Oxford is one of the world's great cities--a source of inspiration to generations of poets, novelists, journalists, and commentators who have visited or called it home. Be it praise or colorful invective, everyone, it seems, has something to say about the city and this slender volume--filled with wise, witty, and sometimes scandalous quotes--presents the full range of impressions it has made.

Oxford, "City of Dreaming Spires," earns high marks from Hillaire Belloc, who writes that "there are few greater temptations on earth than to stay permanently at Oxford . . . and to read all the...