Reference & Learning Aids

A lot of education is filling in gaps. Even more is simple fact-memorization, the primary building block leading to the ability to regurgitate ideas, analyze them, and form original ones. Either way, there often isn't a better solution than stuffing names, dates, and figures in kids' heads until they can recall them at will. They hate this, generally, but it's a necessary evil.

In no way as unpleasant, but just as educational, is something most kids love to do: getting comfy with a big compendium of knowledge and turning each page, learning little tidbits about history, the world around them, how their body works, or who's been in outer space until they've had enough and go outside to hunt trolls or dig up buried treasure.

The best word to describe such books is one that every college student learns to dread: reference. If you don't get an F on your paper because you wrote it two hours before class, you definitely will because you forgot to cite your references. It's important to remember, however, that the enemy isn't reference; the enemy (for lack of a better term) is a system that places more value on following arbitrary guidelines than presenting and commenting on thoughts and information.

We're here to put the RAD back in reference. And memorization—there's nothing that says learning the times tables has to be boring. It often is, but usually only because we look at it as a chore, and not a privilege or exciting activity. This attitude often starts with parents: we didn't like math in school, so we kind of groan along with our kids whenever the ol' numbers chart comes out. If we get excited instead, our children are likely to do the same.

Below you'll find a long list of books crammed with facts. Some of them aren't important facts (usually the most fun), some of them are essential; we're not sure where the distinction should or does lie all the time, so we'll leave you to sort that out for yourselves. We would simply encourage, whether you're teaching the tens chart in math, or adding nuance to a study of the Old West by reading a short bio of female outlaw Belle Prater, that you approach "just the facts" with as much joy and anticipation as you'd like to see your children exhibit.

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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145 Items found Print
Active Filters: Adult, Hardcover
American Children Through Their Books
by Sister Monica Kiefer
1970 printing from University of Pennsylvania Press
for Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
American Heritage Desk Dictionary
5th edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 7th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
American Story
from Curtis Publishing Co.
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Anatomicum
Welcome to the Museum
by Jennifer Z. Paxton; illustrated by Katy Wiedemann
from Big Picture Press
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, Illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 3rd-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, illustrated by Katie Scott
UK Edition from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Arboretum
Welcome to the Museum
by Tony Kirkham, illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Asimov's New Guide to Science
by Isaac Asimov
from Basic Books
for Adult
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
Atlas of the Islamic World
by Francis Robinson
from Facts On File
for 9th-Adult
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of World History
2nd edition from Oxford University
for 7th-Adult
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$49.95
Baker Atlas of Christian History
by Tim Dowley, Editor
from Baker Books
for 7th-Adult
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Baker's Bible Atlas
by Charles F. Pfeiffer
1966 printing from Baker Books
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
Bible and the Constitution
by Verna M. Hall and Rosalie J. Slater
1st edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
Bible Atlas
by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
from Rand McNally
for 6th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
from Hendrickson Publishers
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
from Hendrickson Publishers
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
By These Words
by Paul M. Angle, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson
from Rand McNally
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Christian Life and Character of the Civil United States
by Benjamin F. Morris
from American Vision Press
for 9th-Adult
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Civilisation
by Kenneth Clark
from HarperCollins
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Cruden's Complete Concordance
by Alexander Cruden
from John C. Winston
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Dictionary of Latin and Greek Origins
by Bob Moore and Maxine Moore
from Barnes & Noble
for 8th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
DK Smithsonian Universe
by Martin Rees, general editor
from DK Publishing
for 8th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
by Allen C. Myers, editor
from William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
for Adult
in Bible Dictionaries & Handbooks (Location: XBI-DICT)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Animals
from Fog City Press
for 8th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Mammals
by Professor David Macdonald, editor
from Barnes & Noble
for 8th-Adult
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
by James Trefil
from Routledge
for 7th-Adult
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Englishman's Greek Concordance of New Testament
by George V. Wigram
from Hendrickson Publishers
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance
by George V. Wigram
from Hendrickson Publishers
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
Essentials of New Testament Greek
by Ray Summers
from Broadman & Holman
for 10th-Adult
in Greek Resources (Location: FL-GRE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Expository Dictionary of Bible Words
by Lawrence O. Richards
from Zondervan
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Fungarium
Welcome to the Museum
by Esther Gaya (and other contributors), illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Glory and the Dream - Volume 1
by William Manchester
from Little, Brown & Company
for 10th grade-adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
Glory and the Dream - Volume 2
by William Manchester
from Little, Brown & Company
for 10th grade-adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
Grammar at Work
by Jessie L. Wheeler
from Allyn and Bacon
for Adult
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text
by Zane C. Hodges, Arthur L. Farstad, editors
2nd Ed from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Adult
in Greek Resources (Location: FL-GRE)
$40.00 (1 in stock)
Guinness Book of Records: 1994
by Peter Matthews, editor
from Facts On File
for 6th-Adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
Guinness Book of World Records: 1984
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 6th-Adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Guinness Book of World Records: 1985
by Norris McWhirter (editor and compiler), David A. Boehm (American editor), Maris Cakars (sports editor), Cyd Smith (assistant editor)
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 6th-Adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Guinness World Records: 2002
by Antonia Cunningham
from Guinness World Records Ltd
for 6th-Adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
Guinness World Records: 2003
by Claire Folkard, managing editor
from Guinness World Records Ltd
for 6th-Adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
Guinness World Records: 2005
by Claire Folkard, managing editor
from Guinness World Records Ltd
for 6th-Adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
Guinness World Records: 2007
by Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief
from Guinness World Records Ltd
for 6th-Adult
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
Hammond Atlas of the 20th Century
by Richard Overy, ed.
from Hammond World Atlas Corporation
for 8th-Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest
by Derek Hayes
First Edition from Sasquatch Books
for 4th-Adult
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
History of the United States
by Alexander H. Stephens
1999 reproduction from American Foundation Publications
for Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Holman Bible Atlas
by Thomas V. Brisco
from Broadman & Holman
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Revised from Holman Bible Publishers
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Dictionaries & Handbooks (Location: XBI-DICT)
How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week
by Dominic O'Brien
from Duncan Baird
for 9th-Adult
in Research & Study Skills (Location: REF-STUDY)
$12.95
Image of War: 1861-1865 Volume 1
by Jenny Davis
from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Imperialism: A History in Documents
by Bonnie G. Smith
from Oxford University
