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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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Greek and Roman Myths

Heracles and the Birds of Lake Stymphalia

Our hero is sent to deal with some man-eating birds, but cannot reach their lakeside refuge.

Sport and Sportsmen

The Aspden Cup

British factory workers started a historic three-cornered league in the Russian city of St Petersburg.

Discovery and Invention

Changing Times

The editor of the country’s most famous newspaper had to use a little sleight-of-hand to bring journalism to the people.

by James Parton 1822-1891

Indian Myths

The Heron and the Crab

An ageing Heron finds himself a little too stiff to fish for himself, so he thinks of a way to get the fish to do it for him.

based on The Fables of Bidpai late 6th century

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Charles Dickens

Virtue in Rags and Patches

Rudyard Kipling

Eddi’s Service

Frédéric Bastiat

The Broken Window

Arthur Penrhys Stanley

Christ is Risen!

A. A. Milne

A Chess Problem

James Hall Nasmyth

‘One of That Sort, Are You?’

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Selected Topics

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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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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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Bible and Saints

Tales from the Bible, including the parables of Jesus and the story of Esther, and miracles from the lives of saints, such as our own Cuthbert the Wonderworker.

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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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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