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?

View the trailer

More gifts for the wine enthusiast:


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

View the trailer

More gifts for the nature lover:


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:


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:


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:


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: