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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...and now Miguel
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13 Colonies: Georgia
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1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving
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Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance
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Abe Lincoln Grows Up
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Windermere Readers #10
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1954 edition from Rand McNally
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Adventures with the Santa Fe Trail
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Africa For Kids
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Africa's Vanishing Wildlife
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Air Raid - Pearl Harbor!
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Airplanes of the Second World War - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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All Aboard for Freedom
by Marie McSwigan, illustrated by E. Harper Johnson, with an introduction by Jan Papanek
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Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
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America At War: Korean War
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America from the Beginning - Student Manual
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America Grows Up
A History for Peter #2
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America in the 1900s and 1910s
Decades of American History
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America in the 1930s
Decades of American History
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America is Born
A History for Peter #1
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America's Ethan Allen
by Stewart H. Holbrook; illustrated by Lynd Ward
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America's Lost Dream
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American Adventures Part 1
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American Heritage Book of the Presidents and Famous Americans Volume 1
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American Heritage Book of the Presidents and Famous Americans Volume 9
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American Heritage History of the Indian Wars
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American Heroes of the 20th Century
Landmark Giant #14
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American Indian in Words and Pictures
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American Indian Prayer Guide
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American Indian Tales and Legends
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American Presidents & Presidential First Ladies Notebooking Pages
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American Revolution
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American Revolution
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Americans Before Columbus
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1952 Newbery Honor Book
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Amethyst Ring
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Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom
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Among the Plains Indians
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Ancient Civilizations: China
Ancient Civilizations
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Ancient Maya
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Ancient Near East - Coloring Book
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Ancient Roman Art
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Ancient Rome
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Ancient Rome Activity Book
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Ancient World: The Chinese
The Ancient World
by Pamela Odijk
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Andie's Moon
Historical House: 1969
by Linda Newbery
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Angel on the Square
by Gloria Whelan
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Anna and the King (adapted)
by Margaret Landon
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Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
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Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
by Anne Frank, translated by B. M. Mooyaart-Doubleday with an introduction by Eleanor Roosevelt
Book Club Edition from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
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Anne of Avonlea
Anne #2
by L. M. Montgomery
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Anne of Jamestown
by Anne Price-Hardister, illustrated by Ruby Gardner
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Apache Land
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AppleSeeds: Amazon Adventures
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Appomattox
by Burke Davis
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Arabs in the Golden Age
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Arabs in the Golden Age
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Arrow Over the Door
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Art and Civilization: Ancient Rome
Art and Civilization
by Giovanni Di Pasquale & Matilde Bardi
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Roman History Reference for 4th-6th grade
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Art of Keeping Cool
by Janet Taylor Lisle
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2001 Scott O'Dell Award
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Art of the Southeastern Indians
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Art of the Woodland Indians
by Shirley Glubok
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Asian Crafts
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Atlas of North American Exploration
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Oklahoma Paperbacks Ed from University of Oklahoma Press
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Australia
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Australia - An Interdisciplinary Unit
by Merle Davenport
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Australia: Beyond the Black Stump
by Gary Lewis
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Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
by M. B. Synge
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History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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Aztec and Maya Myths
by Karl Taube
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Aztecs
Journey Into Civilization
by Robert Nicholson and Claire Watts
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B. Franklin, Printer
by David A. Adler
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Baktar
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Ballad of Lucy Whipple
by Karen Cushman
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Bambi
by Felix Salten, illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
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$29.99 $18.00 (1 in stock)
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