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Living Book Press

The publishers of Living Book Press dived into the home schooling scene in the mid-2010s (we became aware of them in 2017) and they've definitely made a splash with home schooling families that enjoy living books! 

Anthony Coafield, who owns Living Book Press, is a home school dad, who, when first starting to educate his sons, was really drawn to the Charlotte Mason method. The idea of using great books to convey the big ideas and lessons of life resonated with their family. The main problem was that many of the books were so hard to find. Many that were still protected by copyright were out-of-print and getting very expensive second-hand, and because they live in Australia, many public domain titles readily available in the US were very expensive to import there.

Ambleside was his main curriculum of choice, and Anthony knew that without the wonderful people who had put that curricula together he couldn’t have started schooling his boys. He wanted to try and make homeschooling using the Charlotte Mason method easier for other families to follow, so decided to pursue publishing these hard-to-find titles. Making books available to families that wouldn’t have otherwise been able to use them makes all the hard work tracking down rights, transcribing, formatting and proofing worthwhile. According to him:

Our mission is to pay forward the help we’ve had from those who came before by making great quality reprints of living books affordable for everyone in a variety of formats.

Living Book Press offers three formats for their books: softcover, hardcover, or PDF. Because he has them printed on demand, you can order the books, and he can have them printed and mailed to you from your country (although, this obviously doesn't apply everywhere). This keeps the overhead costs lower, and allows him to focus on adding new titles rather than managing inventory and shipping packages. 

Overall, we're really pleased with LBP. They publish about 300 books (as of April 2024) and many of them are titles that truly have been difficult to obtain for many years. Some, like the colorized Comstock Handbook of Nature Study volumes (with Notebooks), the Halliburton Marvels of the Orient and Occident, and Fleischer's Secrets of the Universe books, are unique to LBP; he has also published an affordable set of Charlotte Mason's volumes about education. But in other areas, he is taking on competition. 

His main competitor in the education market is Yesterday's Classics, which has a similar mission and a nearly identical audience. In fact, many of their titles overlap. It would make sense sometimes to only carry one version of these titles (who are we kidding, we have to offer ALL the versions!) but every time we ask customers to say their preferences, the results are always mixed!

So why is this? We think it would be good to offer a comparison of editions, but you should know that even from book to book, reasons for choosing one publisher over another varies tremendously!

Let's dive in, shall we? 

 

 

Selection: Yesterday's Classics has been around longer and are drawing from a larger batch of books already prepared for online reading. At current count (April 2024), they have 562 total titles, of which 373 are available as printed books. As near as we can tell, LBP has around 300 titles total, though they add new titles very quickly!

Attractiveness/readability: The YC volumes are generally bigger and usually have larger font and wider margins; their covers are glossy, printed in solid colors and use old-fashioned art; they typically use a cream-color paper. LBP tends to be more trim, though generally still very readable. Their covers tend to have a matte feel and, while certain series deviate from this, many of them have a consistent black & white spine design with beautiful color illustrations. The paper in most of their books is cream-colored and of similar weight to YC, but their color illustration books have white, thinner paper. Their website makes it clear which books are which. 

Illustrations: Yesterday's Classics tends to use older illustrations, whereas Living Books is often more diverse. When the books feature the same art, YC tends to offer smaller, crisper images, while LBP has larger images that can feel more pixellated. Sometimes the LBP books will feature pictures from multiple artists (making it hard to credit the illustrator); some of the books feature color photographs rather than b/w art. YC rarely prints in color and the original art can sometimes be much less clear in b/w.

Durability: We've never seen a problem with either of these falling apart; however, we have heard from others that YC occasionally has issues with the bindings not holding the pages well for long. We don't think YC offers hardcover options; we haven't seen many of the LBP hardcovers, only carrying a few of them ourselves.

Price: Yesterday's Classics is almost always slightly more expensive. However, when LBP is the higher priced option, it usually includes color pictures.

