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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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Discovery and Invention

Sir Humphry Davy

A Cornish professor of chemistry with a poetic turn who helped make science a popular fashion.

Lives of the Saints

Cuthbert and the Phantom Fire

The Northumbrian saint warned of an enemy who would stop at nothing to silence the good news.

Rudyard Kipling

‘Kings in Our Own Right’

Two former soldiers in India find British bureaucracy cramps their style, so they set off to become kings of their own land.

by Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936

Bible Stories Retold

Joseph and the Land of Promise

Jacob takes his whole family to join Joseph in Egypt, but God promises him that one day they will return to Canaan.

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Selected Authors

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William Paley

Who Can Refute a Sneer?

Adam Smith

The Economic Case for Sovereignty

Sir Hubert Parry

Youth and Age

Thomas Babington Macaulay

The Siege of Arcot

Abraham Lincoln

Sublime Christian Heroism

Charles Dickens

Fan Frenzy

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Selected Topics

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Sport and Sportsmen

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

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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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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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Character and Conduct

Stories illustrating noble deeds in matters both great and small, such as the noble gesture of Sir Philip Sidney, and the determination of Benjamin Disraeli.

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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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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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The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature