While for centuries, Oxford’s libraries were repositories of knowledge in the form of manuscripts and printed books, to be consulted only by scholars, today they serve both the advancement of learning and the teaching needs of thousands of undergraduate and postgraduate students. Over the years, Oxford’s libraries attracted wealthy donors, some of whom, like John Radcliffe, gave generously to the provision of impressive and architecturally innovative buildings to house the books. These buildings are still among the most impressive features of Oxford’s architectural landscape, helping to define its visual identity. Architectural styles range from medieval wooden stalls to the asymmetrical stainless steel and glass of the twenty-first century, and notable architects include Sir Christopher Wren, Nicholas Hawksmoor, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Sir Edwin Lutyens, Arne Jacobsen and Zaha Hadid.

With exquisite, specially commissioned photography, this profusely illustrated book invites readers through the doors of over fifty beautiful and iconic libraries, revealing how they are steeped in history, learning and cultural change.

This book tells the story of the growth of the forum universitatis – as the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor called it – and relates it to the broader history of the University and the city. Based on up-to-date scholarship, and drawing upon the author’s own research into Oxford’s architectural history and the work of Christopher Wren, Nicholas Hawksmoor, James Gibbs and Giles Gilbert Scott, each of the eight chapters focuses on the gestation, creation and subsequent history of a single building, or pair of buildings, relating them to developments in the University’s intellectual and institutional life, and to broader themes in architectural and urban history.

Accessible and well-illustrated with plans, archival prints and specially commissioned photography, this book will appeal to anyone who wishes to understand and enjoy Oxford’s matchless architectural heritage.