David C.K. Watson in Oxford

I don't remember the late David C.K. Watson's evangelistic talks that I must have heard in Oxford in February 1976.  However I subsequently became acquainted with his books, four of which I possess.

I survived the scorching summer of 1976 and the superstorm of 1993

I survived, without air-conditioning, the heat and drought in Britain in the summer of 1976, a feat worth remembering.

For 15 consecutive days from 23 June to 7 July, 1976, temperature reached 90°F (32.2°C) somewhere in England. On June 28, I vacated my room in college permanently.

(Heatwave details from the BBC Weather Centre and Wikipedia.)

In the same vein, I experienced the superstorm of 1993 that hit the east coast of North America.

Sensitivity of ranks in Norrington Table

Given the availability of raw data, I thought investigating the sensitivity of the Norrington ranking (see my previous post) to degree class (first, 2,1, 2,2, third) distribution would be interesting.

In 2010, the maximum score (79.45%, Magdalen College) is nearly 80%, which is equivalent to a degree class distribution of "50% first, 50% 2.1".  The minimum score is 60.95%, nearly 60%, which is equivalent to a degree class distribution of "100% 2.1".

Oriel has 23 firsts, 49 2.1s, and 7 2.2s, and is ranked 11.  Moving 3 (or 4) people from 2.1 to first would shift Oriel's rank to 7 (or 6).  Moving 9 people from first to 2.1 would shift Oriel's rank to 28. 

Just some pointless diversion to keep my mind active.

Ranking Oxford Colleges, a worthy intellectual quest?

From the wonderful Wikipedia comes a history of the Norrington Table, and the current standing of the Oxford colleges. Oriel was rock bottom, save for Harris Manchester (full college since 1996), in 2007. (Official data from Oxford)

(chart source)

Nuclear Physics Laboratory, an Oxford landmark

The Nuclear Physics Laboratory in Oxford, renamed the Denys Wilkinson Building in 2001, housed a 10MV Van der Graff (Van de Graaff) accelerator (see here for a history). Here is a newsreel of October 1965 on the laboratory.

Commemoration Balls in Oxford (1961)

Punting on the Cherwell (a short film) in 1961.

Oxford in 1961 (Newsreel)

Newsreel (April 1961) on Oxford building restoration.

Konrad Adenauer visits Oxford (Dec 1951)

Newsreel: DR. ADENAUER VISITS OXFORD. - British Pathe

Konrad Adenauer visited Oxford in December 1951. (see here)

Khrushchev visits Oxford (1956)

Newsreel: BULGANIN AND KHRUSHCHEV VISIT OXFORD - British Pathe

PPP, but not "Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology", in Oxford

PPP, the Penultimate Picture Palace (and not Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology), on Jeune Street, off Cowley Road, Oxford is associated with a few cinematic gems, such as Death in Venice (screened Nov 22, 1976), in my memory.

The following brief history is from a comment here:

The Picture Palace opened on 25th February 1911. It was designed by local architect John R. Wilkins. It operated until the early 1920s when it was closed and became a furniture store, retaining the original 'Picture Palace' sign on the front of building until around 1950.


It re-opened as the Penultimate Picture Palace on 18th July 1976. Oxford artist John Trigg designed the exterior name on the facade from a 1896 French poster. Above the name board was the cinema's motif: a giant cut-out of Al Jolson with hands outstretched as seen in the first talkie "The Jazz Singer" (the fibre glass hands were designed by sculptor John Buckley who also designed the new door handles shaped as Mae West's lips!). The original 1911 pay box was retained. Seating capacity was given as 192. It now operates as the Ultimate Picture Palace, an Art House cinema.

The cinema will be celebrating its centenary in 2011.

(source)

(A recent photo)(A review)

Robin Waterfield's of Oxford

I first visited Robin Waterfield's secondhand and antiquarian bookshop in Park End Street, Oxford (opened in 1976) on January 14, 1980, when I bought The Tourist Guide by Jaroslav Hašek. I just learned of Waterfield's very colourful life from his obituary.

There is another Robin Waterfield (see wikipedia), classicist and author of Why Socrates Died: Dispelling the Myths.

A Temple to knowledge: Blackwell's Norrington Room, Oxford

                                              (source)

Opened in 1966, the Norrington Room was (but no longer, I suppose) the largest single room devoted to book selling, as certified by the Guinness Book of Records. Instead of focusing on Mathematics, Science and Engineering during my frequent visits there, I invariably wandered off to the enticing displays of knowledge and wisdom all around me.

*** Postscript ***

There is now an online virtual tour of Blackwell's, offering panoramic views from various vantage points. A good view of the Norrington Room is available here.

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Blackwell's in Books: here

Laszlo Solymar, updated

In connection with this post, here is Prof Solymar's official resume: http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/s/8436/Laszlo+SOLYMAR.aspx

History of Engineering Science at Oxford

Lecture 11 is on the history of the Department of Engineering Science at Oxford by Dr Alistair Howatson. The moment with timestamp 54:08, mentioning Dr Donald Walsh of Oriel, is of particular interest to me. (alternative link to Lecture 11)

A History of Engineering Science at Oxford, by Alistair Howatson, was published by the Oxford University Press (ISBN 9780952620822) in 2008.  I have not yet had the pleasure of reading it.

                                                             (photo source)

By the way, "Electrical Properties of Materials", by Laszlo Solymar and Donald Walsh, is now in its eighth edition (2010 edition). It must have been tremendously successful.  I remember, but alas have not mastered,  its first edition (1970 edition), published forty years ago!

Farewell, Thornton's of Oxford

Thornton's (its site history) is no longer a  brick-and-mortar bookshop since January 1, 2003. It has disappeared into the cybersphere (cyberia?). The building at 11, Broad Street now houses a cafe.

When I was last at Oxford in November 2001, Thornton's, a classic English secondhand and antiquarian bookshop in operation since 1835, was still thriving, apparently.  I had not then realized that it had faced bankruptcy, and been sold by the Thornton family in 1983.

Thornton has nourished me intellectually, and exercised a decisive influence on my intellectual life. It deserves to be remembered with affection and gratitude.

Chiang Yee, the silent traveller

The silent farewell to Cambridge by Xu Zhimo in my previous post brings to mind The Silent Traveller, Chiang Yee (蒋彝 May 19, 1903 – October 26, 1977) whose acquaintance I first made in about 1976 through his book "Chinese Calligraphy,"

I have also two of his "silent traveller" books: "The Silent Traveller in London" (1938) and "The Silent Traveller in Oxford"(1944).  He moved to Oxford from London in 1940 to escape the Blitz. The second book gives a portrait of Oxford in wartime.

Visit to Oxford by the first Chinese ambassador to UK

In a Chinese book, From China to Oxford, can be found the travel diary of Guo Songtao (郭嵩焘 1818-91), the first Chinese ambassador to the UK (1877-79) (and the first ever Chinese ambassador) when he visited Oxford on Nov 28-29, 1877. He visited Magdalen, All Souls, Christ Church, and the Bodleian Library. He also attended a lecture by James Legge (1815-97), since 1876 the first Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at Oxford, at the Sheldonian Theatre. The diary showed that Guo knew almost nothing about British universities before the visit, and probably learned little of any depth after. All that he recorded are the most mundane and superficial of factoids. (I did not find any indication that Guo ever learned any foreign language.)

The Turl Cash, Thornton's, and my lost youth

My intellectual development has been greatly influenced by Oxford’s venerable bookshops. I have particularly fond memories of The Turl Cash, Thornton's, and Blackwell's (of course). I am gratified to discover an old essay, "Oxford Bookshops" by William Ridler, of July 1963, when the original Parker's building had been demolished, and the new one (that I knew in 1974) was yet only on the drawing board. The essay has a particularly rare (I think) and delightful description of The Turl Cash.

ps. Exeter College demolished the old Parker’s bookshop at Nos. 26–27, Broad Street, Oxford and built its Thomas Wood Building (1964) on the corner of the Broad and the Turl. (source) The new building housed Parker's at the old spot from 1964 until c. 1993 when Blackwell's Art and Poster Shop moved in.

Lincoln, Dartmouth, and Dr Seuss

I had not been nourished in my childhood by the works of Dr Seuss (1904-91), and have only been aware of him since about 1996.

He is the only prominent person that I know of who studied at both Oxford and Dartmouth. He was an undergraduate at Dartmouth (1921-25), and studied for D.Phil in English Literature at Lincoln College, Oxford, without taking the degree.

Oxonians of 1974-77: a Parade of the Notables

Prominent Oxford Students in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977

In 1974, there had been 23 Oxonian British PMs, besides numerous other eminent Oxonians.

And there were at least three future PMs amongst the Oxonians of 1974-77: Tony Blair, Benazir Bhutto, and Theresa May.

Tony Blair (with boater) at Oxford

Tony Blair (born 6 May 1953), UK's PM from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007, read Jurisprudence at St John's, Oxford in 1972-75, and graduated with a 2nd class in 1975.

Benazir Bhutto at Oxford

Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) read PPE at LMH and St Catherine's in 1973-77, and was elected the president of Oxford Union in Dec 1976.

Theresa May's wedding in 1980 (source)

Philip and Theresa May at a friend's wedding in the early 1980s (source)

Theresa May

Theresa May (born October 1, 1956), UK's PM since 13 July 2016, read Geography at St. Hugh's (1974-77), graduating with a 2nd class.

On the Oxford romance of Theresa and Philip May: here

Dominic Grieve

Dominic Grieve (born May 24, 1956), Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland from May 2010 to July 2014, read Modern History at Magdalen College, graduating in 1978.

Kim Beazley

Kim Beazley (born December 14, 1948), Deputy PM of Australia (June 1995 - March 1996) and Australia's Labor Party Leader (1996-2001, 2005-2006), earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Arts degrees at the University of Western Australia and was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship in 1973. He completed a Master’s of Philosophy at Balliol College, Oxford, writing his thesis on Soviet and American naval competition in the Indian Ocean.  (source)

Peter Millican

Peter Millican (born March 1, 1958), philosopher at Hertford College, Oxford, read for his BA and BPhil at Lincoln College, Oxford 1976-1982. His lectures on General Philosophy can be seen here.

Andrew Motion

Andrew Motion

Andrew Motion (born 26 October 1952), the British Poet Laureate 1999-2009, read English at Univ and graduated with BA (first class) in 1974. He then stayed on and earned his M.Litt. in 1976 (presumably at Univ, though not confirmed),

Alan Hollinghurst

Alan Hollinghurst (born 26 May 1954), the notable novelist and winner of the 2004 Man Booker Prize (see The Observer profile), read English at Magdalen College from 1972 to 1979, graduating with BA in 1975, and MLitt in 1979. (The friendship of Andrew Motion, Alan Hollinghurst, Stephen Pickles and Hugh Grant is described in "Iris Murdoch as I knew her", by A.N. Wilson.)

Vikram Seth

Vikram Seth

Vikram Seth (born June 20, 1952, Calcutta, India), Indian poet, novelist, and travel writer, is well known for his verse novel The Golden Gate (1986) and his epic novel A Suitable Boy (1993).

The son of a judge and a businessman, Seth was raised in London and India. He attended exclusive Indian schools and entered Corpus Christi College, Oxford to read English (which he later changed to Philosophy, Politics and Economics) in 1971, graduating with a BA in 1975, having taken the year 1973-74 off in India. He received a master’s degree in economics from Stanford University in 1978 and later studied at Nanking (China) University. In 1987 he returned to India to live with his family in New Delhi. (source)

Rajiva Wijesinha (see below) on Vikram Seth's Romanticism:  here

Pico Iyer

Pico Iyer. travel writer and essayist, was probably at Oxford from the autumn of 1976, according to his birth year (1957).

Pico Iyer was born in Oxford, England, to parents from India, in 1957, grew up in California and currently lives in Japan. He won a King's Scholarship to Eton and then a Demyship to  Magdalen College, Oxford, where, graduating with a Congratulatory Double First in English, he received the highest marks of any student in the university. He went on to acquire a second Master's degree in literature at Harvard, where he taught literature and writing for two years. (source)

David Profumo

David Profumo (born Oct 20, 1955), novelist and son of John Profumo (the disgraced Secretary of State for War in the Macmillan government (The Profumo Affair)), read English at Magdalen College in 1974-77, graduating with a First.

Val McDermid in 1975 (source)

Val McDermid (born June 4, 1955), Scottish crime writer, read English at St Hilda's College in 1972 (aged 17)-1975 (here).

Artemis Cooper (source)

Artemis Cooper (born 22 April 1953), British writer and biographer, read English at St Hugh's College in 1972 - 1975, graduating with a BA (here).

Peter Tasker

Peter Tasker (bio),  Japan watcher, author of Inside Japan (1987) and Japan in Play (1999), and financial expert, read English Literature, then Law, at Balliol College, beginning in 1973.




Rowan Atkinson

Rowan Atkinson (born January 6, 1955), the renowned Mr Bean and Blackadder, graduated with a BSc from Newcastle University (UK). He then entered The Queen's College, Oxford in 1975 to read Electrical Engineering, graduating with a MSc in Electrical Engineering in 1979. Mr Bean was conceived in Oxford.



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Tan Jee Say, and Professor Rajiva Wijesinha, Chairman of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, on 3 Nov 2011

Rajiva Wijesinha (born May 16, 1954), MA(Oxon), DPhil (Oxon),  is a Sri Lankan writer in English, distinguished for his political analysis as well as creative and critical work. An academic by profession for much of his working career, he was most recently Senior Professor of Languages at the University of Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka.

He belongs to the Liberal Party of Sri Lanka, and has served as its President and Leader, and also as a Vice-President of Liberal International. He is currently Chair of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats.

He read Classics as an undergraduate at University College (1970-74), and English Literature as a graduate student at Corpus Christi.

Tan Jee Say (born February 12, 1954), candadate in the 2011 Singapore General Elections and the 2011 Presidential Election, read PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) at University College during 1973-76.

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M Athar Tahir (source)

M (Muhammad) Athar Tahir (here, here), Pakistani writer, painter and civil servant (Federal Secretary (of) Education), was a Rhodes scholar (beginning in 1974, source) reading English Literature at Oriel College.

Punjab Portraits by M Athar Tahir

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Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr.

Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. (born September 13, 1957), widely known as Bongbong Marcos, is a Filipino politician and senator in the 16th Congress of the Philippines. He is the second child and only son of Ferdinand E. Marcos, the former president of the Philippines(1965–1986), and former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos. He read PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) at St Edmund Hall in 1975-78 (here).

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