|
The Oxford Book of Oxford (Oxford paperbacks) | 
 enlarge | Creator: Jan Morris
Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
Category: Book
Buy Used: $3.52
New (2) Used (16) from $3.52
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 1508343
Media: Paperback
Pages: 414
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 0192814249
EAN: 9780192814241
ASIN: 0192814249
Publication Date: April 19, 1984
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BINDING TIGHT PAGES CLEAN GREAT READING COPY BUY WITH CONFIDENCE 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In this entertaining and lively anthology, Jan Morris traces the history of the university from it foundation in the Middle Ages through to 1945, combining extracts from contemporary observers with her own linking commentary. Important events in the history of the University are described and explained ( development of the college system, Magdalen's defiance of James II, Newman and the Oxford Movement), and its life and times are exalted or derided by writers ranging from Anthony Wood to Evelyn Waugh. Unworldly scholars and eccentric dons walk these pages: characters like Benjamin Jowett, Sir Maurice Bowra and William Spooner, who ordered an undergraduate to `leave by the town drain', and coined Spoonerism.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Extravagant, captivating, simply brilliant June 5, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Jan Morris writes in a verbose style that you either immediately love or loathe. I am fortunate to belong to the former category. Few writers could capture the wonder of one of England's oldest and most famous cities with such panache. Having lived in and experienced Oxford first hand, Morris captures perfectly some of my sentiments towards the place that I could never dream of putting down in words.
The writing does border on the extravagant at times, but then again, what would a good piece of travel writing be without a little self-indulgence on the part of the author?
Some people would also criticise the book for its arbitrariness. But the book was never intended to be a travel guide and one would be sorely disappointed if one were to read it as such. Neither was the book ever meant as an authoritative history of the place, or anything of the like.
Not a piece of writing that would suit everyone's taste. But if you're looking to enjoy some lucid prose that conjures up vivid images of Oxford's long history, eccentric traditions and wonderfully diverse inhabitants, then you'd be sure to find this a delightful read.
EXCELLENT WRITING. February 17, 2002
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is an urbane, witty book, beautifully written and structured so that every facet of Oxford is covered in a very readable manner.
Although I loved Oxford to begin with, this book enhanced my appreciation of the city and I feel that I know more about its history and its manners now than I ever did before.
Jan Morris never resorts to sentimentality, but she shows her enjoyment of her research in many ways.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in "The Oxford Story".
Celebrating a Wonderland June 15, 2000
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
Oxford is one of the most intriguing, enchanting, mysterious, historical and beautiful cities in the world. It is the location of _Alice in Wonderland_, _The Wind in the Willows_, much of Waugh's _Brideshead Revisited_, and Dorothy Sayer's _Gaudy Night_. Jan Morris's book is a celebration of this city so witty, so well informed, and so gripping that you may find it to be the best "travel book" you have ever read. A must for anglophiles, lovers of cities, lovers of literature, architecture, and history, and those fascinated by university life. I myself have the same experience as Susan Hill, a reviewer in the (London) Times, who wrote, "I devoured, and now constantly dip with delight into _Oxford_."
|
|
|
Copyright 2008 - RailroadBookstore.com
| |
