The Copybook

Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.

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KJV Bible

1219

© Claudia Yang, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

Alan Blumlein by Clay Lane

Railway enthusiast, music lover, and the man who gave us stereo sound.

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1220

© Nick MacNeill, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Tom and Terrier by Jerome K. Jerome

A fox terrier spies what looks like a hapless victim – until he gets up close.

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1221

Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Tragedy of King Oedipus by Clay Lane

Oedipus flees home in an attempt to escape a dreadful prophecy, unware that it is following at his heels.

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1222

Photo by Свято-Троицкий собор, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

St Ahmed by Clay Lane

A Turkish official was itching to know the secret behind a Russian slave girl’s personal charm.

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1223

From the Imperial War Museums Collection, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

‘Recessional’ by Rudyard Kipling

A heartfelt plea for humility at the height of Britain’s Empire.

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1224

© Georgi.petrov66, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Nightingale and the Glow Worm by William Cowper

A kind of Aesop’s Fable in verse, about mutual respect among those with different talents.

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Clay Lane The Copybook
About Clay Lane nicholas@claylane.uk

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 25 NS

May 12 OS

The Man Born Blind : A man born blind is healed by Jesus, but finds himself a social outcast as a result.
Q & A :
Deep Harmony : In the midst of the US Civil War, a simple melody briefly brought the warring factions together.
Thirty Minutes : Describe half an hour in one of these places.
And is there Care in Heaven? : Sir Guyon lies in an enchanted swoon, but he is not without help.
Pirate : For each of these words, suggest others that seem to go with it, and use them to bring a scene to life.
Tilting at Windmills : Don Quixote seizes his chance to capture a giant for his lady-love, Dulcinea.
Kim’s Game : Test your memory with this mental agility game from the pages of Rudyard Kipling.
A Mechanical Miracle : The father of computing believed his machine held the key to some of life’s greatest mysteries.
Essential Nouns : Suggest nouns of essence, such as leadership or supremacy.
The Follies of Youth : RL Stevenson was of the opinion that wrongthink was better than groupthink.
Thick and Thin : Express each of these ideas as a single word.
Break : Explain what each of these common expressions means, and give examples.
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