Latin Inscriptions in Oxford (Paperback)

Reginald H. Adams

ISBN 10: 1851244301 / ISBN 13: 9781851244300

Published by Bodleian Library, Oxford, 2015

About this Item

Paperback. For the first six centuries from the institution's foundation, Latin was the language spoken and written at the University of Oxford. It's no surprise, then, to find that the inscriptions carved into the monuments, colleges and municipal buildings of the city are for the most part also in Latin. It is also a language which lends itself to compression, so an inscription in Latin uses fewer characters than English, for example, saving space and money. But what do they all mean?For this book Reginald Adams has assembled, translated and explained a wide selection of Oxford's Latin inscriptions (and a few Greek ones). These can be found in many accessible places in both city and university, dating from the medieval period to the present day. Their purposes range from tributes and memorials to decorations and witty commentaries on the edifice that they adorn. The figures commemorated include Queen Anne, Roger Bacon, Cardinal Wolsey, Cecil Rhodes, T. E. Lawrence and a kind landlady who provided 'enormous breakfasts', as well as other eminent scholars and generous benefactors. These evocative mementos of the past bring insight to the informed observer of their surroundings and also vividly illustrate the history of Oxford. This book presents a wide selection of Oxford's Latin inscriptions (and a few Greek ones), found in many accessible places in both city and university, dating from the medieval period to the present day. These evocative mementos of the past are translated and explained, vividly illustrating the history of Oxford for the local and tourist alike. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781851244300

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Latin Inscriptions in Oxford (Paperback)
• Publisher: Bodleian Library, Oxford
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1851244301
• ISBN 13: 9781851244300
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

For six centuries following its foundation, Latin was the main language written and spoken at the University of Oxford. Today, one can still find Latin inscriptions carved into many of its monuments, as well those of the city, dating from the medieval period to the present day. But few of us can discern what all of these inscriptions mean.
           
For Latin Inscriptions in Oxford, Reginald H. Adams, a former scholar at St. John’s College, University of Oxford, has translated a selection of Latin inscriptions. Among them, he finds a great many tributes and memorials―to Queen Anne, Cardinal Wolsey, and T. E. Lawrence, but also to Irene Frude, a “most kindly landlady” on Little Clarendon who “provided each day for almost thirty-five years enormous breakfasts.” Some of the inscriptions offer concise commentary―“Without experiment, it is not possible to know anything adequately.” While others are instructive like the Rhodes House’s warning, “Let no one who is smoke-bearing enter here.”
           
Evocative mementoes of the past, the inscriptions collected by Adams bring insight to the vivid history of Oxford, the city and the university.

About the Author

Reginald H. Adams was a member of St. John’s College, University of Oxford.