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.

Music and Musicians

The Story of ‘Messiah’

The first thing George Frideric Handel’s oratorio ‘Messiah’ did was to set a hundred and forty-two prisoners free.

Length: 54 words

Music and Musicians

Fiddler Tam

An 18th century bon viveur and virtuoso violinist, Thomas Erskine is currently being ‘rediscovered’ by the classical music industry.

Length: 54 words

Discovery and Invention

The First Train Journey by Steam

Richard Trevithick’s boss hailed the engineer as a genius. Today he’d have been fired. (Oh, and the train was delayed.)

Length: 55 words

Discovery and Invention

The Ladder with Twenty-Four Rungs

The Duke of Argyll was pleasantly surprised to find one of his gardeners reading a learned book of mathematics - in Latin.

Length: 60 words

Discovery and Invention

The Star that Winked

John Goodricke’s observations of Algol won him the Copley Medal while still in his teens, despite his disability.

Length: 57 words

Discovery and Invention

Timothy Hackworth

Timothy Hackworth (1786-1850) turned steam locomotives into a reliable commercial success.

Length: 59 words