustrations by Shinonome Kijin . . . A fascinating and charming compendium.”—Literary Review
More gifts exploring rich literary traditions:
- Ovid’s Metamorphoses: A New Translation by Ovid, translated by C. Luke Soucy (part of the World Literature in Translation Collection)
- Tales of Merlin, Arthur, and the Magic Arts: From the Welsh Chronicle of the Six Ages of the World by Elis Gruffydd, translated by Patrick Ford (part of the World Literature in Translation Collection)
- Greek Poems to the Gods: Hymns from Homer to Proclus by Barry B Powell
- Deciphering Aztec Hieroglyphs: A Guide to Nahuatl Writing by Gordon Whittaker
