British Isles and Empire — Recommended Reading

Novice Favorites

Recommended for beginners of any age

Book Title	Author
Our Island Story	by H. E. Marshall
Our Empire Story	by H. E. Marshall
Stories from English History	by Hilda Skae
Historical Reader—Primary	by Press Cambridge Press

Comprehensive History

Book Title	Author
Our Island Story	by H. E. Marshall
Story of the English	by Helene A. Guerber
Story of England	by Samuel B. Harding
Stories from English History: I	by Alfred J. Church
Stories From English History: II	by Alfred J. Church
Stories From English History: III	by Alfred J. Church
Historical Tales: 4—English	by Charles Morris
Reign of Queen Victoria	by M. B. Synge
Tudors and Stuarts	by M. B. Synge
Hanoverians	by C. J. B. Gaskoin
Struggle for Sea Power	by M. B. Synge
Growth of the British Empire	by M. B. Synge
Stories from English History	by Hilda Skae
Historical Reader—Primary	by Press Cambridge Press

Regional History

Book Title	Author
Our Empire Story	by H. E. Marshall
Scotland's Story	by H. E. Marshall
Oom Paul's People	by Howard C. Hillegas
With the Boer Forces	by Howard C. Hillegas
Ireland: Peeps at History	by Beatrice Home
Canada: Peeps at History	by Beatrice Home
India: Peeps at History	by Beatrice Home
India	by Victor Surridge
South Africa	by Ian D. Colvin

Military History

Book Title	Author
Little Book of the War	by Eva March Tappan
Boy's Book of Battles	by Eric Wood
Boys' Book of Sea Fights	by Chelsea Curtis Fraser
Boys' Book of Battles	by Chelsea Curtis Fraser
Heroes of the Indian Mutiny	by Edward Gilliat

Collective Biographies

Book Title	Author
Great Englishmen	by M. B. Synge
Great Englishwomen	by M. B. Synge
European Hero Stories	by Eva March Tappan
Famous Men of the Middle Ages	by John H. Haaren
Famous Men of Modern Times	by John H. Haaren
Our Island Saints	by Amy Steedman
Tales from Canterbury Cathedral	by John Lord
Tales from St. Paul's Cathedral	by John Lord
Tales from Westminster Abbey	by John Lord
Boys' Book of Famous Soldiers	by J. Walker McSpadden
Red Book of Heroes	by Andrew Lang
Stories of the Great Scientists	by Charles R. Gibson
Children's Stories of the Great Scientiests	by Henrietta Wright

Individual Biographies

Book Title	Author
Alfred the Great	by Jacob Abbott
William the Conqueror	by Jacob Abbott
Margaret of Anjou	by Jacob Abbott
Richard I	by Jacob Abbott
Richard II	by Jacob Abbott
Richard III	by Jacob Abbott
Mary Queen of Scots	by Jacob Abbott
Charles I	by Jacob Abbott
Charles II	by Jacob Abbott
Queen Elizabeth	by Jacob Abbott
Story of Sir Walter Raleigh	by Margaret Duncan
Through Great Britain and Ireland With Cromwell	by H. E. Marshall
Story of Sir Francis Drake	by Mrs. Oliver Elton
Story of Captain Cook	by John Lang
Story of Lord Clive	by John Lang
Story of General Gordon	by Jeanie Lang
In the Days of Alfred the Great	by Eva March Tappan
In the Days of William the Conqueror	by Eva March Tappan
In the Days of Queen Elizabeth	by Eva March Tappan
In the Days of Queen Victoria	by Eva March Tappan
Story of Nelson	by Edmund F. Sellar
Story of Lord Roberts	by Edmund F. Sellar
Life of Gladstone	by M. B. Synge
Cecil Rhodes	by Ian D. Colvin
Story of H. M. Stanley	by Vautier Golding
Story of David Livingstone	by Vautier Golding
Florence Nightingale	by Laura E. Richards