for Adult
in Modern History (Location: HISW-MOD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Insectarium
by Emily Carter and Dave Goulson
from Big Picture Press
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Interlinear Bible Volume IV - New Testament (Greek/English)
by Jay P. Green, Sr., General Editor and Translator
2nd edition from Hendrickson Publishers
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - 4 Volume Set
from Hendrickson Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Reference (Location: XBI-REF)
$75.00 (1 in stock)
Jesus' Family Tree
from Rose Publishing
for 6th-Adult
in Bible Reference (Location: XBI-REF)
Johnson's Dictionary: A Modern Selection
by Samuel Johnson
from Pantheon Books
for 10th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
Journey through the Bible
by V. Gilbert Beers
from David C. Cook
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Dictionaries & Handbooks (Location: XBI-DICT)
$22.00 (2 in stock)
Journey through the Bible
by V. Gilbert Beers
from Veritas Press
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Dictionaries & Handbooks (Location: XBI-DICT)
$35.00
Light and the Glory 1492-1793
by Peter Marshall, David Manuel
Revised Expanded from Revell Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Light and the Glory (Location: HISA-LG)
Little History of the World
by E. H. Gombrich
from Yale University Press
for 6th-Adult
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Little Red Writing Book
by Brandon Royal
from Writer's Digest
for 6th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
Macmillan Visual Desk Reference
from Macmillan
for 10th-Adult
in Encyclopedias (Location: REF-ENC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Masada
by Yigael Yadin
from Random House
for Adult
in Israel (Location: HISW-ANIS)
Medieval World: An Illustrated Atlas
by John M. Thompson
from National Geographic
for 9th-Adult
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$40.00 $28.00 (1 in stock)
Memory Mechanics
by Gary DeMar
from American Vision Press
for 9th grade-adult
in Research & Study Skills (Location: REF-STUDY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Merriam-Webster Collegiate Thesaurus
2nd Ed from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$22.95
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
11th edition from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$24.95
Merriam-Webster's Desk Dictionary
from Merriam-Webster
for 6th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
Nave's Topical Bible
by Orville J. Nave, Revised and Compiled by Edward Viening
Revised from Moody Press
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
by Ronald F. Youngblood (general editor), F.F. Bruce and R.K. Harrison (consulting editors)
Revised & Updated from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Dictionaries & Handbooks (Location: XBI-DICT)
Never Before in History
by Gary Amos & Richard Gardiner
from Foundation for Biblical Research
American History Reference for 10th-Adult
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
New Englishman's Greek Concordance of the New Testament
by Jay Green
from Associated Publishers and Authors
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
New Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance
by Jay Green
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
New Oxford Annotated Apocrypha
5th edition from Oxford University
for 11th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$24.64
New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha
5th edition from Oxford University
for 11th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$48.45
New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
by James Strong
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
NIV Exhaustive Concordance
by Edward W. Goodrick
from Zondervan
for 11th-Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Oceanarium
Welcome to the Museum
by Loveday Trinick, illustrated by Teagan White
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Open Door to Independence: Making Money from the Soil
by Thomas E. Hill
from Hill Standard Book Co.
for Adult
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
People, Places, Things, Ideas - 4 Volume Set
from Hawthorn Books, Inc.
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$25.60 (1 in stock)
Planetarium
Welcome to the Museum
by Raman Prinja, illustrated by Chris Wormell
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Portland Then and Now
by Linda Dodds & Carolyn Buan
from Thunder Bay Press
for 9th-Adult
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
2nd edition from Random House
for 10th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
from Random House
for 10th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
Roget's International Thesaurus
by Barbara Ann Kipfer
7th edition from Collins
for 7th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$22.95
Roget's International Thesaurus
by Robert L. Chapman (revised by)
4th Edition from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 6th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Scientific Illustration
by Phyllis Wood
from Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.
for Adult
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament
by F. Wilbur Gingrich, Revised by Frederick W. Danker
2nd edition from University of Chicago
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Speeches that Changed the World
from Quercus
for 6th-Adult
in World History Reference (Location: HISW-REF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Stories Behind Everyday Things
from Reader's Digest
for Adult
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Mankind
by Hendrik Van Loon
from Garden City Books
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance
by Edward W. Goodrick, James Strong, Zondervan Publishing
Updated from Zondervan
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
Sunburnt Africa
by Kent Cottrell
Second Printing from Theda & Emerson Hall
for 6th-Adult
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
Talk to the Hand
by Lynne Truss
1st edition from Gotham Books
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Temple
by Alfred Edersheim
from Eerdmans
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Reference (Location: XBI-REF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
by Joseph H. Thayer
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
by Joseph H. Thayer
from Hendrickson Publishers
for Adult
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament - 10 Volume Set
by Gerhard Kittel & Gerhard Friedrich
from Eerdmans
for Adult
in Bible Reference (Location: XBI-REF)
$125.00 (1 in stock)
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
by Bruce Waltke, Gleason Archer, R.Laird Harris
from Moody Press
in Bible Concordances & Word Study (Location: XBI-CONC)
$54.00
Time-Life Understanding Computers -24 Volume Set
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Computer Literacy (Location: SCIREF-COMP)
12