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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Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
$11.95
Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
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Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
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America Grows Up
A History for Peter #2
by Gerald W. Johnson
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America In Korean War
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America Is Born
A History for Peter #1
by Gerald W. Johnson
from Yesterday's Classics
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1960 Newbery Honor Book
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America Moves Forward
A History for Peter #3
by Gerald W. Johnson
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American History Stories Volume 1
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Antoine of Oregon
America's Children
by James Otis
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Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
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Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
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Baktar
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by Charles Major
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Benjamin of Ohio
America's Children
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Best Bad Thing
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Bismarck and the Foundation of the German Empire
by James Headlam
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Book of Discovery
by M. B. Synge
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$20.95
Borrowed House
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
by Hilda Van Stockum
from Purple House Press
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British Empire
by Charlotte M. Mason
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Buried Cities
by Jennie Hall
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Burning of Rome
by Alfred J. Church
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Calvert of Maryland
America's Children
by James Otis
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Cedric the Forester
by Bernard Marshall
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1922 Newbery Honor Book
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Chestry Oak
by Kate Seredy
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Children of the New Forest
by Frederick Marryat
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Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
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Children of the New Forest
by Frederick Marryat
from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
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Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Romans
by F. J. Gould, Reteller
from Yesterday's Classics
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$11.95
Christopher Columbus: His Story and His Journals
Knowledge Keepers Home Library Series 1492
by Edward Everett Hale and Edward Gaylord Bourne
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$12.00 (2 in stock)
Combat Nurses of World War II
Landmark #116
by Wyatt Blassingame
from Purple House Press
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Common Sense
Dover Thrift Editions
by Thomas Paine
from Living Book Press
Political Philosophy for 9th-Adult
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David Crockett: His Life and Adventures
by John S. C. Abbott
from CreateSpace
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$8.99
Days of Elijah
by John Noble
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$19.99
Days of Joseph
by John Noble
from Unknown Publisher
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Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
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$13.95
Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
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Dracula
by Bram Stoker
from SeaWolf Press
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Dutch Twins
by Lucy Fitch Perkins
from Eirenikos Press
for 2nd-5th grade
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Early Church
by George Hodges
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Florence Nightingale
by Laura E. Richards
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Free at Last
by Sara Bullard
from Oxford University
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Freighters and Pilgrims
Knowledge Keepers Home Library Series 1865
by Charles E. Young and Sarah Raymond Herndon
from Knowledge Keepers
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in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Frontier Living
by Edwin Tunis
from Lyons Press
Historical Reference for 7th-10th grade
Newbery Honor Book 1962
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$19.95
General Lee: Southern Commander
Knowledge Keepers Home Library Series 1861
by John Esten Cooke, Captain Robert E. Lee, foreword by Nicki Truesdell
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$15.00 (1 in stock)
Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
1925 edition reprint from Amazon
Realistic Fiction for 9th-12th grade
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Great Gatsby and Winter Dreams
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Great Quest
by Charles Boardman Hawes
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1922 Newbery Honor Book
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Greyfriars Bobby
by Eleanor Atkinson
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$9.99
Growth of the British Empire
Story of the World Series #5
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
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Growth of the British Empire
Story of the World Series #5
by M. B. Synge
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Hannah of Kentucky
America's Children
by James Otis
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Hannibal
Makers of History Series
by Jacob Abbott
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He Went with Champlain
by Louise Andrews Kent
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
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He Went with Christopher Columbus
by Louise Andrews Kent
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He Went with Drake
by Louise Andrews Kent
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He Went with Hannibal
by Louise Andrews Kent
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He Went with John Paul Jones
by Louise Andrews Kent
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He Went with Magellan
by Louise Andrews Kent
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He Went with Marco Polo
by Louise Andrews Kent
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He Went with Vasco da Gama
by Louise Andrews Kent
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Hereward the Wake
by Charles Kingsley
from Living Book Press
for 8th-12th grade
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History of France (color)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
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$29.99
History of Germany (color)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
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$23.99
History of King Charles II of England
by Jacob Abbott
from Living Book Press
for 10th-Adult
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$10.99
Horsecatcher, The
by Mari Sandoz
First Bison Book from Bison Books
for 6th-10th grade
1958 Newbery Honor Book
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$14.95
How the Heather Looks
by Joan Bodger, illustrated by Mark Lang
Reprint from Living Book Press
for 7th-Adult
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$14.99
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 Yesterday's Classics
for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.95
In the Days of Queen Elizabeth
by Eva March Tappan
from Yesterday's Classics
for 6th-10th grade
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$12.95
In the Days of Queen Elizabeth
by Eva March Tappan
from Living Book Press
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$9.99
In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Days of William the Conqueror
by Eva March Tappan
from Yesterday's Classics
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$12.95
In the Days of William the Conqueror
by Eva March Tappan
from Living Book Press
for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.99
Iriquois Handbook
Knowledge Keepers Home Library Series 1771
by Reverend John Heckewelder
from Knowledge Keepers
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Keeper of the Bees
by Gene Stratton-Porter, illustrated by Gordon Grant, decorations by Lee Thayer
from Purple House Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Kim
Reader's Digest World's Best Reading
by Rudyard Kipling
from Living Book Press
for 8th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
King of Ireland's Son
by Padraic Colum
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-7th grade
$14.95
Last of the Mohicans
Leatherstocking Tales #2
by James Fenimore Cooper, Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth
from SeaWolf Press
Realistic Action/Adventure Novel for 9th-Adult
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$11.95
Let's Explore the British Isles
by Caroline Walker, with maps & illustrations by Gloris Smith Young
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Introductory Geography (Location: GEO-INTRO)
$15.99
Life of Christopher Columbus
by Edward Everett Hale
from Living Book Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.99
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott, Illustrated by Frank Merrill
from SeaWolf Press
Romantic Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
Love and Loss in Cambodia
by Debra Groves Harman
from Canby Media
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali
by P. James Oliver
from CreateSpace
for 3rd-6th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$9.99
Marco Polo
by Manual Komroff
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99
Martha of California
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Mary of Plymouth
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Medical Corps Heroes of World War II
Landmark #120
by Wyatt Blassingame
2022 Reprint from Purple House Press
for 5th-9th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$15.99
Miles Standish: The Puritan Captain
by John S. C. Abbott
2022 Reprint from Knowledge Keepers
for Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Night Watch
by Isabelle Lawrence
from Purple House Press
for 3rd-6th grade
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$13.99
On the Edge of the Fjord
by Alta Halverson Seymour
from Purple House Press
for 3rd-6th grade
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$11.99
On the Shores of the Great Sea
Story of the World Series #1
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$13.95 $8.00 (1 in stock)
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)
$9.99
Our Australasian Story
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 5th-12th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$7.99
Our Empire Story
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-10th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$22.95
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)
$13.99
Our Empire Story - Color Edition
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-10th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$25.95
Our Island Story
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-7th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$22.95
Our Island Story (B&W Edition)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-7th grade
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$15.99
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