If you’re planning a holiday to Oxford, you already know that there are so many amazing things to do in this beautiful city! Oxford is a vibrant place that is home to a wealth of storytellers and great authors and has also inspired uncountable books throughout the years. If you’re looking to acquaint yourself with the city before you go, here are 8 essential books to read before visiting Oxford.
Whether you are looking for whimsical reads, crime/murder mysteries, or fantasy, the following books will transport you straight into the atmosphere and style of Oxford. By the time you make it there in person, you’ll feel like you already know it by heart!
The Best Books Set in Oxford
1. Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy L. Sayers is a master of mystery, and there’s no better book to read than Gaudy Night to understand what it is like being a student and a graduate of the University of Oxford. (Although I must admit that Murder Must Advertise is a strong contender for my all-time-favorite Sayers novel!)
Both of the protagonists in Gaudy Night are former students of the university, and the mystery starts when Harriet Vane returns for a college feast and alumni reunion (called a “Gaudy”). During this reunion, someone starts sending malicious notes and playing pranks on the students and dons.
As Harriet and Lord Peter Wimsey attempt to narrow down the list of suspects and find the person who is terrorizing the college, the stakes are raised as the prankster turns to murder. Who is this attempted murderer? And will Harriet and Peter find this menace before someone at the college is irreparably harmed?
Gaudy Night is filled with the atmosphere of Oxford, and part of the charm of this book are the scenes that show Oxford life—from intimate college moments to punting on the river. If you’re looking for a book that will immerse you in a taste of university life, this is the perfect choice!
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2. Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome
Published in 1889, this humorous account was originally intended as a guidebook for a boating holiday on the Thames. However, Three Men in a Boat’s comic nature steals the show as it offers a hilarious and witty account of three characters (based on Jerome and two of his friends) plus a dog, Montmorency, as they go on a two-week boating holiday from Oxford.
From J’s gripes about his imagined illnesses (in passages that remind one of searching WebMD and learning you have all the illnesses) to passages about the dangers of swans…Jerome’s keen eye for humanity’s foibles makes this a delightful read.
Surprisingly fresh and hilarious for a book published in 1889, this is one you won’t want to miss on your Oxford reading list!
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3. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Although Connie Willis’ entire Oxford Time Travel series offers a charming glimpse into a fictional future life at Oxford University, To Say Nothing of the Dog stands out as a delightful and entertaining lark through Victorian Oxford society. (And bonus: it references the previously-mentioned novel by Jerome K. Jerome!)
When the wealthy Lady Schrapnell wishes to rebuild Coventry Cathedral in 2057’s Oxford, she sends Oxford history student Ned Henry on too many time jumps back to 1940. His goal? To locate an item called the Bishop’s Bird Stump.
But when he becomes time-lagged and disoriented, he jumps into Victorian England to escape the tyranny of Lady Schrapnell and rest up from the detrimental effects of too much time travel. But with a missing cat, misplaced love-at-first-sight, jumble sales, Cyril the bulldog, and many more complications, Ned’s time in the Victorian era turns out to be far more tangled than he could ever have anticipated.
To Say Nothing of the Dog has all the fun and laugh-out-loud shenanigans you could hope for in a sci-fi/fantasy read—and will definitely leave you wishing for more!
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4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The Golden Compass is a novel set in an alternate world or parallel universe of Oxford, so it bears many similarities to the real-life Oxford but also has a few key differences.
One of the biggest differences is that in this universe people have “dæmons” or talking animal spirits as an extension of themselves. The main character, Lyra, is a child and so her dæmon can instantly change into any real or mythical creature.
This tale revolves around a mysterious substance called “dust” and what it means for the inhabitants of this alternate world. When Lyra’s friend Roger is kidnapped, this sets her off on a journey to find him…which leads her into the thick of great cruelty, important revelations, and hoping to find forces for good rather than evil.
This series is a popular one in Oxford, and with Pullman’s familiarity with Oxford he incorporated many authentic details into his alternate universe. One particular detail that has stayed with fans is his mention of a specific bench in the University of Oxford Botanic Garden…where people have now carved the names of important characters from the series into the bench he mentioned. If you are a fan of this book, this is a must-visit site while in Oxford.
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5. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
When you visit Oxford, you’ll find that it’s the perfect place to have inspired such a beloved nonsense novel like Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
The array of misshapen and strangely-sized doors across the city call to mind Alice’s growing and shrinking in the novel, and when visiting Christ Church Cathedral you should lean out the door on the left side to see a peek of the tiny door that legend says inspired Dodgson’s creation of this iconic passage.
And of course you must also stop by Port Meadow in Oxford to experience the place Dodgson and the real-life Alice were when he first started making up this beloved tale!
Oxford pays homage to this delightful novel in many ways, from a Cheshire Cat up a tree in the botanic gardens to a whole celebration called Alice’s Day. If you haven’t already read this novel, now’s the time to pick it up!
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6. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Another childhood favorite, The Wind in the Willows focuses on the lives and adventures of four animal friends—the Water Rat, Mole, Badger, and Mr. Toad.
Grahame’s portrayal of life on the river in the Thames Valley rings true for anyone who has spent time in this area (and particularly in Oxford).
One can almost imagine the Water Rat and Mole boating down the Thames in Port Meadow and enjoying their picnic of “coldtongue-coldham-cold-beef-pickledgherkins-salad-frenchrolls-cress-sandwiches-pottedmeat-gingerbeer-lemonade-sodawater – -” What a perfect place to laze the day away!
And between the camaraderie of the animals and the swaggering adventures of Mr. Toad, there is much that delights in Grahame’s most famous story…including some of Toad’s finer song lyrics about himself:
“The clever men at Oxford
Know all that there is to be knowed.
But they none of them know one half as much
As intelligent Mr. Toad!”
Not only will this novel delight you, but it will surprise you as it relishes in the nature of friendship and transports you directly into the pure and yet wild essence of nature in the Thames Valley.
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7. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
This epic fantasy series is in many ways the embodiment of the spirit of Oxford. Like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, parts of The Lord of the Rings are so clearly the product of Oxford that you will have “aha!” moments throughout your time in the city.
The rich landscape textures in his book are clearly echoes of the nature throughout this area of England, and seeing the tiny college doors calls to mind the hobbit doors in the books. These are just a few examples of the ways you’ll see that Tolkien has borrowed from his real life in creating the imaginative world of this series!
Tolkien’s alma mater was Exeter College, which is one of the best free things to see in Oxford…so you will for sure want to go and experience the place that helped shape the mind of this brilliant author!
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8. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
This series is a classic and the epitome of well-known Oxford books. With its world of magic, talking animals, and mythical creatures, this series is sure to delight. From The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to the final novel The Last Battle, you will find yourself enthralled in the world Lewis weaves from his reality and his imagination.
While you’re in Oxford, make sure to check out Magdalen College where Lewis was a fellow and tutor. This is one of the top things to do in Oxford and one of the best colleges to visit, especially since you can follow in his footsteps on his favorite walks and see the places he met with his fellow Inklings (like J.R.R. Tolkien).
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Bonus Book: The Oxford Book of Death by D.J. Enright
I couldn’t close out this list without including this little charmer, The Oxford Book of Death. I found it while browsing the shelves of the English library at Oxford, and honestly no other books come quite as close as this one to expressing how students feel at Oxford right before examinations 😁
If you like your poetry and prose about death (from various famous authors) all combined into one book with an epic title, this is the book for you! If not, just revel in the joy of knowing there’s an entire book taking space on the shelves of Oxford libraries called The Oxford Book of Death. You’re welcome.
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If you want to read some of these books before visiting Oxford, but want them in an electronic format instead, consider getting a free subscription of Kindle Unlimited and reading them on the Kindle app on your phone, computer, Kindle, or other device. This is a great way to bring these books along with you as you travel!
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