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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18 Penny Goose
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Sally M. Walker
from HarperCollins
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Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
by Elizabeth Gray
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1943 Newbery Medal winner
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Adoniram Judson
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Amazing Mind of Granville Woods
by Maggie Felsch; illustrated by Kessler Garrity
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Amelia Earhart - Coloring Book
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Childhood of Famous Americans
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American Family of the Colonial Era - Paper Dolls
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American Pioneer Family - Paper Dolls
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Amos Fortune, Free Man
by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin
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Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1951 Newbery Medal winner
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Amy Carmichael
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
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And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
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Angel on the Square
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Childhood of Famous Americans
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Art of Keeping Cool
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As Far as the Eye Can Reach
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Ballad of Lucy Whipple
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Bambi
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Before the Gold Rush
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Behind Rebel Lines
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Ben and Me
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Benjamin Franklin: Young Printer
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Betsy Ross: Designer of our Flag
Childhood of Famous Americans
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Betty Greene
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Big Wave
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Blazing West: The Journal of Augustus Pelletier
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Blue Willow
Puffin Newbery Library
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1941 Newbery Honor Book
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Bound for Oregon
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Breadwinner, The
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Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Bud, Not Buddy
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Buffalo Bill: Frontier Daredevil
Childhood of Famous Americans
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C. T. Studd
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Heroes of History
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Christmas Around the World
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Civil War Paper Soldiers in Full Color
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Clarence Jones
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Colonial Fashions - Paper Dolls
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Columbus and the Renaissance Explorers
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Concise Illustrated History of the American Revolution
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Corn Grows Ripe
Puffin Newbery Library
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1957 Newbery Honor Book
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Corrie Ten Boom
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
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1955 Newbery Honor Book
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Crazy Horse: Young War Chief
Childhood of Famous Americans
by George Edward Stanley
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Crispus Attucks: Black Leader of Colonial Patriots
Childhood of Famous Americans
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Daniel Boone: Young Hunter and Tracker
Childhood of Famous Americans
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Christian Heroes: Then and Now
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Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Davy Crockett: Young Rifleman
Childhood of Famous Americans
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Defenders, The
by Ann McGovern
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Drinking Gourd
An I Can Read Book Level 3
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Eric Liddell
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Escape From Warsaw
by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Irwin Hoffman
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Esperanza Rising
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Eyes of the Emperor
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Eyes of the Emperor
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Fireflies in the Dark
by Susan Goldman Rubin
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Florence Young
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Freedom Train
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Freedom's Children
by Ellen Levine
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Gathering of Days
by Joan Blos
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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1980 Newbery Medal winner
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Gentle Annie
by Mary Francis Shura
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George S. Paton: War Hero
Childhood of Famous Americans
by George Edward Stanley
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George the Drummer Boy
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Nathaniel Benchley
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Historical fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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George Washington
Childhood of Famous Americans / History's All-Stars
by Augusta Stevenson
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George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
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George Washington, Spymaster
by Thomas B. Allen
from National Geographic
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George Washington: Our First Leader
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Augusta Stevenson
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Geronimo: Young Warrior
Childhood of Famous Americans
by George Edward Stanley
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Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99
Ghost in the Tokaido Inn
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Gladys Aylward
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.99
Going West
by Jean Van Leeuwen
from Puffin Books
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Grain of Rice
by Helena Clare Pittman
from Yearling
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Guide to Australia
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Guns for General Washington
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Habibi
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Harriet Tubman
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Harriet Tubman
by Ann Petry
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Biography for 4th-6th grade
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$9.99
Harriet Tubman: Freedom's Trailblazer
Childhood of Famous Americans
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from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Harry Houdini: Master of Magic
by Robert Kraske
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Hill of Fire
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Thomas Lewis & Joan Sandin
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History of Mexico: An Introduction
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Hitty
by Rachel Field
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Personification story for 4th-8th grade
1930 Newbery Medal winner
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Homeless Bird
by Gloria Whelan
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House of Dies Drear
by Virginia Hamilton
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House of Sixty Fathers
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
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Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
House of Sixty Fathers
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
from Inheritance Publications
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
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$16.95
House on Walenska Street
by Charlotte Herman
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Hudson Taylor
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.99
Humble Leader
by Julia Cameron
from Christian Focus Publications
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$8.99
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