FOR a man who has been into space, Oxford might not seem particularly exotic.

But Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield seemed perfectly happy to sign hundreds of copies of his book in the city’s branch of Waterstones yesterday.

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth tells of his experiences in space.

Abingdon resident Stella Carter said: “From what I have read of him before he seems quite inspirational. We felt his book would make a good gift for for Christmas.”

Commander Hadfield became famous for chronicling life aboard the international space station and taking pictures of the earth and posting them through Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. He said on Twitter yesterday: “Good morning! I’ve always wanted to go to Oxford — here today @ noon to meet you & sign books.”

He has spent a total of 166 days in space and famously recorded a version of David Bowie’s Space Oddity while on his mission.