Regional History

Once upon a time, schoolchildren could be expected to know the name of the mountains separating France from Spain, the location of the Nile River, the capitals of all fifty states, and what and where the Pampas could be found. Now, even adults have a hard time naming the most populous city in the U.S. or the countries of Asia. These are, indeed, sad times, and doomed to become sadder if this geographic ignorance is not turned to knowledge.

Without a firm grasp on geography, how can we expect to know anything about history? History is rooted in a sense of place. Why did the Union troops lose the Battle of Cold Harbor? Because they were attacking Confederate fortifications uphill. And if you don't know anything about the Alps, the fact that Hannibal's army crossed them with elephants won't surprise you near as much as it should. Understanding the physical terrain and the demographics of an area are essential to understanding the history of that region.

Which is why studying history by place is such a good idea. There are cultural considerations, of course, and these can be immensely helpful guides in their own right, but simply looking at the lay of the land so to speak will provide a sense of context more abstract boundaries never can. African history, for instance, makes so much more sense if you know what the continent is like.

Even cultures are influenced by geography. Take the United States: some of the most important advances in transportation technology happened within her borders largely due to necessity. The steam engine train was perfected here, automobiles and airplanes were invented here, and in the last few decades we've led the world in space exploration.

It's not that no one traveled before the 19th and 20th century, or outside the North American continent—it's just that because the new nation was so vast, and there were so many natural barriers (the Mississippi River, the Grand Tetons and Great Smokey Mountains, the Mojave Desert), new forms of getting from here to there were not only a good idea, they were a necessity.

There probably isn't one instance in the history of the world in which geography and events weren't directly tied. Certainly this is true for military history, and exploration, and agriculture, but it's also true of ideas and ideologies. Part of the reason slavery was such an important part of Southern culture in the U.S. was that cotton was an immensely growable crop and only armies of slaves could be counted on to get all the work done; in order to justify the use of forced labor, however, a philosophical ethos was developed.

Other instances may be more obscure, but no less true. In France, the mild climate and fertile country led to a series of approaches to thought that emphasized experience and the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake (particularly existentialism); in ancient Greece, the geographical isolation enforced by mountains and seas allowed democratic polity to emerge among the city states.

Geography and history are pretty much Siamese twins, and academic technology has not advanced to the point where they can be separated without risk of life to both. We've organized the subcategories in this section along pretty standard lines (continents, countries, and the like), but standards arise because they work. Explore a region you're unfamiliar with; you're likely to uncover quite a few surprises.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and 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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...and now Miguel
by Joseph Krumgold
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100 African-Americans Who Shaped American History
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13 Colonies: Georgia
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Abraham Lincoln in Peace and War
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Across Five Aprils
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Adam and His Kin
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Aeneas: Virgil's Epic Retold for Young Readers
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Africa's Vanishing Wildlife
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Age of Fighting Sail
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Al Capone Does My Shirts
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Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6
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Alone Yet Not Alone
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Mti from Zonderkidz
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America in the 1900s and 1910s
Decades of American History
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Decades of American History
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Decades of American History
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America Is Born
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1960 Newbery Honor Book
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America's Fascinating Indian Heritage
by James A. Maxwell
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American Barns and Covered Bridges
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American Faith
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American Heritage Book of the Presidents and Famous Americans Volume 1
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American Heritage History of the Indian Wars
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American Indian Tales and Legends
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American Presidents & Presidential First Ladies Notebooking Pages
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American Waterways: Canal Days
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American Yesterday
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Amethyst Ring
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Amistad Slave Revolt and American Abolition
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Ancient India
People of the Ancient World
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Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
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Ancient Near East - Coloring Book
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Ancient Rome
Gifted Learning Series
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Ancient Times
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Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
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Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
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Anno's Journey
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Apache Land
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Art of Keeping Cool
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2001 Scott O'Dell Award
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Atlas of North American Exploration
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Oklahoma Paperbacks Ed from University of Oklahoma Press
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Augustus Caesar's World
by Genevieve Foster
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Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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Australia
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Australia - An Interdisciplinary Unit
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Australia: Beyond the Black Stump
by Gary Lewis
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Aztec and Maya Myths
by Karl Taube
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B. Franklin, Printer
by David A. Adler
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Battle of the Little Bighorn
by Mark Henckel
1st edition from Falcon Press Publishing
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Battles of the Ancient World: 1285 BC ~ AD 451
by Kelly Devries, et. al
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Before Columbus
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Before Columbus
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Beggar's King
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Behind the Blue and Gray
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Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia
Landmark Series
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Betsy Ross and the Flag
Landmark #26
by Jane Mayer, illustrated by Grace Paull
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Beyond the Desert Gate
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
by Mary Ray
2nd edition from Bethlehem Books
Historical Fiction for
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Beyond the Sacred Page
Book of Books #2
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Big Annie of Calumet
by Jerry Stanley
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Billy Yank - Coloring Book
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Birds of the Puget Sound Region
by Dennis Paulson
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Black Hawk, Sac Rebel
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Black Man in America
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Black Symbol
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Blackbird Girls
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Bold Journey
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Bomb
by Steve Sheinkin
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2013 Newbery Honor Book
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Bonanza Girl
by Patricia Beatty
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Book of Discovery
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Book of the Ancient Romans - Teacher Guide
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Borrowed House
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
by Hilda Van Stockum
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Boston
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Bound for America
Great Journeys
by Milton Meltzer
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Boy and the Samurai
by Erik Christian Haugaard
Reissue from HMH Books for Young Readers
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Boy's War
by David Michell
1st edition from OMF
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Boys' War
by Jim Murphy
from Clarion Books
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Brethren
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from Christian Liberty Press
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Buffalo Bill
by Helen Cody Wetmore
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 6th-9th grade
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$6.40 (1 in stock)
Building a City On a Hill
To Pledge Allegiance #2
by Gary DeMar, Fred Douglas Young & Gary L. Todd
from American Vision Press
World History Reference for 8th-11th grade
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$13.00 (2 in stock)
Bull Run
by Paul Fleischman, David Frampton (Woodcuts)
2nd edition from Scholastic Inc.
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt!
by Jean Fritz
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Biography for 5th-8th grade
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Butter in the Well: Historical Diary 1868-1888
by Linda K. Hubalek
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
By the Bridge of a Thousand Ages
by Myrth Bartlett, illustrations by Alice Marie Bartlett and Arthur D. Roberts
from Willing Publishing Co.
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$48.00 (1 in stock)
Canada Year By Year
by Elizabeth MacLeod, illustrated by Sydney Smith
from Kids Can Press
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Captain Edward L. Beach: Around the World Under Water
by Beril Becker
from Kingston House
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Captive
by Scott O'Dell
from HMH Books for Young Readers
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Hans Christian Anderson Award
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
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