Legends

Book Title	Author
King of Ireland's Son	by Padraic Colum
Boys' Cuchulain	by Eleanor Hull
Stories of the Border Marches	by John Lang
Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children	by H. E. Marshall
Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children	by H. E. Marshall
Stories of Guy of Warwick Told to the Children	by H. E. Marshall
King Arthur and His Knights	by Maude Radford Warren

Fairy Tales

Book Title	Author
Celtic Tales told to the Children	by Louey Chisholm
Donegal Fairy Stories	by Seumas MacManus
In Chimney Corners	by Seumas MacManus
Stories from the Ballads Told to the Children	by Mary Macgregor
English Fairy Tales	by Flora Annie Steel
English Fairy Tales	by Joseph Jacobs
Celtic Fairy Tales	by Joseph Jacobs

Historical Fiction

Book Title	Author
Scotch Twins	by Lucy Fitch Perkins
Chantry Priest of Barnet	by Alfred J. Church
With the King at Oxford	by Alfred J. Church
Children of the New Forest	by Frederick Marryat
Men of Iron	by Howard Pyle
Our Little Celtic Cousin of Long Ago	by Evaleen Stein
Our Little Saxon Cousin of Long Ago	by Julia Darrow Cowles

Adapted Literature

Book Title	Author
English Literature for Boys and Girls	by H. E. Marshall
Robinson Crusoe Written Anew for Children	by James Baldwin
Stories of Gulliver's Travels Told to the Children	by John Lang
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare	by Edith Nesbit
Chaucer Story Book	by Eva March Tappan
Stories from Pilgrim's Progress Told to the Children	by Mary Macgregor

Humorous History

Book Title	Author
Comic History of England	by Bill Nye

Eras of British History — Readings

Early Britain   Saxons, Danes and Normans   Plantagenet Kings   Tudor England   Stuart England   Scotland   Foundation of Empire   Height of Empire   Ireland   Canada   Australia   British India   Colonial Africa   The Great War  

Early Britain

56 B.C. to 784 A.D.

Invasion of Julius Caesar, to the first Viking Raids on Saxon England

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Island Story  by  Marshall	from Stories of Albion and Brutus  to  Story of Gregory and the Pretty Children  (15 chaps)
Story of England  by  Harding	from   to  English Accept Christianity  (6 chaps)
English History: I  by  Church	from Caius Valerius and His Grandfather  to  How England Became Christian (continued)  (7 chaps)
English Tales  by  Morris	How England Became Christian (1 chap.)
English Literature  by  Marshall	from In the Listening Time  to  The Passing of Arthur  (10 chaps)
Great Englishmen  by  Synge	Bede (1 chap.)
Great Englishwomen  by  Synge	Queen Bertha (1 chap.)
European Hero Stories  by  Tappan	from Coming of the Teutons to England  to  Story of Beowulf  (4 chaps)
Boy's Book of Battles by Wood	(entire book)
Our Island Saints by Steedman	(entire book)
King Arthur and His Knights by Warren	(entire book)

Saxon, Dane and Norman Kingdoms

802 A.D. to 1154 A.D.

Egbert the Saxon becomes first King of Wessex, to Death of the Last Norman King

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Island Story  by  Marshall	from How King Alfred Learned to Read  to  Story of King Stephen  (15 chaps)
Story of England  by  Harding	from King Alfred and the Danes  to  Rule of the Normans  (3 chaps)
English History: I  by  Church	from King Alfred  to  Red King  (13 chaps)
English Tales  by  Morris	from King Alfred and the Danes  to  Contest for the Crown  (7 chaps)
English Literature  by  Marshall	from Story of Beowulf  to  Story of Havelok the Dane  (7 chaps)
Great Englishmen  by  Synge	from Alfred the Great  to  Harold  (2 chaps)
Great Englishwomen  by  Synge	Maude the Good (1 chap.)
European Hero Stories  by  Tappan	from Alfred the Great Rules England  to  William the Conqueror Conquers England  (2 chaps)
Boy's Book of Battles  by  Wood	from Maldon  to  Hastings  (2 chaps)
Men of the Middle Ages  by  Haaren	from Egbert the Saxon  to  William the Conqueror  (4 chaps)
Alfred the Great by Abbott	(entire book)
William the Conqueror by Abbott	(entire book)
Days of Alfred the Great by Tappan	(entire book)
Days of William the Conqueror by Tappan	(entire book)
English Fairy Tales by Steel	(entire book)
English Fairy Tales by Jacobs	(entire book)
Stories of Beowulf by Marshall	(entire book)
Our Little Saxon cousin by Cowles	(entire book)

