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Living Book Press

The publishers of Living Book Press dived into the home schooling scene in the mid-2010s (we became aware of them in 2017) and they've definitely made a splash with home schooling families that enjoy living books! 

Anthony Coafield, who owns Living Book Press, is a home school dad, who, when first starting to educate his sons, was really drawn to the Charlotte Mason method. The idea of using great books to convey the big ideas and lessons of life resonated with their family. The main problem was that many of the books were so hard to find. Many that were still protected by copyright were out-of-print and getting very expensive second-hand, and because they live in Australia, many public domain titles readily available in the US were very expensive to import there.

Ambleside was his main curriculum of choice, and Anthony knew that without the wonderful people who had put that curricula together he couldn’t have started schooling his boys. He wanted to try and make homeschooling using the Charlotte Mason method easier for other families to follow, so decided to pursue publishing these hard-to-find titles. Making books available to families that wouldn’t have otherwise been able to use them makes all the hard work tracking down rights, transcribing, formatting and proofing worthwhile. According to him:

Our mission is to pay forward the help we’ve had from those who came before by making great quality reprints of living books affordable for everyone in a variety of formats.

Living Book Press offers three formats for their books: softcover, hardcover, or PDF. Because he has them printed on demand, you can order the books, and he can have them printed and mailed to you from your country (although, this obviously doesn't apply everywhere). This keeps the overhead costs lower, and allows him to focus on adding new titles rather than managing inventory and shipping packages. 

Overall, we're really pleased with LBP. They publish about 300 books (as of April 2024) and many of them are titles that truly have been difficult to obtain for many years. Some, like the colorized Comstock Handbook of Nature Study volumes (with Notebooks), the Halliburton Marvels of the Orient and Occident, and Fleischer's Secrets of the Universe books, are unique to LBP; he has also published an affordable set of Charlotte Mason's volumes about education. But in other areas, he is taking on competition. 

His main competitor in the education market is Yesterday's Classics, which has a similar mission and a nearly identical audience. In fact, many of their titles overlap. It would make sense sometimes to only carry one version of these titles (who are we kidding, we have to offer ALL the versions!) but every time we ask customers to say their preferences, the results are always mixed!

So why is this? We think it would be good to offer a comparison of editions, but you should know that even from book to book, reasons for choosing one publisher over another varies tremendously!

Let's dive in, shall we? 

 

 

Selection: Yesterday's Classics has been around longer and are drawing from a larger batch of books already prepared for online reading. At current count (April 2024), they have 562 total titles, of which 373 are available as printed books. As near as we can tell, LBP has around 300 titles total, though they add new titles very quickly!

Attractiveness/readability: The YC volumes are generally bigger and usually have larger font and wider margins; their covers are glossy, printed in solid colors and use old-fashioned art; they typically use a cream-color paper. LBP tends to be more trim, though generally still very readable. Their covers tend to have a matte feel and, while certain series deviate from this, many of them have a consistent black & white spine design with beautiful color illustrations. The paper in most of their books is cream-colored and of similar weight to YC, but their color illustration books have white, thinner paper. Their website makes it clear which books are which. 

Illustrations: Yesterday's Classics tends to use older illustrations, whereas Living Books is often more diverse. When the books feature the same art, YC tends to offer smaller, crisper images, while LBP has larger images that can feel more pixellated. Sometimes the LBP books will feature pictures from multiple artists (making it hard to credit the illustrator); some of the books feature color photographs rather than b/w art. YC rarely prints in color and the original art can sometimes be much less clear in b/w.

Durability: We've never seen a problem with either of these falling apart; however, we have heard from others that YC occasionally has issues with the bindings not holding the pages well for long. We don't think YC offers hardcover options; we haven't seen many of the LBP hardcovers, only carrying a few of them ourselves.

Price: Yesterday's Classics is almost always slightly more expensive. However, when LBP is the higher priced option, it usually includes color pictures.

