Hallmark

Sir Oliver Popplewell became, in his own words, officially 'judicially senile' after a distinguished career at the Bar, as a High court judge specialising in defamation, arbitration and sports law - an appropriate niche for a Cambridge cricket Blue. And in public life he achieved prominence as chairman of important public enquiries such as the Bradford Stadium disaster. "Hallmark: A Judge's Life at Oxford", the sequel to his acclaimed autobiography, "Benchmark: Life, Laughter and the Law", tells how he went to Oxford University to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics as the oldest undergraduate ever to be admitted - with considerable press and media coverage and good-natured amusement among family and friends.Here is a sharply observed, sympathetic yet critical picture of modern Oxford seen from the perspective of a leading judge and public figure who could contrast this experience with his Cambridge days from the late 1940s. But this is much more than the story of an older student. It is hugely entertaining account of a life lived to the full.
Sir Oliver takes his readers into his confidence, shares his experience and presents a unique facet of a fascinating life which can serve as a warm but sharply observed social and cultural history of modern Britain.

Prior to his retirement, the Honourable Sir Oliver Popplewell was a distinguished High Court judge for nearly twenty years and was involved in a number of celebrated cases over the course of his long career. He subsequently returned to university to take a degree in PPE at Harris Manchester College as Oxford's oldest undergraduate. His previous book, Benchmark: Life, Laughter and the Law, a memoir of his experiences as a judge. is also published by I.B.Tauris.

Foreword by Stephen Fry
CHAPTER 1 JUDICIAL SENILITY
CHAPTER 2 GOLDEN SUMMER AND OXFORD
CHAPTER 3 SETTLING DOWN
CHAPTER 4 BITS AND PIECES
CHAPTER 5 EXAMS
CHAPTER 6 MORE BITS AND PIECES
CHAPTER 7 SECOND YEAR AT OXFORD
CHAPTER 8 SECOND YEAR ... CONT.
CHAPTER 9 LEGAL NOTES
CHAPTER 10 REPORTS
CHAPTER 11 SUMMER 2005
CHAPTER 12 LORD CHIEF JUSTICES
CHAPTER 13 JOB HUNTING
CHAPTER 14 WINTER IN OXFORD
CHAPTER 15 THIRD YEAR
CHAPTER 16 SUMMER TERM AT OXFORD
CHAPTER 17 NEWSPAPERS AND GRIPES
CHAPTER 18 FINAL DAYS
CHAPTER 19 HOUSES
CHAPTER 20 REFLECTIONS ON OXFORD
CHAPTER 21 AUSTRALIA
CHAPTER 22 ACADEMIA
CHAPTER 23 TV ADVENTURE
CHAPTER 24 REFLECTIONS