Plantagenet Kings

1154 A.D. to 1485 A.D.

Henry Plantagenet claims throne of England, to War of the Roses

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Island Story  by  Marshall	from Henry Plantagenet—Gilbert and Rohesia  to  Richard III—Two Little Princes in the Tower  (30 chaps)
Story of England  by  Harding	from Henry II., the First Plantagenet King  to  Wars of the Roses (1455-1485)  (10 chaps)
English History: I  by  Church	from Thomas Becket, The Chancellor  to  Great Battle of Poitiers  (12 chaps)
English History: II  by  Church	from Wat Tyler  to  Bosworth Field  (11 chaps)
English Tales  by  Morris	from Captivity of Richard Coeur de Lion  to    (7 chaps)
English Literature  by  Marshall	from About some Song Stories  to  Story of Everyman  (17 chaps)
Great Englishmen  by  Synge	from Thomas à Becket  to  William Caxton  (6 chaps)
Great Englishwomen  by  Synge	from Eleanor of Aquitaine  to  Margaret of Anjou  (3 chaps)
European Hero Stories  by  Tappan	from Magna Carta signed by King John  to  Black Prince, Hero of Crecy  (4 chaps)
Boy's Book of Battles  by  Wood	from Damme  to  Agincourt  (3 chaps)
Men of the Middle Ages  by  Haaren	from Henry the Second and His Sons  to  Warwick the Kingmaker  (5 chaps)
Margaret of Anjou by Abbott	(entire book)
Richard I by Abbott	(entire book)
Richard II by Abbott	(entire book)
Richard III by Abbott	(entire book)
Stories of Robin Hood by Marshall	(entire book)
Stories of Guy of Warwick by Marshall	(entire book)
Chantry Priest of Barnet by Church	(entire book)
Men of Iron by Pyle	(entire book)
Chaucer Story Book by Tappan	(entire book)
Canterbury Cathedral by Lord	(entire book)

Tudor England

1485 A.D. to 1603 A.D.

Henry Tudor defeats Richard III at Bosworth Field, to Death of Queen Elizabeth

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Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Island Story  by  Marshall	from Henry VII—The Story of the Make-Believe Prince  to  Elizabeth—The Story of the Queen's Favourite  (14 chaps)
Story of England  by  Harding	from Henry VII. and the Beginning of Modern Times  to  England under Elizabeth  (4 chaps)
English History: II  by  Church	from True or False?  to  Sir Walter Raleigh  (11 chaps)
English Tales  by  Morris	from White Rose of England  to  Story of Arabella Stuart  (3 chaps)
English Literature  by  Marshall	from How a Poet Comforted a Girl  to  Raleigh—'The History of the World'  (17 chaps)
Great Englishmen  by  Synge	from Thomas Wolsey  to  Sir Philip Sidney  (3 chaps)
Great Englishwomen  by  Synge	from Lady Margaret  to  Lady Jane Grey  (3 chaps)
Boys' Book of Sea Fights  by  Fraser	Sir Francis Drake (1 chap.)
European Hero Stories  by  Tappan	Invincible Armada is Defeated (1 chap.)
Boy's Book of Battles  by  Wood	Spanish Armada (1 chap.)
Tudors and Stuarts  by  Synge	from   to  England's Greatness in the Days of Elizabeth  (11 chaps)
Queen Elizabeth by Abbott	(entire book)
Story of Raleigh by Duncan	(entire book)
Story of Francis Drake by Elton	(entire book)
Days of Queen Elizabeth by Tappan	(entire book)
Stories from Shakespeare by Nesbit	(entire book)

