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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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Sport and Sportsmen

A Many-Chorded Lyre

Stylish batting in cricket is about variety, invention and frankly anything that works, and we have Dr W.G. Grace to thank for it.

by Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji of Nawanagar 1872-1933

Animal Stories

Oh Hame Fain Wad I Be!

A cat moved home from Edinburgh to Glasgow and seemed to settle in nicely, but it turned out she was only biding her time.

from Popular Sketches of British Quadrupeds 1815

Sport and Sportsmen

Rugby League

The less glamorous code of Rugby football, but the best for sheer speed and strength.

William Shakespeare

Poet and Poacher

Literary rumour in the time of Queen Anne said that William Shakespeare owed his extraordinary career to a scurrilous ballad.

by Nicholas Rowe 1674-1718

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Selected Authors

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Jane Austen

Education of the Heart

Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington

Trunk and Disorderly

William Cullen Bryant

Statesman vs Politician

Lewis Carroll

The Caucus Race

W. Somerset Maugham

The Lessons of Empire

Joseph Addison

Sweet Counsel

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Selected Topics

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Railways

Stories about the British transport revolution that changed the world, from the first locomotive and the first whistle to Flying Scotsman.

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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.

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Myths and Legends

Stories of wisdom, wonder and imagination from the Fables of Aesop and the epics of Homer to the folklore of India, Japan, Russia and Britain.

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Discovery and Invention

Tales of scientific innovation and merchant enterprise, from steam power and life-saving medicines to new trade partners far away, and new ways to reach them.

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Abolition of Slavery

Heart-breaking tales of slavery, in which Britain played a shameful part; and heart-warming tales of Abolition, in which she played a courageous one.

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Free Speech and Conscience

Passages defending the right and obligation of every citizen to judge whatever is good and true, and to talk back to those who govern him.

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The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature