A beautiful book with some amazing artwork that really brings the city of Oxford to life. I love how you learn all about the history and it really feels like you are being deeply immersed into the atmosphere of the city. Oxford means a lot to me so it’s great to see it being appreciated in this way and being explored by such a wonderful little creation.

4/5 I’ve never been to Oxford and all my ignorant’ self knew about this city was “the University of Oxford is prestigious”, but let me tell you, Matthew Rice and his book, made to want to pack a carry on luggage, drive to the airport, and board on the first plane to Oxford.

This has been a very delightful read, providing the reader not only with an historical background of the city and its architecture but also with beautiful illustrations and watercolour/pencil drawings.
I loved it so much and I’m definitely going to check more books by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the published for providing me with this eARC.

This was a stunning book. It is full of beautiful artwork and a ton of history. I loved wandering through the streets of Oxford with this illustrated novel. This would be a great gift for a student moving abroad or as a reminder of a vacation.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wish I would've had a copy of this as a companion guide when I visited Oxford 10 years ago!

Oxford is magical place, full of history and wonderfully eclectic architecture. The author provides an abundance of architectural history and quirky anecdotes, all beautifully illustrated with urban sketches.

I loved this! I requested and read this ahead of a preplanned trip to Oxford over the summer, and I'm really glad I did. The illustrations are gorgeous, and it helped me feel a lot more at home on campus. I would highly reccomend having this on hand if you're planning to visit - or if you just like dark academia books set at the historic school.

I loved the Illustrations of the book, but found the online version quite hard to read due to the size of the text. I believe this book would be better as a print version, but still loved it. As someone who used to live in Oxford I enjoyed learning more about Oxford’s history and all the historic buildings. The illustrations are exceptionally beautiful and I would love to purchase this book in the future to display it on my shelf.

This is a lovely illustrated guide to the architecture of one of England's premier educational institutions. Filled with history, notes and facts about the buildings and their creation. This is a great guide if you want to learn more about Oxford.

A love letter to Oxford, or at least Oxford's architectural detailing. After an introduction that shows the place to be a living amalgam of classical design theme park and actual lived city (and you may decide into which half the undergrads might fit), what we get is light on the text. Instead we get looks at this era, that age, that epoch, and then just the drawings – watercolour and inks, with hand-lettered captions for the buildings' location and date and designer. My layman's eye saw a little of the Paul Hogarth (witness the white of the moonshine on the Radcliffe Observatory at night, or the colourless void of the Christ Church college gate), but that's merely because he was the kind of illustrator I grew up looking at, and he would never have had the patience for much of the detailing here. All told it's a very reviewer-proof title – if you know you need this, you need this (and should probably have bought it before now, as this came out in 2019 and is just reviewed for a vanilla reissue); if you think you might need it, you probably do; and if you are on the fence you'll not be disappointed by the look, and be happy to have it. If you know it's not for you, I'd back you up on that.

It has actually shrunk a couple of inches since first coming out, but it's still no pocket book, and fits well into the output of a creative who has cast his eye over many architecturally splendid places. It doesn't look out of place in that career, and as the actress said to the college chaplain, a couple of inches either way wouldn't hurt anyone.

I have always been enthralled with Oxford. Even as a teenager, I would imagine what it would be like to be a student there. The history, the buildings, the libraries, and all the people! Unfortunately, I was too afraid to leave the Midwest, cross the Atlantic and take a chance on an Oxford education. But now that I'm retired, it's on my bucket list!
The author has awakened the dreamer in me. His telling of the history, the stories, and the buildings sounds fascinating. And the illustrations are fantastic.
If, like me, you're a dreamer and romantic, you'll really enjoy this book!

This is such a fun, pretty book!

I really enjoyed learning more about Oxford and the history of its stunning architecture. The illustrations were beautiful and brought back the wonder of seeing the place in person.

My only complaint is that the introductions and handwritten notes were often hard to read due to run-on sentences, fragments, and missing words.

I still recommend this to anyone who wants to look at lovely illustrations of Oxford though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for an ARC.

I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

This is a very niche book: it focuses on the architecture of Oxford—the University and the city—providing context in the way of historical influences on the choices made in different eras.

There are numerous detailed, colored drawings of many buildings, and a few sketched maps; this book is predominantly illustrations. It’s well down but probably too detailed and esoteric for a general audience.

What fun! If you've visited Oxford or lived there for a season, you'll love this book of paintings and information. Or, if you're a tourist and ready to explore the treasures of the city, pick up a copy.

It's a unique look at the architecture and history of a beautiful part of England. Combined art and words have always been part of this university town - enjoy a fresh look.

i lived in oxford for 3 years before i moved back up to scotland and i miss the beautiful city! i'm always telling people how lovely it is and how beautiful the buildings are. also due to my job i knew the city better than anywhere else i've been and i really loved reading about the history of the buildings. the illustrations were so lovely as well

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own

Although I did find the writing hard to read on my tablet and hurt my eyes, what I did read was fascinating and well written

The illusion is amazing. The cover art is what caught my attention, and I'm glad it did. I shall go look for an actual page turning copy of Oxford so I can educate myself a bit more.

I originally thought to read this because CS Lewis’s and J.R.R. Tolkien’s (former Oxford professors) works have been a profound influence in my life.

I’m probably a bit of a different reader type for this, considering that I’ve not been able to visit Oxford (it’s on my list of things to do when my family and I take our first visit to England), so seeing the buildings that are so familiar to some was a new experience for me.

This book was a delight - the watercolor paintings and pencil sketches are gorgeous and full of life. As I read a PDF of this, I did have a difficult time with the size of the font ( I imagine the size in the book will be easier to read) but the writing is rich with history.

A wonderful coffee table book, perfect for Oxford lovers, Anglophiles, architecture appreciators, and armchair historians.



Thank you to Frances Lincoln and NetGalley for the DRC

A stunning visual feast telling the story of Oxford. Matthew Rice’s illustration portrays the sights of Oxford in his own distinctive style and results in a fascinating and immersive experience.
I would not hesitate in recommending this book to anyone interested in art, design, architecture or Oxford.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to view this.

Really loved this - lots of cool information that I would have never come across if not for this book. Really delves into the "little things" that make oxford so remarkable. Highly recommend. I would say it was quite difficult to read as an e-book, but I imagine it would work wonderfully in print.

I’ve never been to Oxford but I’ve always wanted to. I’ve heard of and (digitally) seen the beautiful buildings and the rich history and architecture and it was nice to view the city through the eyes of this book.

It covers a great mix of old and more modern, breaking down eras into sections and heading each chapter with a few pages of writing followed by images. And can I just say, the artwork in the book was absolutely STUNNING. It was so easy just to stall on the pages and just appreciate the beauty of the art.

I think it will mean more to those who have been and know Oxford and can see places they recognise within the pages but still a wonderful little flow through for those wanting to see and know more about the place. It’s so rich in history!

It’s very easy to flick through or read from cover to cover. A great read for any lover or student of Oxford.

This book is a delight for anyone with even a small interest in the buildings of Oxford.

Filled with Matthew’s trademark watercolour paintings that many of us are so used to seeing over our morning cup of tea, all types of architecture are represented-whether he likes them or not!

Personally I would have liked slightly more text/information to accompany the hand-written notes, but the art speaks volumes.

With thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group.

I received a free copy of, Oxford, by Matthew Rice, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a good book for Oxford lovers. This book has beautiful pictures and information on Oxford. All the rich history of Oxford is explored.