Somerville 140: 1879–2019

• This beautifully illustrated catalogue commemorates the 140th anniversary of Somerville College, Oxford, through the stories of curious objects and extraordinary individuals.

When did Jean Cocteau see a fellow of Somerville in a kimono? How did a mummy mask find its way to the library? What’s the connection between The Oxford Book of English Verse and a prison camp? And how did a devilish cat become immortalised in fiction?

2019 marks 140 years since Somerville opened its doors. Since then, the college has educated two Prime Ministers, one Nobel Prize-winning scientist and over seventy published authors. A catalogue of the rare, the everyday and the just plain curious, Somerville 140 includes everything from sculpture to teapots and books to bicycle racks.

Lizzy Emerson is a freelance writer and editor based in Oxfordshire.