Oxford

Towers, river views and worn college stairways shape F. D. How's portrait of Oxford. This illustrated travel book traces the city's appearance from its castle and defensive walls to Magdalen Tower, Tom Tower and the dome of the Radcliffe Camera. How considers how travellers first see the city, comparing the passing glimpse from a train with the slower prospect once offered by a coach, and imagines an approach through Abingdon to the heights of Boar's Hill.

The account also turns from buildings to the people who give the streets their changing character. Academic processions, students, market visitors and memories of earlier generations share the scene. Inside the colleges, the discussion reaches Merton and the idea of scholars living and working together. Readers interested in Oxford's architecture and university traditions will find a personal, affectionate description that links familiar landmarks with the everyday life and historical associations around them.