Minis
Mini Copy Book

Each post in this section is a short précis (summary) of a passage in The Copy Book. All of them are in modern English. They are intended for students of English as a Foreign Language at Elementary Level.

Greek History

Wrath Reawakened

During the Orlov Revolt of 1769, Greek islanders get their hands on a copy of Homer’s epic tale of Troy.

Length: 59 words

Music and Musicians

Big Hitter

Meriel Talbot’s distinguished career in government came as no surprise to those who had seen her at the wicket.

Length: 106 words

Music and Musicians

Daw Chorus

Composer Ethel Smyth starts telling the Archbishop of Canterbury a joke, and then wishes she hadn’t...

Length: 57 words

Extracts from Literature

What the Signalman Saw

The guardian of a lonely signalbox recounts a truly haunting experience.

Length: 111 words

History of Africa

Africa’s Competitive Edge

Four years before the bloody American civil war, Dr David Livingstone proposed a peaceful way to rid the world of slavery.

Length: 55 words

Lives of the Saints

St Nicholas Scotches a Rumour

Three highly decorated officers in the Roman Army fall victim to a campaign to discredit them.

Length: 60 words