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Oxford and Cambridge

An Uncommon History

Peter Sager

Out of stock

£19.95

A fresh look at the similarities and differences of these two institutions and their enormous impact on England’s history

Overview

'If Oxford were not the finest thing in England,' wrote Henry James, 'the case would be clearer for Cambridge.' No other private institutions have had a greater impact on England's - and, at times, world - history, yet in different ways. Oxford has spawned more Prime Ministers, Cambridge more Nobel laureates. In Oxford, so it is said, things are brilliantly formulated: in Cambridge, they are seriously thought through. Bill Clinton practiced the saxophone in 1960s Oxford, and became President of the United States; Bill Gates chose Cambridge as the location for the first Microsoft branch outside the USA.

Ever since the Victorian novelist, William Thackeray, invented a mythical 'Oxbridge', these two very distinctive institutions, as different as Harvard and Yale, have increasingly presented a common face to the world, a homogeneous elite whose sense of duty has been surpassed only by its self-confidence. Isaac Newton taught here; Stephen Hawking occupies Newton's professorial chair. For almost 800 years, the twin capitals of the intellectual life of England have radiated their influence across the globe: not just political leaders, but the best spies Communism could recruit; not just church leaders, but the great heretics and reformers; and a host of literary figures from Lord Byron to Salman Rushdie.

Peter Sager draws on an encyclopaedic treasure trove of facts, figures and anecdotes to provide a witty and detailed map of Oxbridge. He roams through the idyllic gardens and courtyards, uncovers the secrets that lie behind the college gates and supports his literary journey with color photographs and maps, a glossary, a list of useful addresses and a guide to further reading. Oxford & Cambridge is a unique combination of travel guide, history, biography and psychoanalysis of two towns that are not just places but states of mind.

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Product Information

Book Details

Format: Hardback

Size: 24.0 x 15.5 cm

Extent: 472 pp

Illustrations: 63

Publication date: 3 October 2005

ISBN: 9780500512494

Contents List

Foreword • 1. Oxbridge: The Nonidentical Twins • 2. Oxford: History and Culture • 3. Cambridge: History and Culture • Endmatter: A Short Oxbridge Glossary, A College Who’s Who, Museums and Other Sights to See in Oxford, Museums and Theatres: Cambridge, Festivals and Events, Bibliography, Plates, Index of Persons, Index of Places and Subjects

About the Author

Peter Sager has worked as an art critic and radio producer, and was a reporter on the weekly magazine Die Zeit. He is best-known for his guidebooks to the British Isles, which include Wales, East Anglia and The West Country.