''Our Island Story: A Child's History of England'', published abroad as ''An 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 covers the history of England from the time of the Roman occupation until

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

's death, using a mixture of traditional history and mythology to explain the story of British history in a way accessible to younger readers. Prime Minister David Cameron chose ''Our Island Story'' when asked to select his favourite childhood book in October 2010: The book depicts the union of England and Scotland as a desirable and inevitable event,"Our Island Story: Not as Conservative as David Cameron imagines", ''The Guardian'', 7 February 2014
Accessed 11 March 2016 and praises rebels and the collective will of the common people in opposing tyrants, including kings like

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

and

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

Influence

The book inspired the parody '' 1066 and All That''.

References

External links

Full text e-book of ''An Island Story'' (1920 U.S. edition)
(note that the 1953 edition continued to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

).
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall
* 1905 children's books Children's history books 20th-century history books History books about England British children's books {{child-hist-book-stub