The University of Oxford: A Brief History

by Laurence Brockliss

The University of Oxford is the third-oldest university in Europe and remains one of the greatest universities in the world. Institutions have waxed and waned over the centuries, but Oxford has always succeeded in reinventing itself to meet the demands of a new age.

This book offers a succinct illustrated account of the university’s colorful and controversial eight-hundred-year history, from medieval times through the Reformation and on to the nineteenth century, in which the foundations of the modern tutorial system were laid. It describes the extraordinary and influential people who shaped the development of the institution and helped to create today’s world-class research university.

Richly illustrated with archival material, prints, and portraits, this book explores how a university in a small provincial town rose to become one of the top universities in the world at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2019

About the author

Professor Laurence Brockliss is an Emeritus at Oxford University, where he works on the history of education, science and medicine in early modern France and Britain.

Reviews

[Jazzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great quick introduction to Oxford University and university as a whole throughout England over history.

It is only a starting point and I am glad I read this first and I now know what topics I wish to learn about further.

[Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully illustrated and nicely pithy. And a beautiful book...

[Tim Reisner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have preferred a more systematic review of the colleges rather than the haphazard approach here, but it's a nice little primer and suitably whetted my appetite for a weekend in Oxford.