Dreaming spires, honeyed stone, cycling dons.. .forget all that tourist twaddle, says Benedict le Vay. Find out the secrets the colleges don`t want you to know, the inside track on the best pubs & eating places, the scandal & gossip about nutty professors & disgraceful students past & present, the brilliant stories about the great, the good & the bad. William Morris called Oxford `a perfect jewel` of a city; Benedict le Vay goes in search of the quirkier gems among its medieval back alleys. Here roam batty dons, daft students, barmy aristocrats & political firebrands. Who does that gargoyle remind you of? Why is a shark plunging into that man`s house? When do students jump naked into the River Cherwell as Latin hymns are sung? What powers the ` Cosmic Triangle` of vibrant East Oxford? How do you control a punt without looking like a plonker? The guide also cover the pubs where Inspector Morse & Bill Clinton enjoyed a pint, where to eat a great fry-up in a unique setting, where to find a weird museum & a calendar of annual eccentric events.