Yesterday's Classics on Left Living Book Press on Right
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126 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 7th grade (Ages 12-13)
Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Living Book Press
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
$5.94
At the Back of the North Wind
by George MacDonald, illustrated by Frank C. Pape
from Living Book Press
for 4th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.04
Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$8.49
Bastable Adventures Set
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by Cecil Leslie
from Living Book Press
Family Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$37.37
Bears of Blue River
by Charles Major
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.64
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
by Edith Nesbit
from Living Book Press
Shakespeare/Drama for Children for 4th-8th grade
$13.59
Black Arrow
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Frances Brundage
from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Book of Centuries (BC/AD Edition)
from Living Book Press
for 1st-12th grade
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
$9.34
Book of Centuries (BCE/CE Edition)
from Living Book Press
for 1st-12th grade
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
$9.34
Book of Golden Deeds
by Charlotte M. Yonge
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.89
Book of Marvels: Marvels of the Occident
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$23.79
Book of Marvels: Marvels of the Occident
by Richard Halliburton
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$15.29
Book of Marvels: Marvels of the Orient
by Richard Halliburton
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-12th grade
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$23.79
Book of Marvels: Marvels of the Orient
by Richard Halliburton
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$15.29
Captains Courageous
Signet Classics
by Rudyard Kipling
from Living Book Press
Nautical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.64
Charlotte Mason Book of Centuries
from Living Book Press
for 1st-12th grade
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
$11.89
Children of the New Forest
by Frederick Marryat
from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.04
Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study - Complete Set with Introductions Book
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$117.37
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Birds
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$14.44
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Earth and Sky
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$13.59
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Fish, Reptiles, Amphibians, Invertebrates
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$14.44
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Insects
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$16.14
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Introduction
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$10.19
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Mammals, Flowerless Plants
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$15.29
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Trees, Garden Flowers
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$15.29
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Wildflowers, Weeds, Crops
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$15.29
Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$8.49
Famous Legends Adapted for Children
by Emeline G. Crommelin
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 5th-9th grade
$6.79
Field and Hedgerow
by Richard Jefferies
from Living Book Press
for 6th-Adult
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$10.19
Four Great Americans
by James Baldwin
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
from Living Book Press
Horror for 7th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Freckles
by Gene Stratton-Porter
from Living Book Press
Romance for 7th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.04
Great Astronomers
by Robert S. Ball
from Living Book Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Astronomy (Space) (Location: SCI-AST)
$11.04
Great Inventors and Their Inventions
by Frank P. Bachman
2019 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 5th-7th grade
in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV)
$8.49
Greyfriars Bobby
by Eleanor Atkinson
from Living Book Press
for 6th-Adult
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.49
Growth of the British Empire
Story of the World Series #5
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
British History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$9.34
Hans Brinker
by Mary Mapes Dodge
from Living Book Press
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$10.19
He Went with Hannibal
by Louise Andrews Kent
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$13.59
He Went With series
by Louise Andrews Kent
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Helen Keller: The Story of My Life
Signet Classics
by Helen Keller
from Living Book Press
Autobiography for 7th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$13.59
Heroes
by Charles Kingsley
from Living Book Press
for 4th-7th grade
$8.49
Heroes Every Child Should Know
by H. W. Mabie
from Living Book Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
$13.56
History of France (color)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
History of Germany (color)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$20.39
How the Heather Looks
by Joan Bodger
Reprint from Living Book Press
for 7th-Adult
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$21.24
How the Heather Looks
by Joan Bodger, illustrated by Mark Lang
Reprint from Living Book Press
for 7th-Adult
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.74
Iliad for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Living Book Press
for 5th-8th grade
$6.79
In Freedom's Cause
by G. A. Henty
from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
In the Days of Alfred the Great
by Eva March Tappan
from Living Book Press
for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.49
In the Days of Queen Elizabeth
by Eva March Tappan
from Living Book Press
