World History Reference

No matter who you are, there are gaps in your knowledge of world history. Whether they're big ones (when did World War II take place? who were the Sassanids? what nationality was Genghis Khan?) or obscure ones (where did the ancients consider the seat of thought and emotion to be? who tried to find the Fountain of Youth in Florida? did Richard III kill his nephews?), filling those holes can only help your understanding of the big picture.

Reference works are easily the best way to do this. While you could just read every massive historical tome you can find, getting a compendium of information is much more time- and cost-effective, and more likely to yield the information you want. We carry overall guides, lists of resources (All Through the Ages is the best of these), encyclopedias, timelines, atlases, etc., covering both the spectrum of world history and specific periods.

Don't think these have to be strictly school-related books, either—facts have a fascination of their own, and both kiddos and adults can be drawn into a good reference book for hours. Some of these are beautifully illustrated and make excellent coffee table books, while others are hilarious, theme-related, or just plain interesting. Learning ought to be fun, and world history reference books are one of the best ways to make it so.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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78 Items found Print
Africa Is Not A Country
by Margy Burns Knight
unknown from Millbrook Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
Africa Is Not a Country
by Margy Burns Knight
from Millbrook Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
Africa Is Not a Country
by Margy Burns Knight
2nd edition from Millbrook Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$10.99
Africa's Vanishing Wildlife
by Chris & Tilde Stuart
1st edition from Smithsonian Books
for 5th-10th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
All Through the Ages
by Christine Miller
3rd edition from Nothing New Press
World History Reference for All grades
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
Calendar Quest
by Jennifer Johnson Garrity
from Brimwood Press
for 4th-6th
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$15.00
Color the Western World
by Marcia Harris Brim
from Brimwood Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$19.00
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Africa
by Jocelyn Murray
3rd edition from Facts On File
African History Reference/Atlas for 4th-8th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$35.00
Explorers & Discoverers - 4 Volume Set
from UXL Publishing
biographical encyclopedia for 5th-8th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$30.00 (1 in stock)
Five Equations that Changed the World
by Michael Guillen
from Hyperion Press
for 9th-Adult
in Math Reference & Teaching Aids (Location: MATR-TA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Guides to History Plus
by Kathryn Stout
from Design-A-Study
for All grades
in Design-A-Study (Location: HSR-DAS)
$14.00 $6.00 (3 in stock)
Guns, Germs, and Steel
by Jared Diamond
from W. W. Norton and Co.
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
History Helps
by Bonnie L. Dettmer
from Small Ventures
for 4th-6th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (4 in stock)
History of the World
by Plantagent Somerset Fry
from DK Publishing
for 5th-9th grade
in History Encyclopedias & Fact Books (Location: HISRF-ENC)
$39.99
History of the World - DVD
by Various
from Vision Forum
for 8th-Adult
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$30.00 (1 in stock)
Imperialism: A History in Documents
by Bonnie G. Smith
from Oxford University
for Adult
in Modern History (Location: HISW-MOD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Kenny Kwiz
by Kenny Abegglen
from Brimwood Press
for 4th-6th
in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
$15.50
Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World
from Kingfisher
for 3rd-7th grade
in History Encyclopedias & Fact Books (Location: HISRF-ENC)
$22.00 (2 in stock)
Kingfisher Young World Encyclopedia
by Larousse
from Larousse
for 4th-6th grade
in Encyclopedias (Location: REF-ENC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Last 500 Years
by Fiona Chandler, Jane Bingham, Sam Taplin
from Usborne
for 4th-8th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
Let the Authors Speak
by Carolyn Hatcher
Revised
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
Little History of the World
by E. H. Gombrich
from Yale University Press
for 6th-Adult
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Oxford Children's History of the World
by Neil Grant
from Usborne
for 4th-8th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
People in History
by Fiona Macdonald, Martin Salisbury (Illustrator)
Reprint from Dempsey Parr
for 2nd-4th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Picturesque Tale of Progress - 9 Volumes
by Olive Beaupre Miller
from Book House for Children
for 4th-9th grade
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
Story of Clocks and Calendars
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
Reprint from HarperCollins
for 3rd-8th grade
in Time & Clocks (Location: MATM-TIME)
$9.99
Story of Mankind
by Hendrik Willem Van Loon, updated by John Merriman
from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 5th-8th grade
1922 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Story of Mankind
by Hendrik Willem Van Loon
from Yesterday's Classics
for 5th-8th grade
1922 Newbery Medal winner
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$16.96
Story of Mankind
