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Historical Fiction

The best way to learn history is not always in a textbook. (That's probably the worst way, really, but more on that elsewhere.) While learning history through novels can be taken too far (it is fiction after all), there's much to be said for getting a feel for the Civil War through books like The Red Badge of Courage or Across Five Aprils, or learning about the deep rifts between Saxons and Normans in Medieval England through Scott's Ivanhoe.

A well-researched historical novel imparts something no list of names and dates can—a picture of life among a particular people at a particular time, the way they thought, the way they ate, who they admired, how they traveled. Sometimes readers are introduced to real historical figures and events from an intimate perspective, not the stale cardboard presentations common in schools.

There's plenty of nonsense available, of course, and just because the cover says a book takes place in Renaissance Italy or ancient Egypt doesn't mean it's a good book, or even that it's historical fiction in the true sense. A writer who simply transposes stories on different time periods isn't really saying anything about that time period, they're just trying to inflate sales with an appeal to the exotic and unfamiliar.

Such bogus historical fiction is really just fantasy. The good stuff is real and bright and dusty and loud, just like an old Roman city or a battle between Roundheads and Cavaliers. It reflects the religious sentiments of the characters as they would have been, such as in Lilli Thal's brilliant Medieval epic Mimus. It shows how one small action can lead to many much larger events, as happens frequently in C.S. Forester's Hornblower series.

Whether you're into the technical descriptions of battles found in Henty's boy-versus-the-world stories, or prefer the romance of The Scarlet Pimpernel, or like to break your heart over and over with books like Amos Fortune, Free Man, historical fiction is above all fiction of the present—not to be kept in the annals of the past, it shows us that the people of long ago (or not so long ago) are not so different than the people of today.

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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Active Filters: Middle Ages, Hardcover
Anna of Byzantium
by Tracy Barrett
from Delacorte Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Black Arrow
Scribner Illustrated Classics
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
from Atheneum
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Black Rose
by Thomas B. Costain
from Doubleday & Company
for 8th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Blood Feud
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Charles Keeping
from Oxford University
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Blood Feud
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Both Sides the Border
by G. A. Henty
Blackie from Blackie & Son LTD.
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Brother Hugo and the Bear
by Katy Beebe
from Eerdmans
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$17.99
Chronicles of Robin Hood
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges
from Oxford University
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Crispin: The End of Time
by Avi
from Balzer & Bray
for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Darkness and the Dawn
by Thomas B. Costain
from Doubleday & Company
for 8th-12th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Door to the North
Land of the Free Series
by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman
1st edition from John C. Winston
Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
$20.00
Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges
from Oxford University
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
Earth is the Lord's
by Taylor Caldwell
from Literary Guild of America
for 11th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
ECL: Black Arrow
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Don Irwin
from Classic Press
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Educator Classic Library (Location: VIN-ECL)
Gudrid's Saga
by Constance Irwin
from St. Martin's Press
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
In Freedom's Cause
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
Ivanhoe
by Sir Walter Scott
from International Collectors Library
for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Ivanhoe
by Sir Walter Scott, Illustrated by Edward A. Wilson
from Heritage Press
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Ivanhoe
Windermere Series 4
by Sir Walter Scott, illustrated by Milo Winter
from Rand McNally
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Ivanhoe
Windermere Series 1
by Sir Walter Scott, illustrated by Milo Winter
from Rand McNally
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Ivanhoe
Windermere Series 2
by Sir Walter Scott, illustrated by Milo Winter
from Rand McNally
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Ivanhoe
Windermere Series 3
by Sir Walter Scott, illustrated by Milo Winter
from Rand McNally
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Joan of Arc
by Lucy Foster Madison, illustrated by Frank E. Schoonover
from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
for 4th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Journey for a Princess
by Margaret Leighton
from Ariel Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Lantern Bearers
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Charles Keeping
from Henry Z. Walck, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1959 Carnegie Medal
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Last Plantagenets
A History of the Plantagenets Volume 4
by Thomas B. Costain
from Doubleday & Company
for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Little Duke
Junior Deluxe Editions
by Charlotte M. Yonge, illustrated by Tom O'Sullivan
from Junior Deluxe Editions
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Little Duke
by Charlotte M. Yonge
from J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Magnificent Century
A History of the Plantagenets Volume 2
by Thomas B. Costain
from Doubleday & Company
for 8th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Medieval Feast
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-5th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Sterling Classics
by Howard Pyle, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Thrushwood Book
by Howard Pyle
from Grosset & Dunlap
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
A Golden Illustrated Classic
by Howard Pyle, illustrated by Benvenuti
from Golden Press
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Howard Pyle, illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith
from Grosset & Dunlap
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Illustrated Junior Library Series 3
by Howard Pyle, illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith
from Grosset & Dunlap
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Illustrated Junior Library Series 1
by Howard Pyle, illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith
from Grosset & Dunlap
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Howard Pyle, illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith
from Grosset & Dunlap
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
by Howard Pyle
from Barnes & Noble
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
by Howard Pyle, illustrated by Jo Polseno
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Moneyman
by Thomas B. Costain
from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
for 10th grade - Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Namesake
by C. Walter Hodges
from G. Bell and Sons, Ltd.
for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Out of the Flame
by Eloise Lownsbery, illustrated by Elizabeth Tyler Wolcott
from Longmans, Green & Co.
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
1932 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Scarlet
by Stephen R. Lawhead
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Scottish Chiefs
by Jane Porter
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 8th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Scottish Chiefs
by Jane Porter, edited by Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora A. Smith, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 8th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Shining Company
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Striped Ships
by Eloise McGraw
1st edition from Margaret K. McElderry Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Sword Song
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Tales of the Crusades
by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated with prints adapted from Gustav Dore
from Hillside Education
for 6th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Talisman
International Collector's Library
by Sir Walter Scott
from International Collectors Library
for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Trumpeter of Krakow
by Eric P. Kelly, illustrated by Angela Pruszynska
from Macmillan
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1929 Newbery Medal winner
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
We Were There with Richard the Lionhearted in the Crusades
We Were There #16
by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by Leonard Vosburgh
from Grosset & Dunlap
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
White Company
Books of Wonder
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (illustrated by N.C. Wyeth)
from William Morrow & Company
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
White Company
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by James Daugherty
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Witch's Brat
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Richard Lebenson
from Henry Z. Walck, Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
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