Cultural History

You'll often hear proponents of whole-book education methods talk about the benefit of learning history through literature. They aren't talking about the kind of history you might learn in a textbook—for them, knowing the dates of the Thirty Years' War or the name of the first prime minister of Australia isn't that important. The kind of history you'll learn in novels and diaries and essays is cultural history.

How people live, what they learn in school, the weapons they use, their religion, how they perceive their role in the world: these are all elements of culture that fiction and private documents reveal much better and more thoroughly than books simply detailing facts. Source documents are the product as much of the culture in which they're written, after all, as they are the result of the authors' own invention.

Books simply about the customs and daily life of a people group do have their place, too. You might not have as intimate a portrait of Victorian England after reading What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew as you would after reading Great Expectations, but you'll learn plenty. Sometimes you just need the straightforward facts, and at times like those novels are not your friends.

The real question for many, however, isn't how do I learn about different cultures?, but WHY should I learn about different cultures? Well, there's no law saying you have to, but aside from the fun you can have doing so, learning about foreign or lost cultures is one way to better understand your own place in the grand scheme of things.

It's not that the Chinese New Year festival will shed any great light on your own situation, but the deeper you study the cultural contexts around the globe, the more you realize how similar people really are. Understanding connections is one of the great advantages of a well-rounded education; the connections between people a solid grounding in cultural history can offer are especially poignant.

