Penguin Life snaps up Foster's 'pioneering' book on light

Penguin Life has acquired the "pioneering" Light: The New Science of a Hidden Life Force by Oxford neuroscience professor and author Russell Foster.

Commissioning editor Jamie Birkett bought world rights from Rebecca Carter at her self-titled agency, slated for publication in spring 2026.

The synopsis reads: “Light will draw on decades of Foster’s research to consider how light makes and sustains all life on earth, affecting our moods, alertness, health and concept of time.

"Foster will show how our 24-hour society has increasingly become detached from natural light since the advent of artificial light sources, with dangerous consequences, arguing that we need to rethink how we incorporate light into our buildings, working patterns and daily routines to be healthier and happier.”

Penguin Life dubbed it a "pioneering book on how light affects human life".

Foster is professor of Circadian Neuroscience and director of the Sir Jules Thorn Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute and head of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford. Foster was recently appointed as the specialist adviser to a House of Lords select committee on light pollution and human health.

Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock and How It Can Revolutionize Your Sleep and Health (Penguin Life) was published by Penguin Life in May 2022 and became a Sunday Times bestseller in both hardback and paperback. It was a book of the year in the Times and Financial Times and rights have been sold in 12 territories, including North America.

Birkett said: “Like breathing or sleep, light is universal and critical to human existence, yet so often overlooked in the modern world. Russell’s book will recentre light as a force in our lives, illuminating the fascinating science of how light works and showing us how we can harness it for the better. He’s a true expert in his field and a brilliant communicator, so I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with him again.”

Foster said: “The impact of light on biology and human health has been a key focus of my research for more than 40 years, and I’m excited to write this new book on the critical role that light plays in our lives. Light made us and sustains us, and we need to understand how we can reconnect with this essential energy of life.”