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

‘Westward, Look, the Land Is Bright!’

Though Arthur Clough had discovered that to be your own man was a long and toilsome path, it was not a path without hope.

Length: 59 words

Mediaeval History

The King Who Would Not Turn His Back

When Richard I heard that the town of Verneuil in Normandy was under threat, he made a vow that few could be expected to take so literally.

Length: 58 words

Mediaeval History

An Unsuitable Job for a Bishop

Richard the Lionheart told Philip, the martial Bishop of Dreux, to decide whether he was a bishop or a knight.

Length: 58 words

Indian History

The Lessons of Empire

The British Empire’s hostile breakup with India should have taught everyone two things: money cannot buy love, and power does not command respect.

Length: 108 words

Modern History

The Verdict of History

Two of the Victorian Age’s most distinguished historians locked horns over the question of whether historians should be nice.

Length: 120 words

Indian History

The Considerate Queen

When the young Aga Khan visited London in 1898 he was presented to Queen Victoria, and found her cultural sensitivity deeply touching.

Length: 59 words