by Hendrik Willem Van Loon, updated and introduced by Robert Sullivan
from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 5th-8th grade
1922 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.11
Story of Mankind - 4 Volume Set
by Olive Beaupre Miller
from Book House for Children
for 3rd-6th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$30.00 (2 in stock)
Story of Mankind Volume 1
by Olive Beaupre Miller
from Book House for Children
for 3rd-6th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
Story of Mankind Volume 2
by Olive Beaupre Miller
from Book House for Children
for 3rd-6th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Mankind Volume 3
by Olive Beaupre Miller
from Book House for Children
for 3rd-6th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
Story of Mankind Volume 4
by Olive Beaupre Miller
from Book House for Children
for 3rd-6th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
Story of Slavery
Usborne Young Reading
by Sarah Courtauld
from Usborne
for 2nd-4th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Story of the World - M. B. Synge Collection
by Margaret Bertha Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$59.30
Time-Life TimeFrame Set
from Time-Life Books
for 10th-Adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
Timechart History of the World
6th edition from Chartwell Books
for 4th-Adult
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
TimeFrame #01: The Human Dawn
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #02: The Rise of Cities
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #03: Age of God-Kings
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
TimeFrame #04: Barbarian Tides
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #05: A Soaring Spirit
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #06: Empires Ascendant
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #07: Empires Besieged
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #08: March of Islam
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #09: Fury of the Northmen
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #10: Light in the East
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #11: The Divine Campaigns
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #12: Mongol Conquests
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #13: The Age of Calamity
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #14: Voyages of Discovery
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #15: The European Emergence
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #16: Powers of the Crown
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #17: Winds of Revolution
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #18: The Pulse of Enterprise
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #19: The Colonial Overlords
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #20: The World in Arms
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #21: Shadow of the Dictators
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #22: The Nuclear Age
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #23: The Natural World
from Time-Life Books
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #24: The Domestic World
from Time-Life Books
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
TimeFrame #25: The Enterprise of War
from Time-Life Books
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
Timetables of History
by Bernard Grun, translator
4th edition from Touchstone
World History Reference for 9th-Adult
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$19.00 (2 in stock)
Timetables of History
by Bernard Grun, translator
3rd edition from Simon and Schuster
World History Reference for 9th-Adult
in Old Edition History & Geography (Location: OHIS)
$9.00 (3 in stock)
Timetables of History
by Bernard Grun, translator
2nd edition from Simon and Schuster
World History Reference for 9th-Adult
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Encyclopedia World History from Ancient to Modern Times
by Usborne
from Usborne
for 4th-7th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
Usborne Illustrated Atlas of World History
by Lisa Miles
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Usborne Time Traveler
by Tony Allen
from Usborne
Ancient/Middle Ages History Reference for 3rd-8th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$22.99
Ussher's Annals of the World
by James Ussher
from Master Books
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
Van Loon's Lives
by Hendrik Van Loon
from Simon and Schuster
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Western Civilization
by Jackson J. Spielvogel
8th edition from Wadsworth Publishing Company
for 7th-12th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
Western Civilization
by Jackson J. Spielvogel
7th edition from Wadsworth Publishing Company
for 7th-12th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
Western Civilization Combined Volume
by Jackson J. Spielvogel
6th edition from Wadsworth Publishing Company
for 7th-12th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
What Everyone Should Know about the 20th Century: 200 Events That Shaped the World
by Alan Axelrod, Charles Phillips
from Adams Media Corp.
for 6th-12th grade
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
World History
from Arcturus
for 3rd-6th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
World History Made Simple
by Ruth Beechick
from Mott Media
Non-fiction for 9th-Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$13.95
World History the Easy Way Volume One
by Charles A. Frazee
from Barron's
for 4th-8th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)