for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.49
In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March Tappan
from Living Book Press
for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.34
In the Days of William the Conqueror
by Eva March Tappan
from Living Book Press
for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.49
John of the Sirius
by Doris Chadwick
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$13.56
Just David
by Eleanor H. Porter
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49
Land of Little Rain
by Mary Austin
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$7.64
Lay of the Land
by Dallas Lore Sharp
from Living Book Press
for 6th-10th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$7.64
Life of the Fields
by Richard Jefferies
from Living Book Press
for 6th-Adult
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$8.49
Little Duke
by Charlotte M. Yonge
from Living Book Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.79
Little Grammar People
by Nuri Mass
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$12.74
Little Lord Fauntleroy
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Reginald Birch
from Living Book Press
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
Lost Prince
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
from Living Book Press
Action Adventure for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$10.19
Madam How and Lady Why
by Charles Kingsley
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$9.34
Matter and Energy: Principles of Matter and Thermodynamics
Paul Fleisher's Secrets of the Universe
by Paul Fleisher
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$10.19
Matter, Molecules, & Atoms
by Bertha Morris Parker
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$7.64 $5.50 (1 in stock)
Men of Iron
by Howard Pyle
2nd edition from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.49
Men Who Found America
by Frederick Winthrop Hutchinson
from Living Book Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$6.79
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
by Howard Pyle
from Living Book Press
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$12.74
Nature Notebooks
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-8th grade
$59.44
Notes on Birds 1
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
$8.49
Notes on Birds 2
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
$8.49
Notes on Common Animals
by Anna Botsford Comstock
2021 Printing from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
$8.49
Notes on Fishes
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
$8.49
Notes on Insects
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
$8.49
Notes on Plants and Flowers
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
$8.49
Notes on Trees
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
$8.49
Number Stories of Long Ago
by David Eugene Smith
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
$7.64
Objects in Motion: Principles of Classical Mechanics
Paul Fleisher's Secrets of the Universe
by Paul Fleisher
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$10.19
Odyssey for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Living Book Press
for 5th-8th grade
$6.79
On the Shores of the Great Sea
Story of the World Series #1
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$8.49
Otto of the Silver Hand
by Howard Pyle
from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.79
Our Australasian Story
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 5th-12th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$6.79
Our Empire Story - Black & White Edition
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-10th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$11.89
Our Empire Story - Color Edition
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-10th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$22.06
Our Island Story (B&W Edition)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-7th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$13.59
Our Island Story (Color Edition)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-7th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$24.64
Paul Fleisher's Secrets of the Universe
Paul Fleisher's Secrets of the Universe
by Paul Fleisher
from Living Book Press
for 4th-10th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$50.96
Penrod
by Booth Tarkington
from Living Book Press
Realistic Fiction for 7th-Adult
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$10.19
Penrod and Sam
by Booth Tarkington, illustrated by Gordon Grant
from Living Book Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.34
Peterkin Papers
by Lucretia P. Hale
from Living Book Press
Humorous Fiction for 7th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.61
Pollyanna
Puffin Classics
by Eleanor Porter
from Living Book Press
Realistic fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.34
Princess and Curdie
by George MacDonald
from Living Book Press
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Princess and the Goblin
by George MacDonald
from Living Book Press
Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Railway Children
Puffin Classics
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by C. E. Brock
from Living Book Press
Family Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.34
Relativity and Quantum Mechanics: Principles of Modern Physics
Paul Fleisher's Secrets of the Universe
by Paul Fleisher
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$10.19
Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe
from Living Book Press
for 5th-Adult
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$11.89
Rural Hours
by Susan Fenimore Cooper
from Living Book Press
for 6th-Adult
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
Saints and Heroes 1
by George Hodges
from Living Book Press
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$7.64
Saints and Heroes 2
by George Hodges
from Living Book Press
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$7.64
Scotland's Story (B&W)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 5th-12th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$11.04
Scotland's Story (full-color)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 5th-12th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$19.54
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