Good news

Some of our readers will recall the plan for an educational institution that would concentrate on the teaching of this country’s history. One of the starting points of that project was the news that the think-tank Civitas was going to republish Henrietta Marshall’s book for children: Our Island Story.

It seems little is known about H. E. Marshall apart from the fact that she wrote wonderful books for children that introduced many of them to the delights of history and of British history in particular.

They are, of course, all based on the narrative principle and told as an exciting tale. I am delighted to inform those of our readers who have not been following the developments that the book is now available to order directly from Civitas or from Telegraph Books. I trust it will be in bookshops soon, as well.

If you follow the link above, you can also donate money to ensure that a copy reaches every primary school in the country, though whether teachers will then bother to use the book is questionable. You can take a horse to water ….

The website also has a chapter of the book to show what Marshall’s style and writing is like. The chapter about the Princes in the Tower has been one of the favourites of many generations. And with a great sigh I have to point out that far from being the hope of England, Henry Tudor was a usurper with no rights to the throne but determined to ensure that anyone who had better claims would be either killed or executed. How sad.

As for Richard III and the Princes, may I recommend, in addition to H. E. Marshall’s wonderful book, Josephine Tey’s highly imaginative novel: The Daughter of Time? All of which will make a nice change from EU matters.

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