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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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135 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 5th grade (Ages 10-11), Print-on-demand paperback
Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Living Book Press
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
$6.99
Antoine of Oregon
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
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
Benjamin of Ohio
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Bevis, The Story of a Boy
by Richard Jefferies
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$17.99
Birds of the Air
Eyes and No Eyes #4
by Arabella B. Buckley
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$8.99
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
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-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
British Empire
by Charlotte M. Mason
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Introductory Geography (Location: GEO-INTRO)
$9.99
Brushwork
by Marion Hudson
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Painting Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTPAI)
$10.99
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 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 Flower Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$19.99
Burgess Flower Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$18.99
Burgess Seashore Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$19.99
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
Calvert of Maryland
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Chaucer for Children
by Mrs. H.R. (Mary) Haweis
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
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
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
English Fairy Tales
by Joseph Jacobs
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
$10.99
Famous Legends Adapted for Children
by Emeline G. Crommelin
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 5th-9th grade
$7.99
First Book of Birds
by Margaret Williamson
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in First Book series (LBP reprints) (Location: SCI-CM1ST)
$10.99
First Book of Stones
First Book series
by M. B. Cormack, illustrated by M. K. Scott
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in First Book series (LBP reprints) (Location: SCI-CM1ST)
$7.99
First Book of Water
by Jo and Ernest Norling
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in First Book series (LBP reprints) (Location: SCI-CM1ST)
$9.99
Five Little Peppers Abroad
Five Little Peppers #3
by Margaret Sidney
from Living Book Press
Family Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$10.99
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
Five Little Peppers Grown Up
Five Little Peppers #4
by Margaret Sidney
from Living Book Press
Family Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.99
Five Little Peppers Midway
Five Little Peppers #2
by Margaret Sidney
from Living Book Press
Family Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Gladiola Garden
World Voices
by Effie Lee Newsome, illustrated by Lois Mailou Jones
from Living Book Press
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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
Growth of the British Empire
Story of the World Series #5
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
British History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
Hannah of Kentucky
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Hans Brinker
by Mary Mapes Dodge
from Living Book Press
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.99
He Went with Champlain
by Louise Andrews Kent
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99
He Went with Christopher Columbus
by Louise Andrews Kent
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99
He Went with Drake
by Louise Andrews Kent
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99
He Went with John Paul Jones
by Louise Andrews Kent
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99
He Went with Magellan
by Louise Andrews Kent
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99
He Went with Marco Polo
by Louise Andrews Kent
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99
He Went with Vasco da Gama
by Louise Andrews Kent
2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$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 France (color)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$29.99
History of Germany (color)
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$23.99
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
Iliad for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Living Book Press
for 5th-8th grade
$7.99
Insect Life
Eyes and No Eyes #6
by Arabella B. Buckley
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$8.99
John of the Sirius
by Doris Chadwick
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.95
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)
Let's Explore the British Isles
by Caroline Walker, with maps & illustrations by Gloris Smith Young
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Introductory Geography (Location: GEO-INTRO)
$15.99
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 Grammar People
by Nuri Mass
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$14.99
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
Lives of the Hunted
by Ernest Thompson Seton
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$10.99
Lost Prince
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
from Living Book Press
Action Adventure for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$11.99
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
Martha of California
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Mary of Plymouth
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Matter and Energy: Principles of Matter and Thermodynamics
Paul Fleisher's Secrets of the Universe
by Paul Fleisher
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$11.99
New Treasure Seekers
by E. Nesbit
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$10.99
Number Stories of Long Ago
by David Eugene Smith
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
$8.99
Objects in Motion: Principles of Classical Mechanics
Paul Fleisher's Secrets of the Universe
by Paul Fleisher
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$11.99
Odyssey for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Living Book Press
for 5th-8th grade
$7.99
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
Oswald Bastable and Others
by E. Nesbit
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.99
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 Australasian Story
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 5th-12th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$7.99
Our Empire Story - Black & White Edition
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-10th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$13.99
Our Empire Story - Color Edition
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
for 4th-10th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$24.99
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
Peter of New Amsterdam
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Philip of Texas
America's Children
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Plant Life in Field and Garden
Eyes and No Eyes #3
by Arabella Buckley
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$8.99
Pollyanna
Puffin Classics
by Eleanor Porter
from Living Book Press
Realistic fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$10.99
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
Red Fox
by Charles G. D. Roberts
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$9.99
Relativity and Quantum Mechanics: Principles of Modern Physics
Paul Fleisher's Secrets of the Universe
by Paul Fleisher
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$11.99
Richard of Jamestown
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe
from Living Book Press
for 5th-Adult
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$13.99
Ruth of Boston
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
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