Enlightened Oxford

Nigel Aston is a Research Associate at the University of York, and Reader Emeritus in the School of History, Politics, and International Relations at the University of Leicester where he taught for two decades. Educated at Durham and Christ Church, Oxford, he is the author of several single-authored books and numerous articles on British and French eighteenth-century religious and political history and is currently completing the editing of the Yale Boswell Editions The correspondence of James Boswell with the Rev. W.J. Temple, Vol. 2: 1777-1796.

• Introduction 1: Fame, Form, and Function: the University's place and purpose in the long eighteenth century Intellectual Presence 2: Oxford and British academic contexts after the Glorious Revolution 3: The defence of the Church of England and Christian belief 4: Oxford and the Arts and Humanities 5: Oxford and contemporary science: anxiety, adaptation, and advance Institutional Presence and Interactions 6: University personnel: offices, influence, and the polity 7: Oxford and the Crown 8: Oxford, the world of Westminster, and the defence of the University's interests 9: Beyond the University: Outreach and connections in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland Cultural Constructions, Connections, and Tensions 10: The University as seen from outside 11: Oxford and the wider world: the European connections and imperial involvements of the University 12: Insider trading: family, friendship, connection, and culture beyond the University Conclusion: Oxford variations on an Enlightenment theme

It is an impressive study. Its thoroughness and level of detail justly serves the broad scope of the project. As a rich source of information, it will surely become the new definitive work on eighteenth-century Oxford. As well as this, it provides an important perspective on the role and place of the university in the Enlightenment and is a fascinating study of church and state in Hanoverian Britain.