Our Island Story - A Classic Illustrated History of England from Ancient Times to the Modern Era

By H.E. Marshall

Book Overview

A narrative history of Britain written for younger readers, tracing the nation's development from legendary origins to the early twentieth century.

First published in 1905, Our Island Story presents the history of England-and later Great Britain-in a continuous, story-driven form intended to engage young minds. Beginning with the semi-legendary tales of Albion and early kings, H. E. Marshall moves through Norman conquest, Tudor transformation, civil war, imperial expansion, and constitutional development, shaping national history into an accessible chronological narrative.

Rather than a scholarly analysis, the work reflects the early twentieth-century approach to civic education, emphasizing continuity, character, and national identity. Its tone and structure reveal how British history was taught and imagined for generations of students. Today, it serves both as an introduction to Britain's past and as a cultural artifact of Edwardian historical storytelling.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1604594926
• ISBN13: 9781604594928
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: SMK Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 12 years and under
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 7

Customer Reviews

Keeps kids interest

We homeschool using the Charlotte Mason method, and my 8 year old son loves this book. His 14 year old brother doesn't have to read it, but often does...that's how interesting it is.

Wonderful stories

We have been reading about one a week for over a year. My girls love these stories! One of our rabbits ended up with the name "Boudacia" after we read her story. At the beginning they might be more folklore than fact, but none the less they are wonderful. There are some great moral lessons to be learned from many of the stories. After I bought the Yesterday's Classics I found an old hardback with great color pictures. It cost a bit, but what a treasure! Highly recommend.

loved this book....

I read this aloud last spring to my 3 boys, ages 10, 12, and 13. They all really enjoyed it and I enjoyed reading it. The only (small) negative I could give it is that there are several spelling mistakes-mostly a missing letter in a word. I corrected that as we went along for the next time I read it aloud. It really wasn't a problem but I just thought I should point that out. We are now reading the sequel about our own country (America) called "This Country of Ours" and enjoying that one as well. I can highly recommend both books, as well as "Fifty Famous Stories Retold" which is usually bought along with these two. That one is especially easy to narrate from as the stories are very short-often just 2 pages.

British History that is fun

This is a such a fun history of England. My children love reading this book. We read a couple of chapters aloud each week. We have just started our second time through. The chapters are relatively short. For the most part, the book is organized chronologically by King (or Queen). Each chapter (or sometimes several chapters) hits the high points of each King or Queen's reign. Make history come alive for your children by reading this book to them. This is a nice softcover edition. Check out the publishers other books. You can pretty much assume it is going to be interesting to your children if they have published it. I have several of their books and every one has been a hit with our family.