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.

Discovery and Invention

Bird’s Custard

Alfred Bird’s wife could eat neither eggs nor yeast. So being a Victorian, Alfred put his thinking-cap on.

Length: 59 words

Discovery and Invention

The Fleming Valve

A Victorian children’s book inspired the birth of modern electronics.

Length: 51 words

Stories in Short

Treasure Island

An excited English gentleman hires a ship for a treasure-hunt, but doesn’t check his crew’s credentials.

Length: 111 words

Anglo-Saxon Era

The Alleluia Victory

How hard-pressed Christians on the Welsh border won a battle without bloodshed.

Length: 51 words

Greek History

The Third Siege of Missolonghi

The cruelty of the Ottoman Turks so shocked Europe that the tide of opinion turned against them.

Length: 57 words

Anglo-Saxon Era

Edith and Edward

A King and Queen gentler than the times in which they lived.

Length: 53 words