Regional History

Once upon a time, schoolchildren could be expected to know the name of the mountains separating France from Spain, the location of the Nile River, the capitals of all fifty states, and what and where the Pampas could be found. Now, even adults have a hard time naming the most populous city in the U.S. or the countries of Asia. These are, indeed, sad times, and doomed to become sadder if this geographic ignorance is not turned to knowledge.

Without a firm grasp on geography, how can we expect to know anything about history? History is rooted in a sense of place. Why did the Union troops lose the Battle of Cold Harbor? Because they were attacking Confederate fortifications uphill. And if you don't know anything about the Alps, the fact that Hannibal's army crossed them with elephants won't surprise you near as much as it should. Understanding the physical terrain and the demographics of an area are essential to understanding the history of that region.

Which is why studying history by place is such a good idea. There are cultural considerations, of course, and these can be immensely helpful guides in their own right, but simply looking at the lay of the land so to speak will provide a sense of context more abstract boundaries never can. African history, for instance, makes so much more sense if you know what the continent is like.

Even cultures are influenced by geography. Take the United States: some of the most important advances in transportation technology happened within her borders largely due to necessity. The steam engine train was perfected here, automobiles and airplanes were invented here, and in the last few decades we've led the world in space exploration.

It's not that no one traveled before the 19th and 20th century, or outside the North American continent—it's just that because the new nation was so vast, and there were so many natural barriers (the Mississippi River, the Grand Tetons and Great Smokey Mountains, the Mojave Desert), new forms of getting from here to there were not only a good idea, they were a necessity.

There probably isn't one instance in the history of the world in which geography and events weren't directly tied. Certainly this is true for military history, and exploration, and agriculture, but it's also true of ideas and ideologies. Part of the reason slavery was such an important part of Southern culture in the U.S. was that cotton was an immensely growable crop and only armies of slaves could be counted on to get all the work done; in order to justify the use of forced labor, however, a philosophical ethos was developed.

Other instances may be more obscure, but no less true. In France, the mild climate and fertile country led to a series of approaches to thought that emphasized experience and the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake (particularly existentialism); in ancient Greece, the geographical isolation enforced by mountains and seas allowed democratic polity to emerge among the city states.

Geography and history are pretty much Siamese twins, and academic technology has not advanced to the point where they can be separated without risk of life to both. We've organized the subcategories in this section along pretty standard lines (continents, countries, and the like), but standards arise because they work. Explore a region you're unfamiliar with; you're likely to uncover quite a few surprises.

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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20th Century Wars
by Robert W. Smith
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American Civil War
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American Covenant
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American Waterways: Canal Days
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Amistad Slave Revolt and American Abolition
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Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry
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Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
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Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
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Atlas of the North American Indian
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Augustus Caesar's World
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Behind Enemy Lines
Sterling Point Books
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Behind the Blue and Gray
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Beyond the Sacred Page
Book of Books #2
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Biography of James A. Garfield
Sons of Liberty Series
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Born to Run
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Boy in the Alamo
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Brethren
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Buffalo Bill
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Biography for 6th-9th grade
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Chronological and Background Charts of the New Testament
by H. Wayne House
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Biblical Reference for 9th-Adult
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Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament
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Civil War Songbook
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Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance
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Claudette Colvin
by Philip Hoose
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2010 Newbery Honor Book, 2010 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, National Book Award
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Colonial Period: 1607-1750
American History by Era Volume 2
by Brenda Stalcup (editor)
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Colonial Triangular Trade: An Economy Based on Human Misery
by Phyllis Raybin Emert, ed.
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Come On, Seabiscuit!
by Ralph Moody
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Biography for 5th-9th grade
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Concise History of Ireland
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Cut and Make African Masks in Full Color
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Daughter's Devotion
by George MacDonald, edited by Michael R. Phillips
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David Livingstone
Heroes of the Faith Series
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Diary of a Young Girl
by Anne Frank
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Drive Thru History America with Dave Stotts: Foundations of Character - Book Only
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Eating the Plates
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Elizabeth I
Jackdaw No. 53
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Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men
by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel
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Enchantress of Florence
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Europe Finds the World
Cambridge Introduction to World History
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Eyewitnesses at the Battle of Franklin
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Faith of Our Fathers: Scenes from American Church History
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Church History Reference for 7th-12th grade
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Faust: A Tragedy
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Flames of Rome
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Forgotten Daughter
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1934 Newbery Honor Book
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Fortune of War
Aubrey/Maturin #6
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Free Indeed
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Expanded from Bob Jones University Press
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Genealogy of the Kings of France and Their Wives
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Gentlewoman's Choice
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George Washington
Sterling Point Books
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George Washington & the Founding of a Nation
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Give Me Liberty!
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Glimpses of Truth
Book of Books #1
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Glorious Age in Africa
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Going Solo
by Roald Dahl
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Gold Rush
by Liza Ketchum
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Gold Rush Dogs
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Grand Canyon and the Southwest
by Ansel Adams
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Great Battles of the Civil War
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Great World War II Projects You Can Build Yourself
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Guide to America's Greatest Historic Places
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Guide to the California Gold Rush
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Gulf War 1991
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Gytha's Message
Emma Leslie Church History Series
by Emma Leslie
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Helen Keller: The Story of My Life
by Helen Keller
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Hero Tales
by Theodore Roosevelt & Henry Cabot Lodge
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Heyday
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History of Britain 2
History of Britain Trilogy #2
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History of Britain Trilogy #3
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History of US Book 1
History of US Book 1
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3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 10
History of US Book 10
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
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History of US Book 2
History of US Book 2
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 3
History of US Book 3
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
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History of US Book 3
by Joy Hakim
3rd edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 4
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3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
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History of US Book 6
History of US Book 6
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
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History of US Book 6
History of US Book 6
by Joy Hakim
3rd edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
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History of US Book 7
History of US Book 7
by Joy Hakim
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History of US Book 8
History of US Book 8
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 8
History of US Book 8
by Joy Hakim
3rd edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 9
History of US Book 9
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
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Hostage Lands
by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
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Ides of April
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
by Mary Ray
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In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Land of the Head-Hunters
Reprint from World Book
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Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
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India: The Culture
Lands, Peoples and Cultures
by Bobbie Kalman
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India: The People
Lands, Peoples and Cultures
by Bobbie Kalman
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Indian Chiefs
by Russell Freedman
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Indian How Book
by Arthur C. Parker
Unknown from Dover Publications
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Ireland: The Culture
Lands, Peoples and Cultures
by Erinn Banting
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Jamestown and the Founding of the Nation
by Warren M. Billings
from Thomas Publications
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Jason Lee
Sowers Series
by Charles Ludwig
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Biography for 7th-9th grade
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John Paul Jones
Sterling Point Books
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Jonathan and Sarah
by Edna Gerstner
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Biography for 9th-Adult
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Journal of a Trapper
by Osborne Russell, edited by Aubrey L. Haines
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Keeping Score
by Linda Sue Park
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King's Arrow
Crown & Covenant Series #2
by Doug Bond & Matthew Bird
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Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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Kitchen Boy
by Robert Alexander
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Labor's Untold Story
by Herbert M. Morais, Richard O. Boyer
3rd edition from United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of Amer
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Lee's New School History of the United States
by Susan Lee
1995 reprint from Grapevine Publications
for 9th-Adult
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Letter Writer
by Ann Rinaldi
Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 5th-9th grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life in Medieval Times
by Marjorie Rowling
Reissue from Perigee Books
for 8th-12th grade
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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