2021 may be over, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sit back, relax, and look back at some of our publishing highlights of the past year!

Which books and Elements were you reading in 2021? What articles were being talked about on Twitter? Welcome to our 2021 content roundup!

Trending research on Social

The original Stonehenge? A dismantled stone circle in the Preseli Hills of west Wales
Published in Antiquity
Mike Parker Pearson, Josh Pollard, Colin Richards, Kate Welham, et al.

Wave-riding and wave-passing by ducklings in formation swimming
Published in Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Zhi-Ming Yuan, Minglu Chen, Laibing Jia, Chunyan Ji, Atilla Incecik  

Intelligence quotient decline following frequent or dependent cannabis use in youth: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies
Published in Psychological Medicine
Emmet Power, Sophie Sabherwal, Colm Healy, Aisling O’ Neill, David Cotter, Mary Cannon  

 

COVID-19 pandemic as a risk factor for the reactivation of herpes viruses
Published in Epidemiology & Infection
M. D. Maldonado, J. Romero-Aibar, M. A. Pérez-San-Gregorio    

Mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: longitudinal analyses of adults in the UK COVID-19 Mental Health & Wellbeing study BJPsych
Rory C. O’Connor, Karen Wetherall, Seonaid Cleare, Heather McClelland, et al.

   *Source Altmeric

Popular Books in 2021

The Impossible Office by Anthony Seldon 

Marking the third centenary of the office of Prime Minister, this book explains how and why it has endured longer than any other democratic political office. Sir Anthony Seldon, historian of Number 10 Downing Street, explores the lives and careers of our great Prime Ministers, discussing which have been most effective and why.

‘…an intelligent and insightful account of the evolution of the role.’ – Andrew Rawnsley, The Observer (Book of the Week) 

A Tattoo on My Brain by Daniel Gibbs 

An engaging and optimistic account of a neurologist’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease, a condition he treated in many of his patients during his twenty-five year career. Combining his clinical knowledge and personal experience, Dr Daniel Gibbs convincingly advocates for further research into the often pre-symptomatic stages of Alzheimer’s.

‘… profoundly moving … his memoir is a symbol of resistance that has muted the conversation about Alzheimer’s among patient and doctors, family members and as a society.’ Alex Merrick, The Bookbag

After the Virus by Hilary Cooper and Simon Szreter 

After the Virus is a provocative manifesto for change post-COVID-19. Shining a light on the deep fractures in our society, Hilary Cooper and Simon Szreter reveal why the UK was unable to respond effectively to the pandemic and what we can learn from our own history to forge a fairer, more resilient future.

‘… original and compelling.’ – Will Hutton, The Observer 

Romanticism: 100 poems, Edited by Michael Ferber 

Choosing one hundred poems from what many consider to be the greatest era of poetry is no small feat. Michael Ferber’s refreshing collection includes seminal Romantic poems alongside lesser-known gems. Embodying the urgent international contexts of the Romantic movement, this transatlantic anthology features poetry translated from six languages.  

‘I must warn that this marvellous collection of both well-known and neglected poems is liable to make the reader fall in love with poetry.’ Charles Simic, Pullitzer Prize Winner and former Poet Laureate of the United States 

Most-read Elements in 2021

The most-read Elements based on HTML views and downloads on Cambridge Core in 2021:

Bilingual Development in Childhood
Annick De Houwer

Language Teacher Educator Identity
Gary Barkhuizen

Foundations of Quantum Mechanics
Emily Adlam


Power in Ideas
Kirsten Adams and Daniel Kreiss

The Statues of Constantinople
Albrecht Berger