The Copy Book

There are eleven posts in The Copy Book assigned to 1839. To see all our posts in chronological order, go to the Tale of Years.

1838 1839 1840

Left Holding the Baby

By Richard Pike

A gentleman travelling home from London by train reached his destination carrying more than he set out with.

Mrs Nickleby’s Cold Cure

By Charles Dickens

Charmed by their attentions to her daughter Kate, Mrs Nickleby rewards Mr Pyke and Mr Pluck with a reminiscence about her favourite home remedy for colds.

The First Opium War

By Jawaharlal Nehru

In 1840, the British Government declared war on the Chinese Empire over their harsh treatment of drug smugglers from Bengal.

The Squeers Method

By Charles Dickens

Mr Squeers explains his educational philosophy to his new and bewildered assistant master at Dotheboys Hall in Yorkshire.

‘Let’s Be a Comfortable Couple’

By Charles Dickens

The offices of the Cheeryble Brothers are humming with excitement over two upcoming weddings, and Tim Linkinwater finds the mood is catching.

Defective Democracy

By John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham

Lord Durham warned Westminster that colonial Canada must be run by elected MPs, not career bureaucrats.

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Clay Lane