This book is a cornucopia, a bran tub to dip into for those with an interest in good writing from Oxford or further afield. Ten ‘authors’ with strong Oxford connections are featured. They vary from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, from fictional characters like Lyra, Morse, Alice, Detective Inspectors Adam Fawley and Holden to real people such as Lawrence of Arabia/Oxford, Iris Murdoch, Vera Brittain and P. D. James.

You, the reader, can explore them and their work through the simple device of a short walk around ‘their’ Oxford – real or imagined. This is a guide book designed to be taken like tablets one at a time to allow you to soak in the author or their character. All the literary tours are self-guided though, for those with a special interest, there are many professional guided tours of Oxford.

The eagle-eyed will spot an eleventh author – Peter Tickler who has in recent years used Oxford ‘town’ (not ‘gown’) as the base for his own brand of detective fiction. He deserves recognition.

The city has been the petri dish for much intellectual activity over the last millennium. Literature to the fore. Do use this guide extensively and do enjoy your walks with a purpose.