American State History

In many ways, the United States are becoming more homogeneous than they were fifty or a hundred years ago. The rise of mass technology, communication, and entertainment has meant more people get the same information through the same media, resulting in a sameness among people and places not possible before.

The old days were much different. For one thing, until recently a large percentage of the U.S. population were immigrants, bringing with them the culture and ethnic traditions of their home countries. Italians, Chinese, Africans, Dutch, Puerto Ricans, Irish, Jews, Scandinavians—they all tended to settle together, and were thus able to preserve what they knew.

Communication was also far less unifying. Correspondence was much more local, typically, and interactions between regions were limited, usually to word-of-mouth and newspapers. In such circumstances, different parts of the country often seemed almost like different countries altogether; this was especially true in places that didn't become part of the Union until relatively late in the nation's history.

Each state has a history of its own, and each one is uniquely fascinating. Even where there seems to be considerable overlap, the differences are very real, such as the difference between the California Gold Rush and the Alaska Gold Rush. An appreciation of the diversity of our nation is almost always preceded by a knowledge of the individual states and regions within it.

Some states naturally have more written about them than others, like Texas, which before it was a U.S. state was an autonomous nation. Nevertheless, we're working on building a diverse collection, though we do have a slight bias for books about the Pacific Northwest. We also have a bias for books from a Christian perspective, though we carry both Christian and secular titles.

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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53 Items found Print
Active Filters: Trade Paperback, Used Books & Materials
Autobiography by Booker T. Washington
Sons of Liberty Series
from A Beka Books
for 7th-10th grade
in A Beka Book Report books (Location: REA-ABK)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Bandon by the Sea
by Dow Beckham
from Arago Books
for Adult
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington & the Cascades
by Joan Burton, photos by Ira Spring
from Mountaineers Books
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Bite of the Gold Bug
by Barthe DeClements
from Puffin Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Gilded Age & Progressive Era (1877-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$4.99 $2.00 (2 in stock)
Butter in the Well: Historical Diary 1868-1888
by Linda K. Hubalek
from Butterfield Books
for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Collector, The
by Jack Nisbet
from Sasquatch Books
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Colonial Experience
A Basic History of the United States Volume 1
by Clarence B. Carson
from American Textbook Committee
American History Reference for 9th-Adult
in Basic History of the United States (Location: HISCUR-BHUS)
$17.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Colonial Period: 1607-1750
American History by Era Volume 2
by Brenda Stalcup (editor)
from Greenhaven Press
for 9th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Death Valley & the Amargosa
by Richard E. Lingenfelter
from University of California Press
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Exploring Oregon's Historic Courthouses
by Kathleen M. Wiederhold
from Oregon State University Press
for Adult
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
George Washington Carver
Sowers Series
by David Collins
from Mott Media
Biography for 5th-7th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Gold Rush
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in California (Location: HISA-19CGR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Gold Rush Fever
by Barbara Greenwood
from Kids Can Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Gilded Age & Progressive Era (1877-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Hubbell Trading Post
by Erica Cottam
from University of Oklahoma Press
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Illustrated Atlas of Hawaii
by Gavan Daws
from Island Heritage Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Jamestown
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA)
$6.95 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Jamestown and the Founding of the Nation
by Warren M. Billings
from Thomas Publications
for 9th-Adult
in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Jamestown Settlement
by Nancy Egloff
from Bicast Publishing Co.
for 4th-6th grade
in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Jason Lee
Sowers Series
by Charles Ludwig
from Mott Media
Biography for 7th-9th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Let's Learn to Count in Hawaiian
by Keiki C. Kawai'ae'a
from Island Heritage Publishing
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Foreign Language (Location: FL-GEN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er Vol. 1
by Jack Dublin
1st edition from J. Dublin Media
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Making of American California
by Dorothy Dimmick
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 6th-9th grade
in California (Location: HISA-19CGR)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Mooring Tree
by Gertrude Robinson
2020 GaTB from The Good and the Beautiful
for 4th-8th grade
in GATB Language Arts & Reading (Location: CUR-GABELA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Mountain Boyhood
by Joe Mills, introduction and notes by James H. Pickering, illustrated by Enos B. Comstock
from University of Nebraska
for 6th-12th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Mountain Men and Fur Traders of the Far West
by LeRoy R. Hafen & Harvey L. Carter
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 9th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$21.95 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Neeluk
by Frances Kittredge
from Alaska Northwest Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Newcomer's Handbook for Moving To and Living In Portland
by Bryan Geon
3rd edition
for Adult
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Oregon
by Gretchen Bratvold
from Lerner Publishing Group
for 3rd-6th grade
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Oregon Trail
Tales of the Wild West Volume 1
by Rick Steber
from Bonanza Publishing
for 4th-7th grade
in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Oregon Trail
by Ted Henson
from Instructional Fair
for 5th-8th grade
in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Oregon Trail, Yesterday and Today
from Caxton Press
for 6th-Adult
in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Patty Reed's Doll
by Rachel K. Laurgaard
from Tomato Enterprises
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.00 (3 in stock)
People's School, The
by William G. Robbins
from Oregon State University Press
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Pioneer Children on the Journey West
by Emmy E. Werner
from Westview Press
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast
by Jim Pojar, Andy MacKinnon
Revised from Partners Publishing
for 8th-Adult
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Rainbow's Gold
by Vera Martin Lynch
from William W. Lynch
for 6th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Roadside Geology of Oregon
2nd edition from Mountain Press
for 9th-Adult
in Geology (Rocks & Minerals) (Location: SCI-GEO)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Rock Grows Up
by Randi & Michael Goodrich
from GeoQuest Publications
for 1st-4th grade
in Geology (Rocks & Minerals) (Location: SCI-GEO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Secret School
by Avi
from Sandpiper Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: The Deep South
by William B. Logan and Vance Muse, with photography by Mary Z. Jenkins
from Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
for 9th-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
South in Modern America
by Dewey W. Grantham
from University of Arkansas Press
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Surviving Jamestown
by Gail Karwoski
from Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
for 3rd-12th grade
in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA)
$6.00 $4.00 (2 in stock)
This Precipice Garden
by James DePreist, afterword by William Stafford
from University of Portland
for 10th-Adult
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Thrills of the Historic Ohio River
by Frank Y. Grayson
from Cincinnati Times-Star
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Trouble for Lucy
by Carla Stevens
from Clarion Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.95 $5.50 (1 in stock)
Volcano
by Patricia Lauber
from Trumpet Club
for 4th-8th grade
$3.00 (2 in stock)
War Chief Joseph
by Helen Addison Howard & Dan L. McGrath
from Bison Books
for 7th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
What Was the Gold Rush?
by Joan Holub
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in California (Location: HISA-19CGR)
$5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Who Was Frederick Douglass?
Who Was?...Series
by April Jones Prince, illustrated by Robert Squier
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge
by Russ Jolley
from Oregon Historical Society Press
for 8th-Adult
in Field Guides: Plants & Fungi (Location: NAT-FG08)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
World Almanac Library of the States: Washington
by Rachel Barenblat
from Gareth Stevens Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Written in Stone
by Rosanne Parry
from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.50 (1 in stock)