Chronological History

Sometimes we speak of world history as though it belongs to people. It doesn't—it belongs to God, and though people play prominently within the historical narrative, it always remains under God's auspices and control. The problem with losing the right perspective isn't that we'll get the facts wrong, it's that we'll fail to understand what they mean, what the purpose of past events is, and what we can look forward to.

Human history began all at once in the same place: the Garden of Eden, where God made Adam and Eve as the crown of all Creation. He told them to fill the earth and take dominion of it, and He also told them not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They ate the fruit anyway, and mankind was removed from paradise and introduced to tension, pain, and resistance.

The story of the world is in many ways simply the story of adversity. For the enemies of God, it's adversity in the form of the failure and futility of purely human endeavor; for God's people, it's the story of fighting for the truth against secular philosophies, fighting for holiness despite the pervasiveness of sin, and fighting for the Gospel in the face of persecution and death.

Jesus Christ is our only hope. He is the Prince of Peace, the defeater of Death, and the King of the Universe, the saver of souls and the punisher of wickedness. His kingdom is the restoration and glorious fulfillment of the paradise from which Adam and Eve were removed, and we work, wait, hope and pray for the quick fulfillment of His will in all things.

This is our framework for history. While it's important to study things like the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the ancient Near East, it's only important when investigated through the lens of God's ultimate sovereignty and plan. The story of mankind is the story of redemption, and only when we analyze battles, kings, treaties, and catastrophes from God's perspective can we truly make sense of them.

Otherwise, it's all fairly irrelevant and useless. Sure, there's Napoleon's dictum that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it, but a quick survey of the past will show that each successive generation does repeat the sins of their fathers, and that without Christ's real physical life on Earth as a centering point, there's no real cause for optimism or hope of any kind.

Christ's love not only makes the trajectory of history cause for hope; it reveals the truly great moments of the past, events that to the secular eye seem insignificant or even pernicious. We're speaking of the progress of the true Church, of course, and of each soul that God calls and makes His own through the agency of His Holy Spirit. These are the milestones we look for and celebrate.

We carry a lot of world history products. Because it's the story of God's work in the world and our human responses, we believe it's important to know and understand. Not everything we carry is Christian; there are plenty of secular resources here. We encourage you to use whichever ones work best for your situation, but that you do so with a view to understanding the will and work of the One who made history in the first place.

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 reviews here.

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1812: The War and the World
from Rand McNally
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
5,000-Year-Old Puzzle
by Claudia Logan, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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A is for Abigail
by Lynne Cheney
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Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance
by Frances Cavanah
from Rand McNally
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Abigail Adams
A Discovery Book
by Helen Stone Peterson, illustrated by Betty Fraser
from Garrard Publishing Company
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Abraham Lincoln
A Discovery Book
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Abraham Lincoln
Initial Biography
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Historical Non-fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
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Across the Wide & Lonesome Prairie
Dear America
by Kristiana Gregory
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Fictional historical journal for 3rd-6th grade
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Adèle & Simon in America
by Barbara McClintock
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Adoniram Judson: A Grand Purpose
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Adventures of Lewis and Clark
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Adventures of Lewis and Clark
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Adventures of Perrine
Windermere Readers #10
by Hector Malot, translated by Gil Meynier, adapted by Edith Heal
1954 edition from Rand McNally
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Windermere Series 4
by Hector Malot, translated by Gil Meynier, adapted by Edith Heal
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by Nathan Hale
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All About Aviation
All About Books #51
by Robert D. Loomis
from Random House
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All About Rockets and Jets
All About Books #13
by Fletcher Pratt
2nd edition from Random House
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All About the Arctic and Antarctic
All About Books #20
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from Random House
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All About Undersea Exploration
All About Books #35
by Ruth Brindze, illustrated with more than 60 photographs
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by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John
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Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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America Begins
by Alice Dalgliesh, illustrated by Lois Maloy
Revised Edition from Charles Scribner's Sons
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America in the Time of George Washington
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
from Heinemann Library
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America's Robert E. Lee
by Henry Steele Commager, illustrated by Lynd Ward
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American Fairy Tales
1st edition from Hyperion Books for Children
for 3rd-Adult
Amerigo Vespucci
by Nina Brown Baker
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Amy Carmichael: Rescuing the Children
Heroes for Young Readers
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Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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Ancient Celts: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of the Celts' Past
National Geographic Investigates
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Ancient Greece
by Peter Connolly, text by Andrew Solway
from Oxford University
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Ancient Greek Temple
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Ancient World
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Angel of Mercy
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Animals Robert Scott Saw
by Sandra Markle
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Ann And Liv Cross Antarctica
by Ann Bancroft, Liv Arnesen
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Anselm of Canterbury
Christian Biographies for Young Readers
by Simonetta Carr
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Apprentice
by Pilar Molina Llorente
First American Edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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Aquila's Drinking Gourd
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Colonial American Craftsmen
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Ark, The
by Margot Benary-Isbert
2021 Revision from Purple House Press
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$23.00
Armor
Usborne Beginners Level 2
by Catriona Clarke
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Armstrong
by Torben Kuhlmann, Translated by David Henry Wilson
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by Sonia Bleeker, illustrated by Kisa Sasaki
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Sightseers Essential Travel Guides to the Past
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Har/Map from Kingfisher
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Barbarian Invasions of Europe
by Patrick Perin & Pierre Forni, assisted by Laure-Charlotte Feffer
from Silver Burdett Press
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Battle of the Bulge
by Stephen W. Sears
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
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in American Heritage Junior Library (Location: VIN-HIS)
Battle of Yorktown
by Thomas J. Fleming
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
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in American Heritage Junior Library (Location: VIN-HIS)
Bay of the North
by Ronald Syme
from William Morrow & Company
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Beethoven
by Reba Paeff Mirsky
from Follett
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Beethoven's Heroic Symphony (Once Upon a Masterpiece)
from Charlesbridge
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$16.95
Behave Yourself, Bethany Brant
by Patricia Beatty
from William Morrow & Company
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Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin
by Marguerite Henry & Wesley Dennis
from Bobbs-Merril Co
Biography for 1st-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Betsy Ross: Girl of Old Philadelphia
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Ann Weil, illustrated by Al Fiorentino
from Bobbs-Merril Co
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Big Book of Cowboys
by Holling Clancy Holling
from Grosset & Dunlap
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in Cowboys & Cattlemen (Location: HISA-19CO)
Big Golden Book of Christopher Columbus and Other Early Adventurers
by Russell Bourne, illustrated by Thomas LaPadula
from Golden Books
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Famous Explorers
Young Folks Library
by Edwin Erle Sparks, editor
from Auxiliary Educational League
for 3rd-9th grade
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Book of Marvels: Marvels of the Occident
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
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$27.99
Book of Marvels: Marvels of the Orient
by Richard Halliburton
from Living Book Press
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Boston Tea Party
by Russel Freedman, Illustrated by Peter Malone
from Holiday House
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Boxes for Katje
by Candace Fleming
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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Brave Harriet
by Marissa Moss
from Harcourt Children's Books
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Brother Hugo and the Bear
by Katy Beebe
from Eerdmans
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Brothers at Bat
by Audrey Vernick
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Brothers in Hope
by Mary Williams, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
from Lee & Low Books
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2006 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Buffalo Bill
by Frank L. Beals, illustrated by Jack Merryweather
1959 Edition from Wheeler Publishing, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
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Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
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$9.00 (2 in stock)
Cabin Boy to Advent Crusader
by Virgil Robinson, illustrated by Harry Baerg
from Southern Publishing Association
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink, illustrated by Kate Seredy
from Macmillan
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$19.99
Caleb's Choice
from Lodestar Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
California Gold Days
by Helen Bauer
1961 Printing from California State Department of Education
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Canterbury Tales
by Barbara Cohen & Trina Schart Hyman
from William Morrow & Company
Medieval Literature for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$17.50 (1 in stock)
Captain Cook: Pacific Explorer
by Ronald Syme
from William Morrow & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Carrie's War
by Nina Bawden
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Carving on the Tree
from Little, Brown & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Casting the Gods Adrift
by Geraldine McCaughrean
from Cricket Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Castle Diary
by Richard Platt
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
Castles
by Denise and Claude Millet
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Scholastic First Discovery Books (Location: SCIREF-1ST)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Castles
by Miranda Smith
from Kingfisher
for 2nd-4th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Catherine
Royal Diaries
by Kristiana Gregory
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Royal Diaries (Location: SER-ROYAL)
Cathie Stuart
by Nora Tully MacAlvay
1958 2nd Printing from Viking Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Cats in Krasinski Square
by Karen Hesse
1st edition from Scholastic Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Chanticleer and the Fox
by Fulton Roberts, illustrated by Marc Davis
from Disney Press
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Chief Seattle
by Elizabeth Rider Montgomery
from Garrard Publishing Company
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Children of Odin
by Padraic Colum, illustrated by Willy Pogany
from Macmillan
Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$40.00 (1 in stock)
Children of the Civil War
Picture the American Past
by Candice F. Ransom
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Children of the Emancipation -1860s to 1890s
Picture the American Past
by Wilma King
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Children of the Fox
by Jill Paton Walsh, illustrated by Robin Eaton
First American Edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Chivalry and the Mailed Knight
by Walter Buehr
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Choosing Brave
by Angela Joy, illustrated by Janelle Washington
from Roaring Brook Press
for 1st-4th grade
2023 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99
Christmas Tree Hessian
by Cora Cheney, illustrated by Edith Ballinger Price
from Henry Holt and Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Christopher Columbus
by Elaine Murray Stone
500 Anv from Tyndale House
Biography for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Christopher Columbus and His Brothers
by Amy Hogeboom
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Coal Miner's Bride
Dear America
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
from Scholastic Inc.
Fictional historical journal for 3rd-6th grade
in Dear America Books (Location: SER-DEAR)
Cold War Correspondent
by Nathan Hale
from Amulet Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$14.99
Columbus: The Triumphant Failure
by Oliver Postgate & Naomi Linnell
from Franklin Watts
for 2nd-5th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Coming on Home Soon
by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
1st edition from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
2005 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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