Literature by Period - Exodus Books

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In the West we have what is called a teleological view of history. That means that the scope of human civilization and events, from its earliest time till now, is actually going someplace. Whether that place is Ragnarok, Armageddon, the New Jerusalem, or an alien apocalypse depends on which worldview you're espousing, but it's hard for people with European heritage to think in terms of the circularity of history, or that history is going nowhere, just on an on and on into the infinite future.

As Christians, we believe history is on its way to Christ. That may be a little simplistic, but ultimately God has ordered and guided history according to His will for it, and its completion is entirely in His hands....but only after the intended progression of events has been completed. If this is true, history can be seen, not merely as endless repetition, but as a line drawn between point A and some as yet indistinguishable (from a human perspective) point B.

The literature of any period, therefore, can only be understood by the particular historical stage and cultural context in which it was written. If history isn't stagnant, literature can't be either, and any writer is going to reflect (consciously or unconsciously) the attitudes prevalent around him. If you didn't know Cervantes was mocking the "courtly love" and chivalric ideals of Medieval Europe, Don Quixote wouldn't make near as much sense. A lot of Shakespeare's references are to cultural customs he witnessed. Charles Dickens includes so many scenes of social injustice because the England of his day was rife with oppression and mistreatment.

This intersection of history and literature isn't one-directional. To really understand history, it's essential to read the literature of the day. Sure, a history book published last year about the Roman Empire might yield plenty of good information, but reading Caesar's Gallic Wars will not only offer a firsthand perspective, it will also reveal a lot of contemporary attitudes most historians find it difficult to capture. A list of similar examples would require several books, and believe me, they exist.

We've chosen specific periods as categories both to reflect the generally accepted important literary and historical epochs, and based on how many books from each period we carry. If your favorite period isn't immediately recognizable on the list, you might just have to look a little deeper—for instance, we don't have a category for books written in China during the Boxer Rebellion, but that doesn't mean we don't have books that meet that criteria. Okay, we don't, but we have plenty of other titles representing the full scope of literary history from the ancients to the postmodern age.

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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Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Literature & Adult Fiction

