John Martin Frederick Wright offers a lively account of Cambridge University in Alma Mater; Or, Seven Years at the University of Cambridge. Published anonymously in 1827, Wright's two-volume work captures the triumphs and tribulations of undergraduate life at Cambridge, based upon his own years as an aspiring mathematician at Trinity College. This second volume covers Wright's last two undergraduate years and experiences as a private tutor, together with copies of examinations and lists of scholarships available at all the colleges. Wright dedicated his career as a writer and private tutor to helping students succeed at university, and Alma Mater is designed to offer parents and aspiring students insight into the preparations, intellectual as well as financial, necessary for achievement. A spirited defence of Cambridge traditions in the face of broader educational reforms, Alma Mater also brings to life a period of intense intellectual activity in British mathematics.
