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.

£24.99£19.99 Add to basket£24.99£19.99
Understanding equal opportunities and diversity
The social differentiations and intersections of inequality
This book challenges the official discourse that shapes the debates on Equal Opportunities and Diversity (EO&D) at national, regional and European level and will be a key text for students and researchers of EO&D in many fields.

£24.99£19.99 Add to basket£24.99£19.99£24.99£19.99 Add to basket
Understanding Disability Policy
Understanding disability policy explores the roles of social security, social support, poverty, socio-economic status, community safety, official discourses and spatial change in shaping disabled people's opportunities.

£24.99£19.99 Add to basket£75.00£60.00 Add to basket£24.99£19.99 Add to basket£24.99£19.99
Understanding Crime and Social Policy
Understanding crime and social policy encourages readers to reflect upon the close connections, and sometimes tensions, between crime reduction and social policy agendas.

£24.99£19.99 Add to basket£75.00£60.00 Add to basket£24.99£19.99 Add to basket£24.99£19.99
Understanding Community
Politics, Policy and Practice
This substantially revised edition of a highly topical text applies a critical approach to themes introduced in the first edition including economic development, heath and housing, and draws upon theory from Marx and Bourdieu to offer a clearer understanding of community in capitalist society.

£24.99£19.99 Add to basket£75.00£60.00 Add to basket£24.99£19.99 Add to basket£24.99£19.99
Understanding Childhood
A Cross Disciplinary Approach
Understanding childhood is a fresh look at how childhood has changed in recent years and reveals how children's needs and experiences have achieved a new visibility

£25.99£20.79 Add to basket£25.99£20.79 Add to basket£25.99£20.79
Understanding Brexit
A Concise Introduction

£19.99£15.99 Add to basket£60.00£48.00 Add to basket£19.99£15.99 Add to basket£19.99£15.99
Understanding agency
Social welfare and change
This textbook provides a straightforward introduction to the concept of agency and how it can usefully inform the practice of social welfare. Demonstrating a model of achievable change, it traces the origins of agency and explores the contributions of key thinkers from sociological and social policy perspectives.

£21.99£17.59 Add to basket£70.00£56.00 Add to basket£21.99£17.59
Understanding 'Race' and Ethnicity
Theory, History, Policy, Practice
This new edition of a widely-respected textbook examines welfare policy and racism, alongside institutional racism and community cohesion within a broad policy framework.

£25.99£20.79 Add to basket£75.00£60.00 Add to basket£25.99£20.79£25.99£20.79 Add to basket
Transforming society?
Social work and sociology
This book explores the sociological basis of contemporary society and shows how social workers experience tensions and contradictions in practice.

£21.99£17.59 Add to basket£21.99£17.59 Add to basket£21.99£17.59
Transforming Adult Social Care
Contemporary Policy and Practice
This wide-ranging book is one of the first texts to deal with adult social care as a distinct entity and is an up to date source on contemporary government policies, debates and research.

£24.99£19.99 Add to basket£75.00£60.00 Add to basket£24.99£19.99 Add to basket£24.99£19.99
Towards Ethical Policing
The fundamental role of police officers in society is under fresh scrutiny in this stimulating book on ethical policing. Through a moral philosophical lens, Wood provides an up-to-date overview of police values and their impact. It is a timely contribution to police debate and essential reading for those studying and leading the profession.

£21.99£17.59 Add to basket£70.00£56.00 Add to basket£21.99£17.59 Add to basket