Literature by Period

Subcategories

Ancient Literature

Medieval Literature

Renaissance & Reformation Literature

17th Century Literature

18th Century Literature

19th Century Literature

20th & 21st Century Literature

- Man Booker Prize

- National Book Award

- Nobel Prize in Literature

- Pulitzer Prize

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6th grade (Ages 11-12),

In-Stock Books & Materials

	Adventures of Tom Sawyer Dover Thrift Editions by Mark Twain from Dover Publications for 6th-10th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.00
	Adventures of Tom Sawyer Puffin Classics by Mark Twain from Penguin Classics Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $10.00
	Aesop's Fables by Aesop, illustrated by Arthur Rackham from Macmillan Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-Adult in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC) $14.99
	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass Penguin Classics by Lewis Carroll from Penguin Classics Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $11.00
	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Dover Thrift Editions by Lewis Carroll from Dover Publications Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.00
	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by John Tenniel from SeaWolf Press Fantasy for 2nd-7th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $7.95
	All the World's A Stage Speeches, Poems and Songs from William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare from Fulcrum Group for 4th-Adult in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Animal Farm by George Orwell from Plume Books Utopian/Dystopian Literature for 6th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.00
	Animal Farm Graphic Novel by George Orwell, Adapted and Illustrated by Odyr from Mariner Books for 3rd-Adult in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $21.00
	Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne, Translated by George M. Towle Illustrated Fir from SeaWolf Press Adventure for 6th-10th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $9.99
	Around the World in 80 Days (abridged) by Jules Verne, abridged by Hilda Young, illustrated by Gianni Demo from World Distributors (Manchester) for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Bilbo's Last Song by J.R.R. Tolkien, Illustrated by Pauline Baynes from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.99
	Boy on the Wooden Box How the Impossible Became Possible . . . on Schindler's List by Leon Leyson Reprint from Atheneum for 4th-8th grade Christopher Award in Holocaust (Location: HISW-20WW2H) $9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Boys in the Boat adapted for Young Readers Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown, adapted by Gregory Mone from Penguin Putnam for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $20.99
	Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson from Puffin Books for 4th-8th grade 2015 Newbery Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Award, National Book Award in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.99
	Bulfinch's Medieval Mythology Dover Thrift Editions by Thomas Bulfinch from Dover Publications for 6th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $10.00
	C. S. Lewis: The Ultimate Collection by C. S. Lewis for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $715.62
	Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens from Bantam Books for 6th-10th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $3.95
	Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Robert Ingpen Unabridged from Palazzo Editions Limited Fantasy for 6th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $24.99
	Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti Unabridged from Creative Editions Fantasy for 6th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $35.00
	Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose from Square Fish Publishing for 6th-9th grade 2010 Newbery Honor Book, 2010 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, National Book Award in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	David Copperfield (adapted) by Charles Dickens; retold by Clare West from Oxford University for 3rd-6th grade in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Dickens' Stories about Children by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Clara Burd, introduction by Elizabeth Lodor Merchant from John C. Winston for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Escape from Slavery The Boyhood of Frederick Douglass in His Own Words by Frederick Douglass, edited and illustrated by Michael McCurdy, foreword by Coretta Scott King from Beautiful Feet Books for 6th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $13.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Five Great Short Stories Dover Thrift Editions by Jack London from Dover Publications for 6th-9th Grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $4.00
	Five Sons of King Pandu The Story of Mahabharata by Elizabeth Seeger from William R. Scott Inc. for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne, translated by William Lackland and illustrated by Edouard Riou Illustrated Fir from SeaWolf Press for 5th-10th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $10.95
	Gift of the Magi & Other Short Stories Dover Thrift Editions by O. Henry from Dover Publications for 4th-10th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.00 $2.00 (4 in stock)
	Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, illustrated by Kevin King from Simon and Schuster for 4th-10th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry, illustrated by P. J. Lynch from Candlewick Press for 4th-10th grade in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY) $17.99
	Golden Age by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Maxfield Parrish from SeaWolf Press for 6th-9th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $7.95
	Golden Age by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Maxfield Parrish from Ten Speed Press for 6th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Hans Christian Andersen: The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Translated by Erik Christian Haugaard 1983 Anchor Books Edition from Anchor Books for 2nd-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $27.00
	Hawk and the Dove Hawk and the Dove Series #1 by Penelope Wilcock 3rd Revised edition from Lion Publishing for 6th-9th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $9.50 (1 in stock)
	Here There Be Angels by Jane Yolen, illustrated by David Wilgus from Harcourt, Brace & Company for 3rd-6th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 100th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press for 6th-Adult in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $9.99
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $35.00
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $19.99
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $15.99
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $18.99
	Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - Mass-Market Boxed Set by J. R. R. Tolkien Mti from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $35.96
	Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - Softbound Boxed Set by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $78.00
