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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Abraham Lincoln's World
by Genevieve Foster, expanded by Joanna Foster
from Beautiful Feet Books
Historical Non-fiction for 7th-10th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
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Age of Fighting Sail
by C. S. Forester
1st edition from Doubleday & Company
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America and Vietnam
by Albert Marrin
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Augustus Caesar's World
by Genevieve Foster
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Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
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Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
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Book of Discovery
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for 7th-12th grade
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Boys' and Girls' Herodotus
by John S. White
Facsimile Edition from Kessinger Publishing
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by Karl E. Valois
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Dateline: Troy
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Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
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$13.95
Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
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Early Times: Story of Ancient Greece
by Suzanne Strauss Art
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Early Times: Story of Ancient Rome
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Europe Finds the World
Cambridge Introduction to World History
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Explorers Who Got Lost
by Diane Dreher
from Tor Classic
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Explorers Who Got Lost
by Diane Sansevere-Dreher, Illustrated by Ed Renfro
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Explorers, Missionaries, and Trappers
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Famous Men of Greece
by John Haaren, A. B. Poland & Leigh Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
Greek History for 4th-8th grade
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Famous Men of the Middle Ages
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Famous Men of the Middle Ages (old)
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Famous Men of the Renaissance and Reformation
by Robert Shearer
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Historical Reference for 4th-8th grade
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Fight for Freedom
by Benson Bobrick
1st edition from Atheneum
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For You They Signed
by Marilyn Boyer
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For You They Signed
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George Washington's World
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Good Fight
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Great Adventurers of the Twentieth Century
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Great Explorers
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Greek Way
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Story of the World Series #5
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Growth of the British Empire
Story of the World Series #5
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Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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History of US Book 1
History of US Book 1
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3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 10
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3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 10
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4th edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 2
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 3
History of US Book 3
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3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 4
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3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 5
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3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 6
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 6
History of US Book 6
by Joy Hakim
3rd edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 7
History of US Book 7
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3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 8
History of US Book 8
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 8
History of US Book 8
by Joy Hakim
3rd edition from Oxford University
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in History of US (Location: HISA-HAKIM)
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History of US Book 9
History of US Book 9
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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Landing of the Pilgrims
Landmark Series
by James Daugherty
from Random House
Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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Life & Times of Louis XIV
by Alfredo Panicucci
from Curtis Publishing Co.
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Life & Times of Peter the Great
by Giancarlo Buzzi
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Long Road to Gettysburg
by Jim Murphy
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Magellan
by Michael Burgan
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Magna Charta
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Making of America
by Robert D. Johnston
Reissue from National Geographic
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Mayflower Pilgrims
by Edmund J. Carpenter
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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Mummy
by Ernest A. Wallis Budge
New edition from Senate
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Mystery On Everest
by George Mallory
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Nation Torn
by Delia Ray
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Of Courage Undaunted
by James Daugherty
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On the Shores of the Great Sea
Story of the World Series #1
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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On the Shores of the Great Sea
Story of the World Series #1
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$8.49
Overlord
by Albert Marrin
1st edition from Atheneum
for 7th-Adult
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt
Landmark Series
by Elizabeth Payne
from Random House
Non-fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$6.99
Pony Express
by Anita Louise McCormick
from Enslow
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Punic Wars 264-146 B.C.
by Nigel Bagnall
from Osprey Publishing
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Reconstruction: Binding the Wounds
Perspectives on History Series
by Cheryl Edwards, ed.
from History Compass
Historical Non-fiction for 6th-9th grade
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$7.95
Save Our History: National World War II Memorial - Teacher's Manual
from History Channel
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in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Science in Ancient Rome
by Jacqueline Harris
from Children's Press
for 4th-8th grade
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Scotland's Story
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
for 5th-12th grade
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$17.95
Scotland's Story (B&W)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
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in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$11.04
Scotland's Story (full-color)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
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in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$19.54
Short History of Ancient Egypt
by T. G. H. James
from Johns Hopkins University Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Sir Walter Raleigh and the Quest for El Dorado
by Marc Aronson
from Clarion Books
for 7th-9th grade
2001 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
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$21.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Stories from the Crusades
by Janet Harvey Kelman
from Yesterday's Classics
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in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$9.95
Stories of Young Pioneers
by Violet T. Kimball
from Mountain Press
Historical Non-fiction for 6th-11th grade
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$14.00
Story of Europe
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
European History Reference for 8th-10th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$15.95
Story of Islam
by Suzanne Strauss Art
from Pemblewick Press
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in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$17.50
Story of Polar Conquest
by Logan Marshall, ed.
from Vision Forum
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Story of the Declaration of Independence
by Dumas Malone; pictures by Hirst Milhollen and Milton Kaplan
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Story of the Great Republic
by Helene Guerber
from Living Book Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$11.89
Story of the Greeks
by H. A. Guerber
from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-9th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$15.95
Story of the Greeks
by H. A. Guerber
from Living Book Press
for 7th-9th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$9.34
Story of the Middle Ages
by Samuel B. Harding
from Yesterday's Classics
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
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Story of the Middle Ages
Early Times
by Suzanne Strauss Art
from Wayside Publishing
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in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$21.48
Story of the Persian War
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-10th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$12.95
Story of the Renaissance
by Suzanne Strauss Art
from Pemblewick Press
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in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$21.48
Story of the Romans
by H. A. Guerber
from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-9th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$15.95
Story of the Romans
by H. A. Guerber
from CreateSpace
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in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Story of the Romans
by H. A. Guerber
from Living Book Press
for 7th-9th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$9.34
Struggle for Sea Power
Story of the World Series #4
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$13.95 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Struggle for Sea Power
Story of the World Series #4
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$9.34
Treasure Legends of the West
by Choral Pepper
1st edition from Gibbs M. Smith
for 4th-8th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Triumph on Everest
by Broughton Coburn
from Scholastic Inc.
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in 20th Century Exploration (Location: HISW-20EXP)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Victory in the Pacific
by Albert Marrin
from Beautiful Feet Books
Historical Non-Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in WWII: Pacific Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2P)
$13.95
Vietnam War
Perspectives on History Series
by Mitch Yamasaki, ed.
from History Compass
for 6th-9th grade
in Vietnam War (1957-1975) (Location: HISA-20VIE)
$7.95
Vietnam War: How the United States Became Involved
by Dr. Mitch Yamasaki, ed.
for 4th-8th grade
in Vietnam War (1957-1975) (Location: HISA-20VIE)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Vikings
Landmark Series
by Elizabeth Janeway
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$9.95
War of 1812
Perspectives on History Series
by Mary Alice Burke Robinson, editor
from History Compass
Historical Non-fiction for 6th-9th grade
in War of 1812 (Location: HISA-19WET)
$7.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
12