The Pocket Oxford

A concise yet comprehensive introduction to all things Oxford. Whether you’re keen to punt on the Isis, where the university’s rowing team trains for the fiercely contested Boat Race against Cambridge; or see priceless treasures in the Ashmolean Museum; or rise before dawn for May Morning, let your journey start here. Dubbed ‘the city of dreaming spires’ by Matthew Arnold, Oxford has nurtured 70 Nobel Prize winners and is today a high-tech hub. Its Bodleian Libraries are the largest in the UK. Home to the Oxford English Dictionary, it’s no surprise that the city has nurtured so many authors – J. R. R. Tolkien, Oscar Wilde and T.S. Eliot among them. Nestled in the surrounding Cotswolds, the city itself contains green oases: Christ Church Meadow, the 400-year-old Botanic Garden, and Port Meadow. For something more sporty, visit Iffley Road Sports Centre, where Roger Bannister ran the first four-minute mile, or Corpus Christi College for the annual tortoise race. Gemini Pockets From little guides to soothe your soul to all-access passes to the lives of pop icons, and from quizzes and puzzles for literature lovers to books on food, nature, fashion, and more, Gemini Pockets are the perfect fit for your life and interests.