Author: MASTERMAN, J.C.
Title: To Teach the Senators Wisdom or an Oxford Guide-Book
Description: London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1952. Hardcover. 8vo. Blue cloth with gilt spine lettering. 283pp. Illustrations, front pictorial endpaper. Near fine. Superbly tight and bright first edition of this quirky guidebook to the British city, inscribed large and bold in blue ballpoint on half-title page: "For Dr. Adlai Stevenson / May 24, 1957. / from / J.C. Masterman." Twice-defeated Democratic presidential candidate Stevenson took a highly-publicized two-month overseas tour around this time, stopping by Oxford University to be awarded an honorary degree on May 26, 1957 and closing his trip with a visit to Dr. Albert Schweitzer in French Equatorial Africa. Oxford's vice-chancellor and also provost of Worcester College was John Christian Masterman (1891-1977), who played his official host. This academic is well known for authoring two murder mysteries set in Oxford and best known as chairman during World War Two of the Twenty Committee, which ran the famed "Double-Cross System" that oversaw double agents in Berlin. An outstanding presentation copy, inscribed to Stevenson by his host two days before Oxford conferred their degree on the American statesman. Ironically, a couple of decades later Governor Stevenson's son, namesake Adlai (1930-2021), was elected to the United States Senate, filling that post from 1969 to 1981. .

Keywords: Travel & Exploration


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