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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514 Items found Print
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1846 - Portrait of the Nation
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Abraham Lincoln in Peace and War
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Adam and His Kin
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Africa's Vanishing Wildlife
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After the Dancing Days
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Age of Fighting Sail
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Air Forces of the World
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Al Capone Does My Shirts
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Alone Yet Not Alone
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America and Its People
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America Is Born
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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 Covenant
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American Heritage History of the American Revolution
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American Heritage History of the Indian Wars
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American Waterways: Canal Days
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American Yesterday
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Amistad Slave Revolt and American Abolition
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Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry
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Ancient Near East - Coloring Book
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Ancient Rome
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Ancient Times
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Andersonville
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1955 Pulitzer Prize Winner
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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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Atlas of the Islamic World
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Atlas of the North American Indian
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Augustus Caesar's World
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Australia: Beyond the Black Stump
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Aztec and Maya Myths
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B. Franklin, Printer
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Beggar's King
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Beginning of the Republic
A Basic History of the United States Volume 2
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Beyond the Desert Gate
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Birds of the Puget Sound Region
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Black Man in America
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Black Symbol
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Blackbird Girls
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Blow Ye Winds Westerly
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Bomb
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Bonanza Girl
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Book of Discovery
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Borrowed House
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Boston
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Brethren
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Buffalo Bill
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Building a City On a Hill
To Pledge Allegiance #2
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Butter in the Well: Historical Diary 1868-1888
by Linda K. Hubalek
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Captain Edward L. Beach: Around the World Under Water
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II
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Carver: A Life In Poems
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Character for Life
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Cheer the Lonesome Traveller
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Chief Joseph Country
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Children of the River
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China's Later Dynasties
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Chokra and Tags
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Christian Life and Character of the Civil United States
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Civil War Battles
by Curt Johnson
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Civil War Book of Facts
by Frank Burd
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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
by John R. Hale
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Classical Rome
by John D. Clare, ed.
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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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Cloud Over Hiroshima
by Burt Hirschfeld, jacket & maps by Barry Martin
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Codfish Musket
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1937 Newbery Honor Book
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Colonial American Home Life
by John F. Warner
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Colonial Experience
A Basic History of the United States Volume 1
by Clarence B. Carson
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Colonial Period: 1607-1750
American History by Era Volume 2
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Colonial Wars Source Book
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Colosseum
by Peter Quennell
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Come On, Seabiscuit!
by Ralph Moody
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Concise History of Ireland
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Constitution
American Symbols and their Meanings
by Hal Marcovitz
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Countdown
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Cry from the Earth
by John Bierhorst
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Crying for a Vision
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Cut & Assemble the Mayflower
by A. G. Smith
2020 Reprint from Dover Publications
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Cut and Make African Masks in Full Color
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Cyrus the Persian
by Sherman A. Nagel
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Danger in the Desert
by Roger Cohen
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Dark Venture
by Audrey White Beyer, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon
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$11.20 (1 in stock)
Days of Joseph
by John Noble
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Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History
Dover Thrift Editions
by John Grafton, editor
from Dover Publications
Primary Source Documents for 9th-Adult
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Defeating the Totalitarian Lie
by Hilmar Von Campe
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