	Hobbit (Perma-bound) There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien 2^nd edition from Del Rey Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $3.00 (3 in stock)
	Hobbit, The by J.R.R. Tolkien, author and illustrator from William Morrow & Company for 5th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $75.00
	Iliad Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds, adapted from Homer from Candlewick Press for 3rd-8th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $19.99
	Journey and Ordeal of Cabeza de Vaca His Account of the Disastrous First European Exploration of the American Southwest Dover editions by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca from Dover Publications for 5th-Adult in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN) $10.95
	Jungle Books Signet Classics by Rudyard Kipling from Signet Classics Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.95
	Kidnapped Everyman's Library Children's Classics by Robert Louis Stevenson from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Action/Adventure for 4th-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $22.00
	Letters to Children by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Autobiographical Letters for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $16.99
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery from Harvest House Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $11.99
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery from Scholastic Inc. Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery 1^st edition from Harcourt for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery from Harvest House Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, translated by Richard Howard from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $18.00
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery from Harcourt Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Long Fall Hawk and the Dove Series #3 by Penelope Wilcock 3rd Revised edition from Lion Publishing for 6th-9th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $13.99
	Men-of-War Life in Nelson's Navy by Patrick O'Brian 1st Us Edition from W. W. Norton and Co. for 5th-10th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $3.00 (2 in stock)
	Monster Calls Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay Reprint from Candlewick Press for 5th-Adult 2012 Carnegie Medal in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $14.99
	Nobody's Boy by Hector Malot, translated by Florence Crewe Jones, illustrated by Thelma Gooch and Johnny Gruelle from Inheritance Publications for 6th-9th grade in Inheritance Fiction (Location: FIC-WH03) $14.95
	Nobody's Girl by Hector Malot, translated by Florence Crewe Jones from Inheritance Publications for 6th-9th grade in Inheritance Fiction (Location: FIC-WH03) $16.95
	Odyssey Graphic Novel by Homer, adapted by Gareth Hinds from Candlewick Press for 4th-6th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $19.99
	Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott, Illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith 150th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press Realistic Romantic Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $10.95
	One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia Reprint from Amistad Press for 4th-7th grade 2011 Newbery Honor Book, National Book Award, Coretta Scott King Award, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Facsimile Ed from Yesterday's Classics for 2nd-7th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $18.95
	Pilgrim's Progress - Updated Edition by John Bunyan, edited by Donna Sundblad and Ruth Zetek from Aneko Press for 6th-Adult in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Profiles in Courage Young Readers Memorial Edition 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) Young Readers Edition 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)
	Red-Headed League and The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by Paul Spina from Franklin Watts for 6th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth from SeaWolf Press for 6th-10th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $9.99
	Robinson Crusoe (abridged) His Life and Strange Surprising Adventures Everyman's Library Children's Classics by Daniel Defoe from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Historical Fiction for 6th-12th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $16.95
	Rosanna of the Amish by Joseph Warren Yoder Revised from Herald Press for 4th-7th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Secret Lives of Walter Mitty and of James Thurber by James Thurber, illustrated by Marc Simont 1^st edition from Collins Design for 6th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Stories From Livy by Alfred J. Church from Yesterday's Classics History for 6th-9th grade in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET) $11.95
	Swift An Illustrated Life by Bruce Arnold from Unknown Publisher Biography for 6th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss, illustrated by Louis Rhead 200th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press Realistic Stories/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $11.95
	Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss, translated by Mary Godwin, introduction and notes by John Seelye from Penguin Classics for 5th-9th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $15.00
	Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss New edition from Signet Classics for 5th-9th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.99
	Tale of the Cid: and Other Stories of Knights and Chivalry by Andrew Lang from Dover Publications for 6th-Adult in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.95
	Tanglewood Tales Copper Lodge Library by Nathaniel Hawthorne from Classical Conversations for 3rd-6th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $14.40 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne from Digibooks OOD for 3rd-6th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Tolkien Reader by J. R. R. Tolkien from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.99
	Tolkien Reader by J. R. R. Tolkien from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Treasure Island by Sir Robert Louis Stevenson from Bantam Books for 6th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.99
	Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Louis Rhead from SeaWolf Press for 5th-9th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $9.99
	Treasure Island by Sir Robert Louis Stevenson from Signet Classics for 6th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $3.00 (4 in stock)
	Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Penguin Classics by Jules Verne, translated by David Coward from Puffin Books Science Fiction for 5th-8th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $14.00
	Wounds of God Hawk and the Dove Series #2 by Penelope Wilcock 3rd Revised edition from Lion Publishing for 6th-9th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $13.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings from Simon Pulse Realistic Animal Stories for 6th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $9.99
	Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings from Charles Scribner's Sons Realistic Animal Stories for 6th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $19.99

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