Insight Guide Oxford (Insight City Guide. Oxford, 2nd Ed)

Rating:
Summary: Very pretty, but occasionally wrong and incomplete
Review: This book is certainly heavy on the eye-candy - it has lots of great pictures (though perhaps dated... very late-80's hair styles) and nice listings describing the colleges and whatnot. If you're looking for something that gives a feel for the look of the place (or at least the look on nice early-summer days when all the students are wearing their gowns), this is a lovely place to look.

Unfortunately, glaring factual errors and odd 'stereotypes' really detracted from the quality of this guide. Included is a brief summary of the Oxford colleges. Unfortunately, many are left out (seemingly at random - the maps also leave out several important sites while including other entirely mundane ones) and the descriptions of others are factually quite incorrect (and sometimes contradictory - All Souls is described as being the only graduate college [it is not a graduate college], then Nuffield is also described as being a graduate college [it is]). There are also odd little tidbits of information that seem to represent a story of the colleges frozen sometime in the past (and not a nifty 1920's past - presumably the late 1980's or early '90's when the first edition was published) - 'excellent darts team?' ok, so they may have once, but that's rather useless information today. My own college's description, though quite pleasant, is not a very good representation of the place today. Some of the college descriptions are also really just mean, representing some undefined antipathy on the part of the author (did someone from that college steal his girlfriend or something?).

Overall, it's a very pretty publication that certainly had a very good team of photographers and graphic designers, but as it's not so strong on the facts and could do with some updates - Oxford isn't as unchanging as it may seem.

Rating:
Summary: Oxford for any traveller
Review: This guide is the kind of tour book I love; richly descriptive, and it doesn't hold back on the details. It is filled with pictures and historical exerpts as well as great pub guides and college information. Having spent some time in Oxford I can honestly say that the book was true to the feel of the old town, and was a clear and vivid portrait of the sights and sounds of one of my favorite places in the world!! The practical information in the back caters to the tourist; the college guide caters to future students, the nearly 100-page section at the beginning is perfect for the ameteur historian with it's pages on the monarchy of old and the origins of each custom, building, and college. The founding of the colleges, events, and other features are detailed, and interests of every kind can be researched in this compact text. Maps abound throughout and illustrate different aspects of the college for a walker, driver, or bicyclist with great clarity. I was amazed to realise that I had read the entire book in one sitting. I may never go back to the travel books full of text, because they don't excite the reader for his/her trip, they are hard to get through, and they are downright dull to read.