Joseph Wells

Joseph Wells drew on his long career as an Oxford historian and administrator when writing about the university. During 1920, Wells released The charm of Oxford while serving as Warden of Wadham College, pairing his commentary with drawings by W. G. Blackall. Instead of a continuous institutional chronicle, the book moves through squares, streets, libraries, chapels, halls, and individual colleges, explaining the associations accumulated around them. Wells studied at Queen's College, became a tutor, and held the vice-chancellorship during the years 1923 through 1926. Beyond this volume, he wrote Oxford and Its Colleges, Wadham College, The Oxford Degree Ceremony, and works on Greek and Roman history. The charm of Oxford combines scholarly memory with the practical viewpoint of a teacher and university leader. Architecture, tradition, art, and student life make the city itself the organizing subject, while Blackall's illustrations supply the visual impulse Wells credits for the volume.