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

Liberty and Prosperity

Folly and Freedom

Britain’s colonies were founded to supply her Government with gold, but instead they supplied her people with liberty.

by Adam Smith 1723-1790

Stories in Short

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Hermia and her lover Lysander elope from Athens, only to become tangled with squabbling fairies in the woods.

based on the play by William Shakespeare 1564-1616

Character and Conduct

A Very Special Correspondent

Pauline de Meulan’s magazine Publiciste was close to going out of business when an anonymous contributor stepped in.

by Samuel Smiles 1812-1904

Lives of the Saints

Cuthbert and the White Rider

The young Christian from ancient Northumbria was healed of a lame leg in a manner that reminded Bede of the archangel Rafael.

based on an account by St Bede of Jarrow 672-735

See All Posts (1522)

Selected Authors

See all

James Hall Nasmyth

‘Never Let Your Men Look Over the Hedge’

Edmund Burke

My Standard of a Statesman

John Stuart Mill

Judicial Iniquity

St Bede of Jarrow

Lost Innocence

Sydney Smith

War is Such a Taxing Business

Karl Philipp Moritz

Better than a Play

See all Posts by Author

Selected Topics

See all

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.

See all (51)

Sport and Sportsmen

Stories from the world of cricket, football and other sports, and the men and women who have played them.

See all (27)

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.

See all (122)

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)

The British Constitution

Passages examining Britain’s sometimes baffling constitutional monarchy, and telling the story of its enemies, its champions, and its reformers.

See all (32)

See All Topics (A-Z)

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature