Timeline of Classics

More and more homeschool families are turning to non-textbook solutions for teaching their children, particularly when it comes to history. Fortunately, there are bajillions of resources and books available; unfortunately, finding the right ones can be difficult, to the point many parents give up. Gail Ledbetter has done a lot of the searching-through-the-haystack work for you, and presents her discoveries in Timeline of Classics, a recent publication of Institute for Excellence in Writing.

Ledbetter's compilation is both a timeline and a reading list. Four columns present the vital information: the first offers the time period covered by the resource in question; the second provides the title (and series title, if applicable); the third identifies the author; and the fourth offers suggested levels (elementary, middle school, high school). The time period column doesn't just include dates, it also presents some of the key events that took place during those years.

Most of the resources included are books (both fiction and non-fiction), though there are also plenty of timelines, charts, and movies included. On each page, Ledbetter has included pertinent quotes from famous authors and their works that either underscore a Christian worldview or simply present food for thought. This is a Christian list, so if you're looking for something more neutral, you'll probably want to look elsewhere, though the Chrisian books included are mostly of historical significance.

The author encourages students (especially high school students) to mark up their timeline, marking books they found especially helpful, writing notes, etc. This isn't a rigid reading list or curriculum by any stretch; rather, it's meant to facilitate either core or supplemental history reading, viewing and study. If you have time to sift through all the material out there you might not need this book; for everyone else (i.e., most of us), Timeline of Classics is a compact and very useful tool.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviewshere.