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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214 Items found Print
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Adam and His Kin
by Ruth Beechick
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Alone Yet Not Alone
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Mti from Zonderkidz
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American Covenant
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American Waterways: Canal Days
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Amistad Slave Revolt and American Abolition
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Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry
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Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
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Antebellum America: 1784-1850
American History by Era Volume 4
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Atlas of the North American Indian
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Behind the Blue and Gray
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Beyond the Desert Gate
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Beyond the Sacred Page
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Bomb
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Brethren
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Buffalo Bill
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Butter in the Well: Historical Diary 1868-1888
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Children of the Storm
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China's Later Dynasties
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Chronological and Background Charts of the New Testament
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Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament
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Civil War Songbook
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Civil War: 1850-1895
American History by Era Volume 5
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Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance
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Claudette Colvin
by Philip Hoose
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2010 Newbery Honor Book, 2010 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, National Book Award
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Colonial Period: 1607-1750
American History by Era Volume 2
by Brenda Stalcup (editor)
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Come On, Seabiscuit!
by Ralph Moody
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Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm
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Concise History of Ireland
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Cut and Make African Masks in Full Color
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David Livingstone
Heroes of the Faith Series
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Devil at My Heels
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Drive Thru History America with Dave Stotts: Foundations of Character - Book Only
by David Barton
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Duncan's War
Crown & Covenant Series #1
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Eagle of the Ninth
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Eating the Plates
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Elizabeth I
Jackdaw No. 53
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Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men
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Enchantress of Florence
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Europe Finds the World
Cambridge Introduction to World History
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Eyewitnesses at the Battle of Franklin
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Faith of Our Fathers: Scenes from American Church History
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Farewell to Manzanar
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Faust: A Tragedy
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Flames of Rome
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Forgotten Daughter
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1934 Newbery Honor Book
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Fortune of War
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Free Indeed
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From Sea to Shining Sea
by Peter Marshall & David Manuel
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Genealogy of the Kings of France and Their Wives
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Gentlewoman's Choice
by George MacDonald, edited by Michael R. Phillips
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George Washington & the Founding of a Nation
by Albert Marrin
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George Washington's World
by Genevieve Foster, expanded by Joanna Foster and edited by Rea Berg
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1942 Newbery Honor Book
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Girl in Blue
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Glimpses of Truth
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Glorious Age in Africa
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God and Ronald Reagan
by Paul Kengor
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Grand Canyon and the Southwest
by Ansel Adams
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Great Battles of the Civil War
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Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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Guide to America's Greatest Historic Places
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Guide to the California Gold Rush
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Gulf War 1991
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Gulliver's Travels
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Helen Keller: The Story of My Life
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History of Britain 2
History of Britain Trilogy #2
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History of Britain Trilogy #3
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History of US Book 1
History of US Book 1
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 10
History of US Book 10
by Joy Hakim
4th edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 2
History of US Book 2
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 4
History of US Book 4
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 5
History of US Book 5
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 6
History of US Book 6
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 7
History of US Book 7
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 8
History of US Book 8
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 8
History of US Book 8
by Joy Hakim
3rd edition from Oxford University
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History of US Book 9
History of US Book 9
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
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Hitler
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Hostage Lands
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I Must Betray You
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Ides of April
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
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In My Father's House
by Corrie Ten Boom
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In Search of the Source
by Neil Anderson, Hyatt Moore
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In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Land of the Head-Hunters
Reprint from World Book
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Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
by Harriet Jacobs
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India: The Culture
Lands, Peoples and Cultures
by Bobbie Kalman
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India: The People
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by Bobbie Kalman
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Indian Chiefs
by Russell Freedman
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Indian How Book
by Arthur C. Parker
Unknown from Dover Publications
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Ireland: The Culture
Lands, Peoples and Cultures
by Erinn Banting
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Jamestown and the Founding of the Nation
by Warren M. Billings
from Thomas Publications
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Jason Lee
Sowers Series
by Charles Ludwig
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Biography for 7th-9th grade
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Joan of Arc
by Mark Twain
from Ignatius Press
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John Paul Jones
Sterling Point Books
by Armstrong Sperry
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 5th-9th grade
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$4.50 (2 in stock)
John Treegate's Musket
Treegate Series Book 1
by Leonard Wibberly
from Bethlehem Books
Historical fiction for 7th-10th grade
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
John Wesley
Men of Faith
by Basil Miller
from Bethany House
Biography for 6th-10th grade
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Jonathan and Sarah
by Edna Gerstner
from Soli Deo Gloria
Biography for 9th-Adult
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Journeyman
by Elizabeth Yates
from Bob Jones University Press
Realistic Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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Keeping Score
by Linda Sue Park
from Sandpiper Books
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