Stuart England

1603 A.D. to 1714 A.D.

James Stuart ascends to throne of England, to Death of Queen Anne

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Island Story  by  Marshall	from Story of Guy Fawkes  to  Anne—How the Union Jack was Made  (16 chaps)
Story of England  by  Harding	from James I., the First Stuart King  to  Queen Anne, the Last of the Stuarts  (8 chaps)
English History: II  by  Church	from Little Romance  to  Window in Whitehall  (4 chaps)
English History: III  by  Church	from Lord Protector  to  Good Queen Anne and Her Son  (11 chaps)
English Tales  by  Morris	from Love's Knight-Errant  to  Relief of Londonderry  (5 chaps)
English Literature  by  Marshall	from Bacon—New Ways of Wisdom  to  Defoe—'Robinson Crusoe'  (11 chaps)
Great Englishmen  by  Synge	from John Milton  to  Sir Isaac Newton  (2 chaps)
Great Englishwomen  by  Synge	from Princess Elizabeth  to  Lady Rachel Russell  (2 chaps)
Boy's Book of Battles  by  Wood	from Edgehill  to  When Blake Whipped the Sea  (2 chaps)
Tudors and Stuarts  by  Synge	from Great Drama of the Stuart Period  to    (15 chaps)
Charles I by Abbott	(entire book)
Charles II by Abbott	(entire book)
Through Britain With Cromwell by Marshall	(entire book)
With the King at Oxford by Church	(entire book)
Children of the New Forest by Marryat	(entire book)
Robinson Crusoe by Baldwin	(entire book)

Scotland

483A.D. to 1707A.D.

Union of Picts and Scots under Kenneth Macalpine, to the Act of Union

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Scotland's Story by Marshall	(entire book)
Mary Queen of Scots by Abbott	(entire book)
Stories from Ballads by Macgregor	(entire book)
Border Marches by Lang	(entire book)

Foundation of Empire

1714 A.D. to 1814 A.D.

George I of Hanover made King by Parliament, to Battle of Waterloo

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Island Story  by  Marshall	from Story of the Earl of Mar's Hunting Party  to  George III—The Battle of Waterloo  (5 chaps)
Story of England  by  Harding	from First Hanoverian Kings  to  England and the French Revolution  (5 chaps)
English History: III  by  Church	from The '15  to  Waterloo  (9 chaps)
English Tales  by  Morris	from Hunting of Braemar  to  Trafalgar and the Death of Nelson  (3 chaps)
Great Englishmen  by  Synge	from Robert Clive  to  George Stephenson  (5 chaps)
Great Englishwomen  by  Synge	from Angelica Kaufmann  to  Elizabeth Fry  (3 chaps)
Boys' Book of Sea Fights  by  Fraser	from Lord Horatio Nelson  to  Ship that Strangely Disappeared  (5 chaps)
Boy's Book of Battles  by  Wood	from Plassey  to  Waterloo  (6 chaps)
Hanoverians  by  Gaskoin	from Coming of the Georges  to  Waterloo  (14 chaps)
Struggle for Sea Power by Synge	(entire book)
Great Inventors by Bachman	(entire book)
Story of Captain Cook by Lang	(entire book)
Story of Lord Clive by Lang	(entire book)
Story of Nelson by Sellar	(entire book)
St. Paul's Cathedral by Lord	(entire book)

