This book investigates the profound influence of Oxford University graduates on the administration and ideological framework of the British Empire. Richard Symonds, drawing upon historical records and institutional archives, examines the symbiotic relationship between the university's classical curriculum and the governance of imperial territories. He argues that the intellectual culture of Oxford provided both the personnel and the moral justification for imperial expansion, while simultaneously shaping the identities of colonial students who navigated the university's rigid traditions.

Historians and scholars of the British Empire frequently cite this work for its detailed exploration of the intersection between elite education and colonial power structures. The text is noted for its balanced approach to the conflicting ideologies present within the university during the height of the imperial era.