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.

Poets and Poetry

The Pitman Poet

Joseph Skipsey taught himself to read and write by candlelight, hundreds of feet below ground in a Northumberland pit.

Length: 117 words

Greek and Roman Myths

Hera and the Boeotian Bride

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

Length: 60 words

Discovery and Invention

The Hetton Railway

The railway earned a special place in history as the first to be designed for steam locomotives only.

Length: 60 words

Discovery and Invention

The Stockton and Darlington Railway

The little County Durham line built by George Stephenson and his son Robert was the place where the world’s railway infrastructure really began.

Length: 105 words

Bible Stories Retold

The Story of Pentecost

Jesus’s apostles receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, and the startling effects quickly draw a crowd.

Length: 114 words

Discovery and Invention

The Music of the Spheres

Sir William Herschel not only discovered Uranus and infrared radiation, but composed two dozen symphonies as well.

Length: 58 words