Of course, reading about the origins of your own culture will help you understand why you do things the way you do, why you think the way you do, why the people around you are the way they are. As Christians, this knowledge can help us share the Gospel easier than if we knew nothing of the background of the people we try to reach, and that is the one reason for studying cultural history that trumps all the others.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes 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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263 Items found Print
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Accidental Voyage
Mr. Pipes Series #4
by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
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$15.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Across America on an Emigrant Train
by Jim Murphy
from Sandpiper Books
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1994 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
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$10.95
Adventures of Richard Wagner
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
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$13.95
Aircraft - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
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$3.95
Airplanes of the Second World War - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Airplanes of World War I - Coloring Book
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$5.99
Albert Schweitzer
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from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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$11.99
Along Came Galileo
by Jeanne Bendick
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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$12.95
Always Inventing
by Tom L. Matthews
from National Geographic
for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99
Amelia Earhart: Young Aviator
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Beatrice Gormley
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99
Amelia to Zora
1st edition from Charlesbridge
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$7.95
American Art Bingo Volume I
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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$16.96
American Art History Volume I
by Kristin Draeger
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$33.96
American Art History Volume II
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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$33.96 $27.00 (1 in stock)
American Family of the Civil War Era - Paper Dolls
by Tom Tierney
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$11.99
American Muscle Cars - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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$5.99
Ancient Egyptian Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Ancient Greek Art
Art in History
by Susie Hodge
from Heinemann Educational Books
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$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Annotated Mona Lisa
by Carol Strickland
2nd edition from Andrews McMeel
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$16.00
Annotated Mona Lisa
by Carol Strickland
3rd edition from Andrews McMeel
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$29.99
Antique Airplanes - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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$5.99
Antique Automobiles - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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$4.99
Antique Locomotives - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Bethlehem Books
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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$14.95 $9.50 (1 in stock)
Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Purple House Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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$10.99
Art for Children: Renaissance
Art for Children
by Lillo Canto
from Chelsea House Publishing
Art Appreciation for 4th-6th grade
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$20.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Art Masterpieces to Color
by Marty Noble
from Dover Publications
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$10.95
Art Smart: Spot the Details and Find Out the Facts
Act from Dover Publications
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Artist of the Reformation
by Joyce McPherson
from Greenleaf Press
Biography for 5th-9th grade
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$12.95
Avion My Uncle Flew
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from Purple House Press
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1947 Newbery Honor Book
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$13.95
Bach's Goldberg Variations
by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$16.95
Beethoven/Haydn Lapbook Set
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Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia
Landmark Series
by Margaret Cousins
from Random House
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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Benjamin Franklin
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.99
Benjamin Franklin: Young Printer
by Augusta Stevenson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin
by Marguerite Henry & Wesley Dennis
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Bill Peet
by Bill Peet
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Biography for 4th-8th grade
1990 Caldecott Honor Book
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$18.99
Bomb
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First Edition from Flash Point
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2013 Newbery Honor Book, 2013 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
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Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Reader's Edition)
by William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer
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$9.99
Brahms/Schubert Lapbook Set
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Bravo! Brava!
by Anne Siberell
from Oxford University
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$24.00 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Byzantine Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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Carmenda Music History
by Carla Courtney
from Logos School
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$15.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch - Audio CD
by Jean Lee Latham
from Well-Trained Mind Press
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in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$32.95
Cars - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Steven James Petruccio
from Dover Publications
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$3.99
Cavalier and Puritan Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Celtic Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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$4.99
Champions of Invention
Champions of Discovery
by John Hudson Tiner
from Master Books
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$4.79 $3.50 (3 in stock)
Champions of Mathematics
by John Hudson Tiner
from Master Books
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in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$4.79 $3.50 (3 in stock)
Champions of Science
Champions of Discovery
by John Hudson Tiner
from Master Books
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in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$4.79 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Chasing Vermeer
Balliet Art Mystery Series
by Blue Balliett, Brett Helquist (Illustrator)
from Scholastic Inc.
Mystery & Suspense for 4th-6th grade
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$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Child's Introduction to the Orchestra
by Robert Levine
First Revised Edition from Black Dog & Leventhal
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$19.99
Child's Introduction to the World
by Heather Alexander
from Black Dog & Leventhal
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$19.99
Chinese Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ming-Ju Sun
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Chopin Lapbook
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
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in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$7.00
Civil War Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Clara Barton
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.99
Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Augusta Stevenson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$7.99
Classic Cars - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
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in Transportation Coloring Books (Location: COL-TRANS)
$9.95
Classic Cars of the Fifties - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
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$3.99
Classic Motorcars - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tre Tryckare Company
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Classic Racing Cars of the World - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Carlo Demand
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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$4.99
Classical Acts and Facts Science Cards: Seeking to Know
2nd edition from Classical Conversations
for Kindergarten-8th grade
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$23.99
Colonial and Early American Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Coloring Book of Early Composers
by Eric Tomb & Nancy Conkle
from Bellerophon Books
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$4.95 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Combat Nurses of World War II
Landmark #116
by Wyatt Blassingame
from Purple House Press
for 5th-9th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$13.99
Complete Book of the Great Musicians
by Percy A. Scholes
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$28.95
Composers Activity-Pak
by Amy Pak
from Home School in the Woods
for 3rd-8th grade
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$12.00
Coolies
by Yin, illustrated by Chris Soentpiet
from Puffin Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Transcontinental Railroad (Location: HISA-19TRR)
$7.99
Creative God Colorful Us
by Trillia Newbell, Paintings by Chase Williamson
from Moody Press
for 3rd-7th grade
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$12.99
Did It Take Creativity to Find Relativity, Albert Einstein?
by Gilda Berger, Melvin & Gilda Berger, Melvin Berger
from Scholastic Inc.
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Did You Invent The Phone All Alone, Alexander Graham Bell?
by Gilda Berger, Melvin Berger
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
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$4.99
Discovering Great Artists
by MaryAnn F. Kohl & Kim Solga
2nd edition from Chicago Review Press
for Preschool-6th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$19.99
DK Biography: Marie Curie
by Vicki Cobb
from DK Children
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$5.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Arms & Armor
DK Eyewitness Series
by Michele Byam
from DK Publishing
Military History for 4th-8th grade
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$16.99
Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks, and Trains
by Lee Ames
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
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$9.99
Drawing American Art Volume II
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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$25.46 $20.00 (1 in stock)
Drummer Boy's Battle
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 3rd-6th grade
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.99
Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race
Step Into Reading Level 3
by Monica Kulling, Illustrated by Richard Walz
from Random House Books for Young Readers
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$5.99
Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines
by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$13.95
Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines - MP3 Audio Book
by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
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in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$11.17
Elizabeth Blackwell: Girl Doctor
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Joanne Landers Henry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99
Empire Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Everyday Dress of the American Colonial Period - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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$4.99
Exploring the History of Medicine
Exploring Series
by John Hudson Tiner
from Master Books
for 5th-12th grade
in Memoria Press Science (Location: SCICUR-MP)
$15.19 $9.50 (3 in stock)
Exploring the History of Medicine - Supplemental Questions
by Ashley Gratto
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Memoria Press Science (Location: SCICUR-MP)
$6.20
Exploring the History of Medicine - Teacher Key and Tests
by Cindy Davis & Ashley Gratto
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Memoria Press Science (Location: SCICUR-MP)
$8.95 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service: 1878-1915
by Rebecca Locklear
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$19.95
Famous Trains - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
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$3.99
Famous Women Aviators - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by LaFontaine, Bruce
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Fashions from India - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Fashions of the First Ladies - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ming-Ju Sun
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Fashions of the Old South - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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in Costume & Fashion Coloring Books (Location: COL-FAS)
$3.99
Fashions of the Roaring Twenties - Coloring Book
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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$4.99
Fine Print
by Joann Burch
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99
Flying to the Moon
by Michael Collins
from Sunburst Book
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Foster/MacDowell Lapbook CD
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$7.00
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