Eton Established: A History from 1440 to 1860 - Tapa dura

Drawing on material on the reign of Henry VI, Tim Card - author of "Eton Renewed", a history of Eton from 1860-1990 - offers a different view of the foundation from previous histories. King Henry VI intended Eton to be a glorious religious foundation, but after the disasters of his reign and the troubled period of the English Reformation, Eton, by the time of Elizabeth I, had become essentially a school. This history offers an insight into the development of education over 400 years and many of the issues that emerge are still relevant today. As was recorded in an early diary: "Every vice and virtue we meet in the world outside is practised here although in miniature". The 19th century saw a broadening of the curriculum, from a very narrow base, which set the course of the school in the 20th century. And from the reign of George I for 250 years the political influence of Etonians went unmatched. This book offers a vivid picture of Eton's early days and reveals what made it the outstanding institution it became.

Tim Card arrived at Eton as a twelve-year-old in 1944 and he retired from there in 1999, having spent eleven years as Vice-Provost. He lives in Dorset.