Our Island Story
Encyclopedia
Our Island Story: A Child's History of England is a book by Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall
, first published in 1905 in London by T. C. & E. C. Jack.
It is about the history
of England
up to Queen Victoria's death, with some myths and legend
s mixed in. The book's contents were originally told by H. E. Marshall to answer her children's questions about the history of "their home island" (Great Britain
, although at the time they were living in Australia
).
The book has always been very popular, and many famous historian
s credit it as an inspiration.
After being out of print for many years, in 2005, the book's centenary year, an alliance of the Civitas
think-tank and various national newspapers brought the book back into print through Galore Park Publishing, with the aim of sending a free copy to each of the UK's primary schools. Readers of The Daily Telegraph
contributed £25,000 to the cost of the reprint. It was published as Our Island Story: A History of Britain for Boys and Girls, from the Romans to Queen Victoria.
Prime Minister David Cameron
chose Our Island Story when asked to select his favourite childhood book in October 2010:
Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall
Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall was a British author, particularly well known for her works of popular national history for children....
, first published in 1905 in London by T. C. & E. C. Jack.
It is about the history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
up to Queen Victoria's death, with some myths and legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s mixed in. The book's contents were originally told by H. E. Marshall to answer her children's questions about the history of "their home island" (Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, although at the time they were living in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
).
The book has always been very popular, and many famous historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s credit it as an inspiration.
After being out of print for many years, in 2005, the book's centenary year, an alliance of the Civitas
Civitas
In the history of Rome, the Latin term civitas , according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the cives, or citizens, united by law . It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities on the one hand and rights of citizenship on the other...
think-tank and various national newspapers brought the book back into print through Galore Park Publishing, with the aim of sending a free copy to each of the UK's primary schools. Readers of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
contributed £25,000 to the cost of the reprint. It was published as Our Island Story: A History of Britain for Boys and Girls, from the Romans to Queen Victoria.
Prime Minister David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
chose Our Island Story when asked to select his favourite childhood book in October 2010:
- "When I was younger, I particularly enjoyed 'Our Island Story' by Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall [...] It is written in a way that really captured my imagination and which nurtured my interest in the history of our great nation."
External links
- Full text e-book of An Island Story (1920 U.S. edition) (note that the 1953 edition continued to the First World WarWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
). - Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall