British Empire—Reading Assignments by Era

    Glorious Revolution     Foundation of Empire     Height of Empire     Colonies and Canada     British India     Colonial Africa     Australia     Science and Invention



Glorious Revolution—1688 to 1745

Glorious Revolution to Last Jacobite Rising


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Harding - The Story of England   The "Glorious Revolution" to The First Hanoverian Kings (4)
Synge - The Tudors and the Stuarts   The Glorious Revolution to Queen Anne and Marlborough (3)
Gaskoin - The Hanoverians   The Coming of the Georges to Bonnie Prince Charlie (4)

Supplemental Recommendations

Marshall - Our Island Story   The Fiery Cross to Flora MacDonald (10)
Church - Stories from English History, Part Third   The Seven Bishops to The '45 (6)
Marshall - English Literature for Boys and Girls   Defoe—First Newspapers to Johnson—End of Journey (9)

Easy Reader Selections

Guerber - The Story of the English    James driven out of England to Bonny Prince Charlie (7)
Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   Sir Isaac Newton to William III, King of England (2)
Baldwin - Robinson Crusoe for Children    entire book
Lang - Gulliver's Travels    entire book



Foundation of Empire—1740 to 1815

War of Jenkin's Ear to Napoleonic Wars


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Marshall - Our Island Story   The Black Hole of Calcutta to The Battle of Waterloo (6)
Gaskoin - The Hanoverians   First Struggle to Waterloo (10)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The Story of England   The First Hanoverian Kings to England and the French Revolution (5)
Synge - The Struggle for Sea Power    entire book
Wood - The Boy's Book of Battles   Plassey to Waterloo (5)
Marshall - English Literature for Boys and Girls   Goldsmith—The Vagabond to Scott—"Wizard of the North" (8)

Easy Reader Selections

Guerber - The Story of the English    Black Hole of Calcutta to The Battle of Waterloo (5)
Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   William Pitt to Horatio Nelson (2)
Synge - Great Englishmen   Robert Clive to George Stephenson (5)
Sellar - The Story of Nelson    entire book
Lang - Gulliver's Travels    entire book



Height of Empire—1815 to 1902

Battle of Waterloo to Second Boer War


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Marshall - Our Island Story   The First Gentleman in Europe to Boer and Briton (10)
Synge - The Reign of Queen Victoria    entire book

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The Story of England   A Period of Reform to British Empire under Edward VII. (5)
Gaskoin - The Hanoverians   Waterloo to Sevastopol to Justice, Defence, Taxation (2)
Marshall - English Literature for Boys and Girls   Byron—"Childe Harold" to Tennyson—Poet of Friendship (7)
Synge - Growth of the British Empire    entire book
Synge - Life of Gladstone    entire book
Richards - Florence Nightingale    entire book

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   William Ewart Gladstone (1)
Sellar - The Story of Lord Roberts    entire book
Lang - The Story of General Gordon    entire book



Colonies and Canada—1585 to 1885

Roanoke Colony to Saskatchewan Rebellion


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Marshall - Our Empire Story   Part I—Canada to Louis Riel (22)
Home - Canada: Peeps at History    entire book

Also Recommended

Gaskoin - The Hanoverians   Britains Beyond the Sea (1)
Synge - The Reign of Queen Victoria   Canadian Federation to Dominion of Canada (2)
Synge - A Book of Discovery   Cabot Sails to Newfoundland to Franklin Discovers Passage (21)



British India—1526 to 1914

Baber founds Moghul Empire to First World War


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Marshall - Our Empire Story   Part V—India to The Empress of India (28)
Home - India: Peeps at History    entire book

Supplemental Recommendations

Gaskoin - The Hanoverians   Our Indian Empire (1)
Surridge - India    entire book
Gilliat - Heroes of the Indian Mutiny    entire book
Younghusband - The Story of the Guides    entire book
Steel - The Adventures of Akbar    entire book
Wood - The Boy's Book of Battles   Plassey to Delhi (2)

Easy Reading Selections

Lang - The Story of Lord Clive    entire book
Sellar - The Story of Lord Roberts    entire book



Colonial Africa—1770 to 1910

Discovery of Blue Nile to Union of South Africa


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Marshall - Our Empire Story   Part IV—South Africa to War and Peace (20)
Synge - The Reign of Queen Victoria   Colonists in South Africa to Questions (8)

South Africa

Synge - Growth of the British Empire   The Great Boer Trek to The Story of Natal (2)
Synge - Growth of the British Empire   The Dream of Cecil Rhodes to Livingstone's Discoveries (3)
Synge - Growth of the British Empire   Gordon—Hero of Khartum to British South Africa (6)
Hillegas - Oom Paul's People    entire book
Hillegas - With the Boer Forces    entire book
Colvin - South Africa    entire book
Colvin - Cecil Rhodes    entire book
Wood - The Boy's Book of Battles   Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift (1)
Wood - The Boy's Book of Battles   Kassassin and Tel-el-Kebir to Omdurman (2)

Exploration

Synge - A Book of Discovery   Bruce in Abyssinia to Dates of Chief Events (2)
Synge - A Book of Discovery   David Livingstone to Through the Dark Continent (7)
Synge - The Struggle for Sea Power   Adventures of Mungo Park to James Bruce and the Nile (2)
Lang - The Land of the Golden Trade    entire book

Easy Reading Selections

Lang - The Story of General Gordon    entire book
Golding - The Story of David Livingstone    entire book
Golding - The Story of H. M. Stanley    entire book
du Chaillu - Stories of the Gorilla Country    entire book
du Chaillu - Wild Life Under the Equator    entire book



Australia—1770 to 1907

Voyage of Captain Cook to Galipolli


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Marshall - Our Empire Story   Part II—Australia to The Bushrangers (10)
Marshall - Our Empire Story   Part III—New Zealand to The Hau Haus and Te Kooti (13)

Supplemental Recommendations

Lang - The Story of Captain Cook    entire book
Synge - A Book of Discovery   Discoverers of Australia to Dampier Discovers a Straight (3)
Synge - A Book of Discovery   Flinders Names Australia to Sturt's Discoveries in Australia (2)
Synge - The Reign of Queen Victoria   Across the Seas to Australian Commonwealth (3)



Science and Invention—1660 to 1914

Isaac Newton to Modern Warfare


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Harding - The Story of England   Industrial and Social Changes (1)
Bachman - Great Inventors and Their Inventions   Watt and the Steam Engine to Bessemer and Making Steel (9)

Supplemental Recommendations

Wright - Children's Stories of the Great Scientists    entire book
Gibson - War Inventions    entire book
Gibson - Stories of the Great Scientists    entire book
Rowbotham - Story Lives of Great Scientists    entire book
Gibson - The Wonders of Scientific Discovery    entire book
Gibson - Twentieth Century Inventions    entire book