Review by Christopher Dow

 

 

 

Rice’s smallest history book just got bigger in more ways than one. The book, A University So Conceived: A Brief History of Rice University (Rice University, 2006), by John B. Boles, the William Pettus Hobby Professor of History at Rice University and the university’s unofficial historian, has just been issued in its third edition. First published in 1992 in a small format, the book gives a concise history of Rice and touches on many of the elements that not only make it a great university but that also confer its unique character. A revised and updated edition was issued in 1997.

 

The third edition is larger in size than its predecessors and is the most current, taking the history up to the present. Included are many historical photos, information on the university’s presidents, a list of board members and enrollment figures. One feature of the previous editions that also finds expansion here is a decade-by-decade graphic of the growth of the campus that shows how it has developed over the years. The new edition also includes an index for handy reference.

 

 

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This review originally was published in the summer 2007 issue of Sallyport: The Magazine of Rice University.

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