Clay Lane › The Copy Book

Passages for reading. Read them out aloud. Paraphrase or précis them. Discuss them with friends. Does anything surprise or impress you? How does the author work your feelings? Would you use his words? How would you direct the scene in a movie — and who would your stars be?

More …

On This Day

Sunday September 8 ns August 26 os

For Church feasts falling on September 8 in the New Style calendar, see The Feast of Nativity of the Virgin Mary and Finding of the Kursk icon.

August 26, 1395 os

Meeting of the ‘Vladimir’ Icon (1)

The Theotokos of Vladimir

It is one of the world’s most recognisable works of art, and a symbol of God’s blessing on all Christian Rus’.

September 8, 1380

The Battle of Kulikovo (1)

Dmitri of the Don

Grand Duke Dmitri of Moscow loosened the grip of the Tartar Horde on the people of Russia, but treachery robbed him of triumph.

by Lucy Cazalet 1870-1956

Recently Added

See all

International Relations

A Credit to His Country

The diplomat’s task is to see the best in other peoples, not to scold them for their failings.

by François de Callières 1645-1717

Lives of the Saints

The Synod of Whitby

In 664, a council at Whitby decided to align the traditions of the Northumbrian Church with those of Rome and Constantinople.

by John Richard Green 1837-1883

From the Archive

See all

Stuart Era

The Arrest of the Five Members

King Charles I ended two years of uneasy peace with his Parliament by bursting into the Commons with a heavily-armed tactical unit.

by Edmund Ludlow 1617-1692

Stuart Era

Sweet Counsel

Advice is a dangerous gift, and for centuries our greatest writers have wondered how to dispense it safely.

by Joseph Addison 1672-1719

Mediaeval History

Woven Story

In the thirteenth century, wealthy English homeowners began to think more about the inside of their stately homes.

by Anonymous

Indian History

Mir Kasim

The East India Company installed Mir Kasim as Nawab of Bengal, only to find that he had a mind of his own.

See All Posts (1522)

Selected Authors

See all

Adam Smith

The Economic Case for Sovereignty

St Bede of Jarrow

The Lessons of History

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Living Past

William Cowper

Winter Wisdom

Sir Richard Steele

The Doctor Will Fleece You Now

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Liberty-Lovers

See all Posts by Author

Selected Topics

See all

Animal Stories

Fables and true tales about animals, including a dog who regularly commuted to Matlock, a horse who didn’t approve of bad language, and a cat who saved her owners from an earthquake.

See all (77)

International Relations

Britain has always demanded respect, open seas, and to be left in peace to ‘work out our own salvation’ — a courtesy we should extend to others.

See all (41)

Poets and Poetry

Passages from English verse, from Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf to Shakespeare’s sonnets, Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade, Kipling’s If and many more.

See all (52)

Extracts from Fiction

Romance, adventure and comedy from the very best fiction writers, including Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens, John Buchan, and many more.

See all (109)

France

Stories about our friends across the Channel, from Roman times to the Hundred Years’ War, her bloody Revolution, and the giddying rise and fall of Emperor Napoleon.

See all (27)

Classical History

Tales of tragedy, ambition and heroism from the Battle of Marathon and Hannibal’s passage of the Alps to Caesar’s fateful crossing of the Rubicon.

See all (57)

See All Topics (A-Z)

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature