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

Modern History

Florence Nightingale

Florence used her logical mind and society connections to save thousands of lives in the Crimean War.

Free Trade and Markets

A Growing Reputation

Herbert Bury distinguished two kinds of overseas investment, and only one was worthy of Englishmen.

by Herbert Bury 1854-1933

Greek and Roman Myths

Hera and the Boeotian Bride

Zeus employs a little psychology to effect a reunion with his offended wife.

Aesop of Samos

The Fox and the Grapes

Some people disparage what they can’t have.

based on a fable by Aesop of Samos

See All Posts (1522)

Selected Authors

See all

William Shakespeare

I’ll Tell You Who Time Gallops Withal

William Cobbett

The Real Merchant

Adam Smith

The Economic Case for Sovereignty

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

A Tiger By Morning

John Wesley

Wilberforce Contra Mundum

Lewis Carroll

The White Queen’s Riddle

See all Posts by Author

Selected Topics

See all

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)

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)

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)

Liberty and Prosperity

Stories from Britain and elsewhere confirming the social and economic benefits of keeping Governments and their cronies out of the trade and business of ordinary people.

See all (170)

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)

See All Topics (A-Z)

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature