Biography Anthologies

One of the best ways to learn about a specific era is to read about it from the perspective of its key players. For instance, a good biography of Thomas Jefferson will often tell you much more about the American War for Independence and the writing of the Declaration of Independence than a textbook of the period can.

The problem with reading a good biography about one person, however, is that your view becomes fairly myopic. You might come away knowing a lot about Jefferson's experience in the Constitutional Conventions, but what about the other men involved? What were they thinking, what were their motivations, and where did they fit in the big picture?

That's where biography anthologies come in. A good anthology brings together a number of biographies that share something important in common, whether the subjects lived in the same time or place, or followed the same profession, or became famous for similar reasons. Without a common theme, biography anthologies are pretty much worthless.

Anthologies are also useful for quick reference, or for finding out about people you never knew existed, or for simply thumbing through on a lazy afternoon. We tend to think anything that educates is "merely" educational, and therefore worthless for any entertainment purposes; biography anthologies will educate, but they're also really fun.

There are one or two exceptions to the theme rule: a book like The Oxford Children's Book of Famous People doesn't have a particular unifying theme, but there are so many mini-biographies of so many people that it's more of an encyclopedia than a selection of related stories.

Perhaps the best biography anthologies we've seen are the Hero Tales books by Dave and Neta Jackson, each of which presents stories about important men and women of God through the ages. These are accessible, family-oriented, and accomplish what only the best books do: encourage readers to greater Christian faithfulness.

Our section was getting a bit bloated, so we put several titles in clearance. We're working on rebuilding it, but want only the best volumes. If you know of any excellent anthologies we should carry, please let us know. Our hope is that you'll find books here that are educational, entertaining, and edifying, and not just a bunch of irrelevant stories about dead people.

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Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10)
A is for Abigail
by Lynne Cheney
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Amelia to Zora
1st edition from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-5th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$7.95
America's War Heroes
by Marilyn Boyer
from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$10.39
American Experience Storybook
Copper Lodge Library
by Stephanie B. Meyer
from Classical Conversations
for 4th-8th grade
in Classical Conversations (Location: CUR-CC)
$16.99
And Long Remember
by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats
from E.M. Hale and Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Answering the Cry for Freedom
by Gretchen Woelfle, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
from Calkins Creek
for 4th-7th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$19.99
Armed with Courage
by May McNeer, illustrated by Lynd Ward
from Abingdon Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Bad Girls Throughout History
by Ann Shen
from Chronicle Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Black Courage
by A. E. Schraff
from Macrae-Smith Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Golden Deeds
by Charlotte M. Yonge
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$13.99
Champions of Freedom Every Child Should Know
The "What Every Child Should Know" Library
by Marion Florence Lansing, illustrated by Henry Pitz
from Doubleday & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Christians With Courage
by Ruth Johnson Jay
from Accelerated Christian Education
for 1st-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Cry for Action
by Melissa Stone
from Steck-Vaughn Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Fifty Famous People
by James Baldwin
from Yesterday's Classics
for 1st-4th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$11.95
Five Roads to the White House
by Ann E. Weiss
from Julian Messner
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Flying High
by Melissa Stone
from Steck-Vaughn Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
For God and Country
by John Riddle
from Barbour Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Four American Inventors
by Frances M. Perry
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$13.95
Four Great Americans
by James Baldwin
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Freedom's Children
by Ellen Levine
from Penguin Putnam
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) (Location: HISA-20CIV)
$7.99
Heart and Soul
by Kadir Nelson
Reprint from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
2012 Coretta Scott King Award
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Hero Tales Volume I
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$14.99 $9.00 (4 in stock)
Hero Tales Volume II
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Hero Tales Volume III
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Hero Tales Volume IV
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
Biography Anthology for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Heroes
by Rebecca Hazell
from Abbeville Press
for 1st-5th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Heroes of God
by Katie & Dan Montgomery
from Augsburg Fortress
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Heroes of the Army in America
by Charles Morris
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Heroines
by Rebecca Hazell
1st edition from Abbeville Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Hunters Blaze the Trails
by Edith S. McCall
New 1980 Edition from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Hunters Blaze the Trails
by Edith S. McCall
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Inventors & Scientists
from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$10.39
Legends of the Wild West
by James A. Crutchfield, Bill O'Neal, Dale L. Walker
from Publications International
for 3rd-8th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Annie Oakley and Other Rugged People
by Stewart H. Holbrook
First Ediition from Macmillan
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lives of Extraordinary Women
by Kathleen Krull
from Harcourt Children's Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Lives of the Artists
by Kathleen Krull
Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
Lives of the Musicians
by Kathleen Krull
from Sandpiper Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Lives of the Musicians
by Kathleen Krull
from Sandpiper Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$8.99
Madam President
by Catherine Thimmesh, Illustrated by Douglas B. Jones
from Houghton Mifflin
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Minute Sketches of Great Composers
by Eva v B. Hansl, Helen L. Kaufmann, illustrated by Samuel Nisenson
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biographical sketches for 3rd-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
More Minute Biographies
by Samuel Nisenson and Alfred Parker
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-12th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Patriots in Petticoats
by Shirley Raye Redmond
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
People at the Center of Prohibition
by Tamra B. Orr
1st edition from Blackbirch Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Roaring Twenties (1919-1929) (Location: HISA-20s)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
People at the Center of the Vietnam War
by Tamra B. Orr
1st edition from Blackbirch Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Vietnam War (1957-1975) (Location: HISA-20VIE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Pioneer Traders
by Edith S. McCall
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Pioneering on the Plains
Frontiers of America
by Edith McCall, illustrated by Carol Rogers
from Children's Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls
by W.H. Weston (reteller), Plutarch
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Power Tales Biographies - Set of 5
by Della Mae Rasmussen, Phyllis Colonna, Virginia Swenson, Lawrence Tamblyn, illustrated by Stephen P. Krause
from Power Tales
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Profiles in Courage
by John F. Kennedy
from HarperCollins
Biography Anthology for 4th-8th grade
1957 Biography Pulitzer Prize
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Profiles in Courage (abridged)
by John F. Kennedy, illustrated by Emil Weiss
from HarperCollins
Biography Anthology for 4th-8th grade
1957 Biography Pulitzer Prize
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Profiles of Valor
2017 Printing from Learning Parent
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Real Book About Explorers
by Irvin Block, illustrated by Jules Gotlieb
from Garden City Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Real Books series (Location: VIN-RBA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Remember the Ladies
by Cheryl Harness
from HarperCollins
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Risking it All
Moments in American History
by Anne Souby
from Steck-Vaughn Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Royal Faces
by Hugh Clayton
from Thames and Hudson
for 4th-9th grade
in Great Britain / England (Location: HISMC-BRIT)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Scholastic Encyclopedia of Women in the United States
by Sheila Keenan
Revised from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Seven Kings of England
by Geoffrey Trease
from Vanguard Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Great Britain / England (Location: HISMC-BRIT)
Standing Tall: The Stories of Ten Hispanic-Americans
by Argentina Palacios
from Scholastic Reference
for 4th-7th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Stories of America: Volume 1
by Charles Morris, Sonya Shafer
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 1st-6th grade
in Modern History (Location: HISW-MOD)
Stories of America: Volume 2
by Charles Morris, Sonya Shafer
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 1st-6th grade
in Simply Charlotte Mason (Location: CUR-SCM)
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
from Yesterday's Classics
Narrative History for 1st-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$11.95
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
from Lost Classics Book Co.
Narrative History for 1st-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
2015 Reprint from Martino Fine Books
Narrative History for 1st-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
2nd edition from Memoria Press
Narrative History for 1st-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$14.65
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
from American Book Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Stories of the Nations: Volume 1
by Charles Morris, Sonya Shafer, Lorene Lambert
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 4th-8th grade
in Modern History (Location: HISW-MOD)
Stories of the Nations: Volume 2
by Charles Morris, Lorene Lambert
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 4th-8th grade
in Simply Charlotte Mason (Location: CUR-SCM)
Stories of the Saints
by Carey Wallace, Illustrated by Nick Thornborrow
from Workman Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$26.95
Story-Lives of Master Musicians
by Harriette Brower
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Superstars of History
Basher History
by R.J. Grant, art direction by Simon Basher
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Ten Boys - Boxed Set
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
Ten Boys Who Changed the World
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
Ten Boys Who Didn't Give In
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
Ten Boys Who Made a Difference
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
$5.50 (2 in stock)
Ten Boys Who Made History
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
Ten Boys Who Used Their Talents
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
Ten Girls - Boxed Set
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
Ten Girls Who Changed the World
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 4th-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
Ten Girls Who Didn't Give In
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
Ten Girls Who Made a Difference
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Ten Girls Who Made History
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Ten Girls Who Used Their Talents
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 3rd-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Ten Kings and the Worlds They Ruled
by Milton Meltzer
1st edition from Orchard Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-7th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$16.00 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Ten True Tales: Teens at War
by Allan Zullo
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
They Led the Way
by Johanna Johnston
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
True Stories of Great Men & Women For Young Americans
from W. E. Scull
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
True Stories of Heroes
Usborne True Stories
by Paul Dowswell
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Usborne Book of Famous Women
by Richard Dungworth and Philippa Wingate, illustrated by Nicholas Hewetson
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Warrior Queens
by Vicky Alvear Shecter, illustrated by Bill Mayer
from Boyds Mill Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
We Were There, Too!
by Phillip Hoose
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Western Lawmen
by Frank Surge
from Lerner Publishing Group
for 3rd-5th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Western Outlaws
by Frank Surge
from Lerner Publishing Group
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Wilfred Grenfell
by Linda Finlayson
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
Women in Science
by Rachel Ignotofsky
from Ten Speed Press
for 4th-12th grade
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)