Height of Empire

1814 A.D. to 1922 A.D.

Aftermath of Napoleonic Wars, to the Second Boer War

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Island Story  by  Marshall	from George IV—The First Gentleman in Europe  to  Victoria—Boer and Briton  (10 chaps)
Story of England  by  Harding	from Period of Reform (1815-1837)  to  British Empire under Edward VII.  (5 chaps)
English History: III  by  Church	from Navarino  to  Queen and Empress  (6 chaps)
English Tales  by  Morris	from Massacre of an Army  to  Jubilees of Queen Victoria  (2 chaps)
English Literature  by  Marshall	from Byron—'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage'  to  Tennyson—The Poet of Friendship  (7 chaps)
Great Englishwomen  by  Synge	from Mary Somerville  to  Florence Nightingale  (3 chaps)
Boys' Book of Sea Fights  by  Fraser	from Running Fight off the Falklands  to  Battle off Jutland Bank  (2 chaps)
Boy's Book of Battles  by  Wood	from Balaclava  to  Delhi  (3 chaps)
Boy's Book of Battles  by  Wood	from Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift  to    (3 chaps)
Hanoverians  by  Gaskoin	from From Waterloo to Sevastopol  to  Recent Times  (2 chaps)
Little Book of the War by Tappan	(entire book)
Days of Queen Victoria by Tappan	(entire book)
Growth of British Empire by Synge	(entire book)
Life of Gladstone by Synge	(entire book)
Story of Livingstone by Golding	(entire book)
Story of H. M. Stanley by Golding	(entire book)
Cecil Rhodes by Colvin	(entire book)
Story of Lord Roberts by Sellar	(entire book)
Story of General Gordon by Lang	(entire book)
Westminster Abbey by Lord	(entire book)

Ireland

450 A.D. to 1922 A.D.

St. Patrick brings Christianity to Ireland, to Irish Independence

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Story of England  by  Harding	England and Ireland (1 chap.)
Hanoverians  by  Gaskoin	Ireland (1 chap.)
Seven Champions  by  Darton	St. Patrick of Ireland (1 chap.)
European Hero Stories  by  Tappan	Saint Patrick Preaches in Ireland (1 chap.)
Ireland: Peeps at History by Home	(entire book)
Life of Gladstone by Synge	(entire book)
Celtic Fairy Tales by Jacobs	(entire book)
Donegal Fairy Stories by MacManus	(entire book)
In Chimney Corners by MacManus	(entire book)
King of Ireland's Son by Colum	(entire book)
Boys' Cuchulain by Hull	(entire book)

Canada

1495 A.D. to 1947 A.D.

Cabot's first voyage to North America, to Union of Canada and Newfoundland

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Empire Story  by  Marshall	from How Lief the Son of Eric the Red Sailed to the West  to  Louis Riel  (22 chaps)
Hanoverians  by  Gaskoin	Britains Beyond the Sea (1 chap.)
Reign of Queen Victoria  by  Synge	from Across the Seas  to  Emigrants in Australia and New Zealand  (2 chaps)
Reign of Queen Victoria  by  Synge	from Canadian Federation  to  Dominion of Canada  (2 chaps)
Book of Discovery  by  Synge	from Cabot Sails to Newfoundland  to  Franklin Discovers the North-West Passage  (21 chaps)
Canada: Peeps at History by Home	(entire book)

Australia and New Zealand

1770 A.D. to 1931 A.D.

First Voyage of Captain Cook, to the Statute of Westminster

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Empire Story  by  Marshall	from There Is Nothing New under the Sun'  to  Bushrangers  (10 chaps)
Our Empire Story  by  Marshall	from How a Great White Bird Came to the Shores  to  Hau Haus and Te Kooti  (13 chaps)
Hanoverians  by  Gaskoin	Britains Beyond the Sea (1 chap.)
Boy's Book of Battles  by  Wood	from Quebec  to  Battle at the Eureka Stockade  (2 chaps)
Reign of Queen Victoria  by  Synge	from Across the Seas  to  Emigrants in Australia and New Zealand  (2 chaps)
Reign of Queen Victoria  by  Synge	from Canadian Federation  to  Dominion of Canada  (2 chaps)
Book of Discovery  by  Synge	from Cabot Sails to Newfoundland  to  Franklin Discovers the North-West Passage  (21 chaps)
Story of Captain Cook by Lang	(entire book)

British India

1600 A.D. to 1902 A.D.

First Charter of British East India Company, to Boxer Rebellion in China

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Empire Story  by  Marshall	from India  to  Empress of India  (28 chaps)
Our Island Story  by  Marshall	from Victoria—The Siege of Delhi  to  Victoria—The Pipes at Lucknow  (2 chaps)
English History: III  by  Church	from Plassey  to  Cawnpore, Lucknow, Delhi  (3 chaps)
English Tales  by  Morris	Massacre of an Army (1 chap.)
Great Englishmen  by  Synge	Robert Clive (1 chap.)
Boy's Book of Battles  by  Wood	from Plassey  to  Delhi  (2 chaps)
Hanoverians  by  Gaskoin	Our Indian Empire (1 chap.)
Story of China  by  Van Bergen	from What the British Ask of China  to  How a Poor Boy Made a Name  (4 chaps)
Struggle for Sea Power  by  Synge	from Story of the Great Mogul  to  Black Hole of Calcutta  (3 chaps)
Struggle for Sea Power  by  Synge	Trial of Warren Hastings (1 chap.)
Growth of British Empire  by  Synge	from Indian Mutiny  to  Empire of India  (2 chaps)
Canterbury Cathedral  by  Lord	Sikh Monument (1 chap.)
Westminster Abbey  by  Lord	Monuments of Westminster (1 chap.)
India by Surridge	(entire book)
India: Peeps at History by Home	(entire book)
Story of Lord Clive by Lang	(entire book)
Story of Lord Roberts by Sellar	(entire book)
Story of General Gordon by Lang	(entire book)

Colonial Africa

1770 A.D. to 1910A.D.

James Bruce discovers the Blue Nile, to Union of South Africa

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Our Empire Story  by  Marshall	from South Africa  to  War and Peace  (19 chaps)
Boy's Book of Battles  by  Wood	from Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift  to    (3 chaps)
Reign of Queen Victoria  by  Synge	from In South Africa  to  Cecil Rhodes in Rhodesia  (2 chaps)
Reign of Queen Victoria  by  Synge	British in West Africa (1 chap.)
Book of Discovery  by  Synge	from Bruce's Travels in Abyssinia  to    (2 chaps)
Book of Discovery  by  Synge	from David Livingstone  to  Through the Dark Continent  (7 chaps)
Struggle for Sea Power  by  Synge	from Adventures of Mungo Park  to  James Bruce and the Nile  (2 chaps)
Growth of British Empire  by  Synge	from Great Boer Trek  to  Story of Natal  (2 chaps)
Growth of British Empire  by  Synge	from Dream of Cecil Rhodes  to  Livingstone's Discoveries in Central Africa  (3 chaps)
Growth of British Empire  by  Synge	from Gordon—The Hero of Khartum  to  British South Africa  (6 chaps)
Story of Livingstone by Golding	(entire book)
Story of H. M. Stanley by Golding	(entire book)
Story of Lord Roberts by Sellar	(entire book)
Story of General Gordon by Lang	(entire book)
Oom Paul's People by Hillegas	(entire book)
With the Boer Forces by Hillegas	(entire book)
Land of the Golden Trade by Lang	(entire book)
South Africa by Colvin	(entire book)
Cecil Rhodes by Colvin	(entire book)

The Great War

1902 A.D. to 1922A.D.

Prelude to Aftermath of the Great War

Book Title	Selected Chapters
Book of Famous Soldiers  by  McSpadden	from Kitchener  to  Pershing  (5 chaps)
Boys' Book of Sea Fights  by  Fraser	from Running Fight off the Falklands  to  Battle off Jutland Bank  (2 chaps)
Boys' Book of Battles  by  Fraser	from Ypres  to  Argonne-Meuse  (4 chaps)
Heroes of the Great War by Leask	(entire book)
Deeds of British Airmen by Wood	(entire book)
Heroic Deeds of the Great War by Mackenzie	(entire book)
Gallipoli by Masefield	(entire book)
The World at War by Synge	(entire book)
Little Book of the War by Tappan	(entire book)
Story of the Great War by Usher	(entire book)
War Inventions by Gibson	(entire book)