Yesterday's Classics on Left Living Book Press on Right
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Active Filters: Ambleside Online Curriculum
Arabian Nights Entertainment
by Andrew Lang
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-5th grade
$15.99
At the Back of the North Wind
by George MacDonald, illustrated by Frank C. Pape
from Living Book Press
for 4th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$9.99
Bastable Adventures Set
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by Cecil Leslie
from Living Book Press
Family Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$39.56
Bears of Blue River
by Charles Major
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
by Edith Nesbit
from Living Book Press
Shakespeare/Drama for Children for 4th-8th grade
$16.99
Black Arrow
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Frances Brundage
from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Book of Centuries (BC/AD Edition)
from Living Book Press
for 1st-12th grade
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
$10.99
Book of Centuries (BCE/CE Edition)
from Living Book Press
for 1st-12th grade
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
$10.99
Book of Golden Deeds
by Charlotte M. Yonge
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$13.99
Book of Marvels: Marvels of the Occident
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$27.99
Book of Marvels: Marvels of the Occident
by Richard Halliburton
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$17.99
Book of Marvels: Marvels of the Orient
by Richard Halliburton
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-12th grade
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$27.99
Book of Marvels: Marvels of the Orient
by Richard Halliburton
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-Adult
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$17.99
Book of Missionary Heroes
by Basil Mathews
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in History of Missions (Location: XCH-MIS)
$11.99
Burgess Animal Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$19.99
Burgess Animal Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$18.99
Burgess Animal Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$28.99
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
Color Edition from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$19.99
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$18.99
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$28.99
By Pond and River
Eyes and No Eyes #2
by Arabella B. Buckley
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$7.99
Captains Courageous
by Rudyard Kipling
from Living Book Press
Nautical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Charlotte Mason Book of Centuries
from Living Book Press
for 1st-12th grade
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
$13.99
Child’s Book of Nature: Animals
by Worthington Hooker
2nd edition from Living Book Press
for 5th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$9.99
Children of the New Forest
by Frederick Marryat
from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.99
Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study - Complete Set with Introductions Book
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$117.37
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Birds
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$16.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Earth and Sky
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$15.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Fish, Reptiles, Amphibians, Invertebrates
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$16.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Insects
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$18.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Introduction
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$11.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Mammals, Flowerless Plants
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$17.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Trees, Garden Flowers
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$17.99
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study – Wildflowers, Weeds, Crops
by Anna Botsford Comstock
from Living Book Press
for 6th-9th grade
$17.99
Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$9.99
Elementary Geography
by Charlotte M. Mason
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Introductory Geography (Location: GEO-INTRO)
$6.99
English Fairy Tales
by Joseph Jacobs
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
$10.99
English Literature for Boys and Girls
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 10th-12th grade
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$20.99
Fifty Famous Stories Retold
by James Baldwin
from Living Book Press
for 1st-4th grade
$8.99
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew
Five Little Peppers #1
by Margaret Sidney
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.99
Freckles
by Gene Stratton-Porter
from Living Book Press
Romance for 7th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.99
Great Astronomers
by Robert S. Ball
from Living Book Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$12.99
Great Inventors and Their Inventions
by Frank P. Bachman
2019 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 5th-7th grade
in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV)
$9.99
Hans Brinker
by Mary Mapes Dodge
from Living Book Press
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.99
Helen Keller: The Story of My Life
Signet Classics
by Helen Keller
from Living Book Press
Autobiography for 7th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.99
Heroes
by Charles Kingsley
from Living Book Press
for 4th-7th grade
$9.99
Heroes Every Child Should Know
by H. W. Mabie
from Living Book Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
$13.99
History of King Charles II of England
by Jacob Abbott
from Living Book Press
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.99
Home Geography for Primary Grades
by C. C. Long
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Introductory Geography (Location: GEO-INTRO)
$6.99
How the Heather Looks
by Joan Bodger
Reprint from Living Book Press
for 7th-Adult
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$24.99
How the Heather Looks
by Joan Bodger, illustrated by Mark Lang
Reprint from Living Book Press
for 7th-Adult
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$14.99
Just David
by Eleanor H. Porter
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
King of the Golden River
by John Ruskin, illustrated by various
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
$5.99
Lad: A Dog
by Albert Terhune
from Living Book Press
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Little Brother to the Bear
by William J. Long
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$9.99
Little Duke
by Charlotte M. Yonge
from Living Book Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Little Lord Fauntleroy
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Reginald Birch
from Living Book Press
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Lorna Doone
by R. D. Blackmore
from Living Book Press
Realistic Romantic Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$21.99
Madam How and Lady Why
by Charles Kingsley
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$10.99
Marco Polo
by Manual Komroff, illustrated by Robin Jacques
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99
Men of Iron
by Howard Pyle
2nd edition from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens
from Living Book Press
Realistic Fiction for 10th-12th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
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
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$9.99
Otto of the Silver Hand
by Howard Pyle
from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99
Our Island Story (B&W Edition)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-7th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$15.99
Our Island Story (Color Edition)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-7th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$28.99
Parables from Nature
by Mrs. Alfred Gatty
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$11.99
Penrod
by Booth Tarkington
from Living Book Press
Realistic Fiction for 7th-Adult
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.99
Penrod and Sam
by Booth Tarkington, illustrated by Gordon Grant
from Living Book Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$10.99
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
by Mark Twain
from Living Book Press
Biography for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$17.99
Peterkin Papers
by Lucretia P. Hale
from Living Book Press
Humorous Fiction for 7th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.95
Pollyanna
Puffin Classics
by Eleanor Porter
from Living Book Press
Realistic fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$10.99
Practice of the Presence of God
by Brother Lawrence
from Living Book Press
for 11th-Adult
in Spiritual Disciplines (Location: XCL-SPDI)
$4.99
Princess and the Goblin
by George MacDonald
from Living Book Press
Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Railway Children
Puffin Classics
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by C. E. Brock
from Living Book Press
Family Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$10.99
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
by Kate Douglas Wiggin
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$10.99
Saints and Heroes 1
by George Hodges
from Living Book Press
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Saints and Heroes 2
by George Hodges
from Living Book Press
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$8.99
Secrets of the Woods
by William J. Long
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$7.99
Selections for Children: Sara Teasdale
by Sara Teasdale
from Living Book Press
for 1st-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$6.99
Story of the Greeks
by H. A. Guerber
from Living Book Press
for 7th-9th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$10.99
Story of the Romans
by H. A. Guerber
from Living Book Press
for 7th-9th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$10.99
Tanglewood Tales
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ill from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
$16.99
Thirty More Famous Stories Retold
by James Baldwin
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-5th grade
$9.99
This Country of Ours (B&W Edition)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$16.99
This Country of Ours (Color Edition)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$29.99
Treasure Seekers
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by Cecil Leslie
from Living Book Press
Family Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Unknown to History
by Charlotte M. Yonge
from Living Book Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.99
Viking Tales
by Jennie Hall
from Living Book Press
for 1st-4th grade
$8.99
Ways of Wood Folk
by William Joseph Long
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$8.99
Westward Ho!
by Charles Kingsley
from Living Book Press
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$20.99
Wild Animals I Have Known
by Ernest Thompson Seton
from Living Book Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$10.99
Wild Life in Woods and Fields
Eyes and No Eyes #1
by Arabella B. Buckley
from Living Book Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$7.99
Wouldbegoods
by E. Nesbit
from Living Book Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.99
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