Publishing with Purpose
Textbooks
Education is at the heart of our mission to make a difference. Our goal is to support students’ learning with materials that foster understanding, confidence and skills.
We have a diverse and growing programme of textbooks and learning resources that are designed for Social Science courses at university and college level. We take pride in publishing quality content at affordable prices, and we cater to a wide range of learning styles in print and digital formats.
All of our textbooks are available on e-inspection (order here, or use the links on the book pages).
Lecturers are welcome to request inspection copies for potential recommendation on their reading lists and for student and library purchase. In return, we just ask for feedback on the books’ suitability for teaching purposes, in order to help us develop our publishing. You can submit your feedback using our short survey here.
Take a look at our textbooks below or browse by subject.
In line with our commitment to sustainable practice and environmental responsibility, all our textbooks are available primarily on digital inspection for lecturers. A select number of our titles are available on print inspection. Please email bup-textbooks@bristol.ac.uk to enquire.
Already received your inspection copy?
We would value your feedback on your requested title(s) in order to improve our services. Please fill in our short survey here.
If you have any queries, or if you need to order a print inspection copy due to a sight or physical impairment, please email bup-textbooks@bristol.ac.uk.
*A limit of 3 inspection copies may be requested at any one time. A limit of 8 inspection copies may be supplied per person per year.
Understanding Family Meanings
A Reflective Text
Understanding Family Meanings provides an overview of the basic concepts and theories related to families using readings with questions and analysis to encourage reflection and learning. It focuses on family meanings as the key underpinnings for academic study and professional training.

GBP 24.99GBP 19.99 Add to basketGBP 24.99GBP 19.99
Understanding Global Social Policy
Written by a team of leading social policy analysts, this is the leading textbook in the field and provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of international actors and social policy formation in global context. It includes new chapters on global poverty and inequality, social protection, criminal justice and education.

GBP 22.99GBP 18.39 Add to basketGBP 75.00GBP 60.00 Add to basketGBP 23.99GBP 19.19 Add to basketGBP 23.99GBP 19.19
Understanding Health and Social Care
This engaging and accessible text, now in its third edition, provides a comprehensive introduction to health and social care. This new edition has been updated to cover recent developments, including the integrated care agenda, potential regional devolution and austerity.

GBP 22.99GBP 18.39 Add to basketGBP 80.00GBP 64.00 Add to basketGBP 22.99GBP 18.39 Add to basketGBP 22.99GBP 18.39
Understanding Health Policy
This fully updated edition of a bestselling book explores the processes and institutions that make health policy, examining what constitutes health policy, where power lies, and what changes could be made to improve the quality of health policy making.

GBP 23.99GBP 19.19 Add to basketGBP 70.00GBP 56.00 Add to basketGBP 23.99GBP 19.19 Add to basketGBP 23.99GBP 19.19
Understanding Housing Policy
Focusing on principles and theory and their application in the process of constructing housing policy, with boxed examples and case studies throughout, this fully revised 3rd edition addresses the range of socio-economic factors that have influenced UK housing policy in recent years.

GBP 25.99GBP 20.79 Add to basketGBP 75.00GBP 60.00 Add to basketGBP 25.99GBP 20.79GBP 25.99GBP 20.79 Add to basket
Understanding Human Need
This second edition of a widely-respected textbook is one of the few resources available to provide an overview of human need, as a key concept in the social sciences. Accessible and engaging, it models existing practical and theoretical approaches to human need while also proposing a radical alternative.

GBP 25.99GBP 20.79 Add to basketGBP 25.99GBP 20.79 Add to basket
Understanding immigration and refugee policy
Contradictions and continuities
The book provides an essential background to understanding debates surrounding immigration and refugee policy. It examines different theoretical approaches to immigration and explores links between immigration policy, welfare and social exclusion, as well as documenting migrants' experiences in negotiating and challenging these policies.

GBP 24.99GBP 19.99 Add to basketGBP 67.99GBP 54.39 Add to basket
Understanding inequality, poverty and wealth
Policies and prospects
This major textbook provides students with a critical understanding of poverty and social exclusion in relation to wealth, rather than as separate from it.

GBP 22.99GBP 18.39 Add to basketGBP 70.00GBP 56.00 Add to basketGBP 22.99GBP 18.39
Understanding Police Intelligence Work
This is the first textbook to offer a comprehensive and up-to-date account of police intelligence work based on current research, and to assess how intelligence may be used wisely and ethically to influence policing policy and practice.

GBP 20.99GBP 16.79 Add to basketGBP 70.00GBP 56.00 Add to basketGBP 20.99GBP 16.79 Add to basketGBP 20.99GBP 16.79
Understanding Research for Social Policy and Social Work (Second Edition)
Themes, Methods and Approaches

GBP 27.99GBP 22.39 Add to basketGBP 27.99GBP 22.39 Add to basketGBP 27.99GBP 22.39
Understanding social citizenship
Themes and perspectives for policy and practice
This updated edition of Understanding social citizenship provides an understanding of citizenship in relation to UK, EU and global welfare institutions. The second edition contains new topical sections on 'Cameron's Conservatism' and the EU and A8/10 migration in the UK.

GBP 22.99GBP 18.39 Add to basketGBP 22.99GBP 18.39 Add to basketGBP 22.99GBP 18.39
Understanding Social Security
Issues for Policy and Practice
The political and economic landscape of UK social security provision has changed significantly since the 2008 financial crisis. This fully revised, restructured and updated 3rd edition of a go-to text book covers all the key policy changes and their implications since the elections of 2010 and 2015.

GBP 29.99GBP 23.99 Add to basketGBP 29.99GBP 23.99GBP 29.99GBP 23.99 Add to basket