Bayeaux Tapestry- An Animated Look at History

One of the highlights of our trip to Europe was seeing the Bayeux Tapestry– the story of the 1066 war. I’d just finished reading 1066: The Year of the Conquest by David Haworth (highly recommended), so it was fresh in my mind, and it was interesting to see the differing perspective of this amazing piece of needlework. Although it’s called a tapestry, it’s simply a very long piece of linen– approximately 70 meters– embroidered with the story of the battle. You can learn more about it at its official site in Britain.

The animated version below brings it to life in a fresh way, and is guaranteed to make even small boys enjoy the Tapestry! Read more

College From Home? Sure… At Least a Few Classes

The internet has changed a lot of things. Some for the better, and some not. One thing that is a huge benefit is the proliferation of ways to learn online for free or nearly free. One interesting development is that some colleges are posting entire lectures and classes online for anyone to access. I’ve come across several while working with the Excellence in Literature project, and I keep hearing of more.

One of the best-known resources is iTunes U, which can be found in the Apple iTunes store. If you visit the site, you’ll find the link to iTunes U in the top navigation bar. Mouse over it, and a menu of subjects drops down. A glance at the topics available in the humanities shows 18 pages of multi-part courses, including:

John Locke Lectures in Philosophy from Oxford University

Christian Apologetics and many others from Reformed Theological Seminary

Publishing from Stanford University Read more

Great Books Week- October 4-10, 2009

Join Excellence in Literature as we celebrate the beauty of great books with a blog tour!

If you’d like to participate, write a post on your own blog on the appropriate topic each day, then visit the appropriate post on the NAIWE NewsWire blog to leave your post title and link in the comment section so that others can enjoy what you’ve written. Be sure to share your posts in Facebook, Twitter, and other social media!

What are great books? First and foremost, literary classics are the standard for great literature. Few people would make a great books list that left out William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, or Mark Twain, and most of us probably have a list of special books that have touched our lives. Great books are the books that stay with us long after we’ve put them down. Read more