Additional Reading

Sixth Form students are encouraged to engage in wider reading at Reigate Grammar School. Not only will this be beneficial to their A Level studies, but it is an important way of bridging the gap between the directed style of work at school with the more independent style of studying at university.

Below is a list of books, listed by subjects, that students have found interesting and helpful. Students should be encouragee to read at least one relevant book each term.

Mrs Julia Richards

Head of Sixth Form

Chemistry

Molecules at an exhibition John Emsley
The Periodic Kingdom Peter Atkins
Does anything eat wasps?
Mendeleevs Dream Paul Strathern
Before the fall-out Diana Preston

Classics

I, Claudius and Claudius the God Robert Graves
Rubicon Tom Holland
The Classical World Robin Lane Fox
Metamorphoses Ovid
The Twelve Caesars Suetonius
The Aeneid Virgil
The Secret History Donna Tartt
Odyssey and Iliad Homer
The Alexander Trilogy Mary Renault
A Brief Introduction to the Classics Mary Beard and Jonathon Henderson

Economics & Business Studies
Free Lunch David Smith
The World is Flat Thomas Friedman
Sex, Drugs and Economics Diane Coyle
The Armchair Economist Stephen Landsburg
Everlasting Lightbulbs John Kay

New Ideas from Dead Economists Martin Feldstein
Naked Economics Charles Wheelan
The undercover Economist Tim Harford
Freakeconomics Stephen Levitt

French

L’Etranger Albert Camus
La Gloire de mon Pere Marcel Pagnol
Bonjour Tristesse Francois Sagan
Madame Bovary (in translation) Gustave Flaubert
Short Stories in French Parallel texts edited by Richard Coward (Penguin)
It is essential that students watch French films - borrowed from the French Department library or local rental outlet.
Students should also read a French paper whenever possible - either using Internet sites or buying a paper when in London.

Geography

Dirt Music Tim Winton
A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali Gil Courtemanche
The Skeptical Environmentalist Bjorn Lomorg
No Logo Naomi Kleine
Two Degrees West Nicholas Crane
The log from The Sea of Cortez John Steinbeck
Thomas Cook The Holiday-Maker Jill Hamilton
Bill Bryson and Michael Palin have also written numerous travelogues which make for easy reading but give useful insights into the landscape and culture of other countries.

German
Karin Koenig Brecht
Duerrenmatt Brecht
Max Frisch Brecht
Erich-Maria Remarque Brecht
Heinrich Boell Brecht
Guenther Grass Brecht

History
The pursuit of History John Tosh
In defence of history Richard J Evens
What is history? E H Carr ~

For European History
Reflections on the revolution France 1790 E Burke
The Communist Manifesto Marx and Engels
The People’s Tragedy Orlando Figes
The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli

British History
Churchill A biography Roy Jenkins
A history of Britain Simon Schama
My heart is my own John Guy

US History
Rough Crossings Simon Schama

Novels
Wild Swans Three Daughters of China Jung Chang
To kill a mockingbird Harper Lee
Birdsong Sebastian Faulkes

Maths
Fermats Last Theorem, The Code Book and The Big Bang
Simon Singh
The Music of the Primes Marcus De Sauroy
Mathematical Puzzling, The Mathematical Olympiad Handbook 1965-1996
Anthony Gardiner
Anything by Dr Hugh Hunt of Cambridge University
Anything on the great mathematicians of history – Decartes, Gauss, Euler, Pythagoras and Newton.

Music
A History of Western Music Grout
Biographies of any two or three composers or musicians students have an interest in.

Philosophy & Ethics
Reading for non philosophers: Sophie’s World
The Philosophy Gym

For those already engaged therein:
Puzzle of God Peter Vardy
Puzzle of Ethics Peter Vardy
Puzzle of Evil Peter Vardy
Puzzle of Sex Peter Vardy
History of Western Philosophy or Wisdom of the West Bertrund Russell
Anything by Nigel Warburton

Politics
Blair Seldon
Thatcher and Sons Jenkins
Right Nation Micklethwait
Whats left – how liberals lost their way Cohen
After the Neo-cons Fukuyama
Speeches that changed the world Montefiore

The J Curve - Ian Bremmer

Spanish
Ghosts of Spain Giles Tremlett
The Battle for Spain Antony Beevor
Contemporary Spain Teresa Lawlor

Sport Studies
Applying psychology to sport Woods
Motor learning and performance Schmidt
Exercise physiology Clegg
Sport in society Coakley
Sport and the British Holt

Theatre Studies

Comedies by Shakespeare- especially Twelfth Night
The Empty Space Peter Brook
Playing Shakespeare John Barton
Advice to the Players Peter Hall
New Casebook Series on The Dream
Miss Julie Strindberg
The Father (1887) Strindberg
Ghosts (1881) Hedda Gabler
The Masterbuilder (1883) Hedda Gabler
The Maids Genet (1946)
The Three Sisters Chekhov
Any other plays by Albee
Any plays by Pinter
Waiting for Godot
Any plays by Beckett
Theatre of the Absurd – research into this genre
Any American Drama by O Neill, Williams, Miller or Mamet
Other People’s Shoes Harriet Walter
The Actor and The Target Declan Donnellan
On Directing edited by Mary Luckhurst
Through the Body Dymphna Callery
Is Shakespeare still our contemporary? Edited by John Elsom
The Actors’ Thesaurus Calderone Nick

Subjects on offer

A Level Subjects:
Art & Design
Biology
Business Studies
Chemistry
Classical Subjects
Economics
English Literature
French
Geography
German
History
Mathematics/Further Maths
Music
Music Technology
Philosophy & Ethics
Physics
Politics
Product Design
Spanish
Sport Studies
Theatre Studies

AS Level Subjects:
Electronics
ICT
Italian (GCSE/AS)