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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?

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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

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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

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Animal Stories

The Cats’ Tea Party

Gertrude Jekyll throws a tea party for her nine-year-old niece and some very special guests.

by Gertrude Jekyll 1843-1932

The Hundred Years’ War

Away to Your Own Country

As the Duke of Bedford and other English captains were besieging Orleans, they received a startling letter from a seventeen-year-old girl.

by Joan of Arc ?1410-1429

Liberty and Prosperity

By Wager of Battle

It began to look as if Abraham Thornton might go down for rape and murder, so his attorneys dug deep into their bag of legal tricks.

from The Newgate Calendar 1824-28

Science and Scientists

Unfolding the Universe

Sir Isaac Newton told William Stukeley about the day when an apple fell from a tree and set him thinking about the solar system.

by William Stukeley 1687-1765

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Selected Authors

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William Ewart Gladstone

The Din of Diplomacy

Thomas Babington Macaulay

Roses and Poor-Rates

John Evelyn

‘London Was, but Is No More!’

John Buchan

Dead Man Walking

Laurence Sterne

Fricassée in France

Mandell Creighton

The Tale of Robert Tomson

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Selected Topics

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India

Stories from the ancient and mighty civilisation of India, from classical mythology to the Mughal Emperors, the East India Company and the British Raj.

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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.

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Greece

Tales about the cradle of Western civilisation, from Socrates and the first democracies to the fall of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman yoke, and Britain’s part in the fight for independence.

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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.

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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.

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Russia

Stories from our cousins in the East, from Rurik the Viking and the Baptism of Rus’ to trade with Ivan the Terrible, a visit from Peter the Great, and the last Emperor.

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The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature