A full listing of my books is available in my cv. You can preview them at Google. Most are available for purchase at Amazon and ebooks. A sample:

Insurrection (2024)
This highly readable study will appeal to anyone seeking to make sense of the uprising that forever changed modern American politics. A concise and incisive look at a democracy in peril.
Kirkus Review


a well-written, well-structured, interesting, and informative tour d’horizon. He ranges from the increasing lack of trust in government, flaws in the electoral system, weaknesses in the constitution and the growing influence of conspiracy theories to the impact of demographic change, globalisation, deindustrialisation and social and cultural change on the political landscape of the United States. Not only based on an extensive range of sources he also puts most of his key points into their historical context…Professor Short provides a clear and detailed description of the shocking events that took place…well worthwhile reading this book
The Arbuturian

Thoughtful study of the polarisation in the United States that led to the attack on Congress.
The Independent 

 Provides a 'profound' analysis of the facts underlying the invasion of Washington's Capitol on January 6th 2021, offering a deeper context for understanding the uprising, and examining conspiracy theories and the politics of outrage.
The Bookseller

 It is written in an entertaining manner which means that it should appeal to a wider audience than many political, academic books might…. an insightful read… this is a well-written, engaging book about a time that all of us should be trying our hardest to understand.
Bookmuch 

 The author explores the deep flaws in US democracy that spawned the Trumpian virus in a swamp of racial and demographic division and resurgent ethno-nationalism, but also the peculiar ego of the individual who has exploited them.... offers a searing analysis of the long and short-term factors that put a demagogue in the White House and culminated in a near fatal challenge to US democracy.
Morning Star 

 
The Rise and Fall of the National Atlas in the Twentieth Century (2022)
A highly significant work not only for cartographic studies but also for historians of nationalism. Properly wide-ranging and clearly argued, this important work deserves much attention.
Jeremy Black, author of Maps and History. 

An incredibly accessible book...the perfect read for anyone interest in cartography, atlases, maps and student of globalization sovereignty and the nation-state.
HistorywithJackson

The book is an engaging discussion of the history and the histories of national atlases around the world. By using abundant visual material, the author delivers a cartographic tour-de-force to point out connections between nation-state, territory, and maps in the twentieth century.
Jorn Seemann, Professor of Geography, Ball State University, USA.

This compelling new history shows how nations used the power of maps to advance their interests. Short’s wide-ranging survey spans the globe in an era of rising and falling empires, global warfare, and expanding economies. It reveals how modernizing states pictured themselves to the world with cartography.
Dr. S. Max Edelson, Department of History, University of Virginia, USA.

In this path-breaking, clearly written and altogether delightful read, John Rennie Short utilizes a critical-theory approach to address the production and content of national atlases as instruments of statecraft—interrogating ‘connections between nation-state, science, territory and power’…always engaging, Short provides what I personally hope will become a provocative statement on national atlases. May this first-attempt to grapple comprehensively with the immensity of this particular form of cartographic statecraft spur new interest in their production and an entirely new body of research about them.
Imago Mundi 

 Short explores how various aspects of national atlases—from the classic representation of physical space to the more recent theme of biopolitics—help show what the governing bodies of those nations felt was important about their citizens. His discussions of the significant roles that atlases play in nations' identities and what national atlases show about the state of the world at particular historical moments are especially interesting. It makes effective use of illustrations to explain various aspects of national atlases and is overall logically organized and readable. An excellent introduction to national atlases and their place in history. Highly recommended.
 Choice

 The book clearly delivers a review of how cartography has been used to show how states see themselves in the world. The author to his credit does an excellent job.
The Portolan

a close reading of national atlases produced over the twentieth century from over 40 nations, including multiple editions for several of the countries. To present a balanced perspective, the author selected national atlases from countries that ranged from quite rich to relatively poor. The author was also careful to select national atlases from both capitalist and communist countries in the review.... includes plenty of history and insights covering politics and social history of the twentieth century. Throughout the text, the author has included many colour illustrations from the pages of atlases being discussed. I highly recommend this book as a fine addition to any academic library collection focused on cartography and world political history.
ACMLA Bulletin

 

Hosting The Olympic Games (2018)
If you want to study the impact of the Olympic Games on the host city, this book is a good choice. The book reveals the true cost of hosting these large-scale sports events to the city in an easy-to-understand way. It reveals the financing of the Olympics, reviews existing research on evaluating costs and benefits, and draws on the experience of case studies from the summer and winter Olympics over the past 40 years to assess the short- and long-term urban heritage of the host city. At the same time, the book provides an in-depth critical analysis of the franchise model of the International Olympic Committee and provides another vision model for the future Olympic Games. https://min.news/en/sport/125cf17f856f574d6d363a111569763c.html

John R. Short is another scholar who has been blowing the whistle on the hidden costs of Olympic Games, especially for host cities, for many years. In this recent release, written for a popular audience, he provides some history of the Games, but, more importantly, a step-by-step breakdown of why the Olympics costs cities much more than the IOC or bidding committees would like you to believe.
https://shepherd.com/best-books/the-olympics-that-the-ioc-doesnt-want-you-to-know

 
A Research Agenda for Cities (2017)
This edited collection seizes upon what its editor calls “the urban moment”, to address some of the most pressing issues affecting cities worldwide…the aim is to give the flavour of contemporary debates in urban studies, which show the range of ways that the modern city can be analysed. What these diverse chapters share is a concern with exclusion and power relations – interrogating who loses and who gains from urban changes and ways of conceptualizing those changes…Together, these chapters show how contested urban change is…or should be.
Enviroment and Urbanization

 A timely and topical book that explores the current century of the city …provides a series of theoretically informed and empirically driven example of the urban moment in action…highly accessible… richness of this volume.
Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal

Recommended
Choice