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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119 Items found Print
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And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
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Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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Angel on the Square
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Arrow Over the Door
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Art of Keeping Cool
by Janet Taylor Lisle
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2001 Scott O'Dell Award
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Ballad of Lucy Whipple
by Karen Cushman
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Before the Gold Rush
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Ben and Me
by Robert Lawson
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Benjamin Franklin: Young Printer
by Augusta Stevenson
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Big Wave
by Pearl S. Buck
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Blazing West: The Journal of Augustus Pelletier
by Kathryn Lasky
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Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
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2000 Newbery Medal winner
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Buffalo Bill: Frontier Daredevil
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Meryl Stevenson
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Bull Run
by Paul Fleischman
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By the Great Horn Spoon!
by Sid Fleischman
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Cabin Faced West
by Jean Fritz
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Caleb's Story
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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
by Dorothy Rhoads
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1957 Newbery Honor Book
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Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
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1955 Newbery Honor Book
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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
by Augusta Stevenson
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Defenders, The
by Ann McGovern
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Escape From Warsaw
by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Irwin Hoffman
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Eyes of the Emperor
by Graham Salisbury
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Fireflies in the Dark
by Susan Goldman Rubin
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George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
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Biography for 1st-4th grade
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George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
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George Washington, Spymaster
by Thomas B. Allen
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Ghost in the Tokaido Inn
by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler
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Grain of Rice
by Helena Clare Pittman
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Guide to Australia
by Michael March
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Guns for General Washington
by Seymour Reit
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Habibi
by Naomi Shihab Nye
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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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Homeless Bird
by Gloria Whelan
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House of Dies Drear
by Virginia Hamilton
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House on Walenska Street
by Charlotte Herman
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I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
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In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
by Bette Bao Lord
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Immigration for 2nd-6th grade
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In Their Own Words: Abraham Lincoln
In Their Own Words
by George Sullivan
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Biography for 3rd-4th grade
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In Their Own Words: Lewis and Clark
by George Sullivan
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India: The Culture
by Bobbie Kalman
illustrated edition from Crabtree Publishing
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Indian Captive
by Lois Lenski
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Historical Fiction for 4th-9th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express
by Kristiana Gregory
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Josefina Story Quilt
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Eleanor Coerr
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Journey to America
Journey to America Saga #1
by Sonia Levitin
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Journey to Jo'Burg
by Beverley Naidoo
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Journey to Jo'Burg
by Beverley Naidoo
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Kidnapped Prince
by Olaudah Equiano
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Les Miserables (adapted)
Stepping Stones: A Chapter Book
by Victor Hugo, Adapted by Monica Kulling
from Random House
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Letters from Rifka
by Karen Hesse
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Lights In Lisuland
CF4Kids Trail Blazers
by Irene Howat
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Little Farm in the Ozarks
Rocky Ridge Years Book 2
by Roger Lea MacBride
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Long Way to a New Land
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
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Long Way Westward
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
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Lost Star
by Patricia Lauber
from Scholastic Inc.
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Matchlock Gun
by Walter Edmonds
from PaperStar Books
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
1942 Newbery Medal winner
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Meet Christopher Columbus
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by James de Kay
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Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Meet George Washington
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by Joan Heilbroner
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Meet George Washington
by Joan Heilbroner
First Scholastic Printing 2001 from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Molly Pitcher: Young Patriot
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Augusta Stevenson
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Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
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1990 Newbery Medal winner
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Old Ramon
by Jack Schaefer
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1961 Newbery Honor Book
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Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
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One Thousand Paper Cranes
by Takayuki Ishii
2001 Printing from Laurel-Leaf Books
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Parallel Journeys
by Eleanor Ayers, Helen Waterford, & Alfons Heck
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Pedro's Journal
by Pam Conrad
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Planet of Junior Brown
by Virginia Hamilton
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Pocahontas and the Strangers
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Scholastic Inc.
Biographies for 3rd-5th grade
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Red Sand, Blue Sky
by Cathy Applegate
from Margaret Hamilton Books
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Road to Agra
by Aimee Sommerfelt, illustrated by Ulf Aas
from Scholastic Book Services
for 3rd-6th grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Roman Activity Book
by Sue Weatherill
from Barron's
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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Puffin Modern Classics
by Eleanor Coerr
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
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$2.00 (6 in stock)
Sam the Minuteman
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Nathaniel Benchley & Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
30th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
1986 Newbery Medal winner
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Secret of the Andes
Puffin Newbery Library
by Ann Nolan Clark
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-7th grade
1953 Newbery Medal winner
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Serpent Never Sleeps
by Scott O'Dell
from Fawcett Books
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Shades of Gray
by Carolyn Reeder
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
Scott O'Dell Award
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Shades of Gray
by Carolyn Reeder
from Avon Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
Scott O'Dell Award
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Shark Lady
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
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Shoes for Everyone
by Barbara Mitchell
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
Biography for 4th-6th grade
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Sink or Swim
by Steve Watkins
from Scholastic Inc.
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So Far From the Bamboo Grove
by Yoko Kawashima Watkins
from Beech Tree Books
Historical fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Sojourner Truth
by Patricia & Frederick McKissack
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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Sounder
by William H. Armstrong
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1970 Newbery Medal winner
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Squanto
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Harriet Tubman
Dell Yearling Biography
by Kate McMullan
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Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Thanksgiving Primer
from Plimoth Plantation Publication
for 4th-8th grade
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Thimble Summer
by Elizabeth Enright
from Square Fish Publishing
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
1939 Newbery Medal winner
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Thimble Summer
by Elizabeth Enright
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
1939 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
by Ted W. Lawson
from Pocket Star
for 4th-7th grade
in WWII: Pacific Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2P)
$9.99 $5.50 (1 in stock)
Three-Minute Speech
by Jennifer Armstrong, Illustrated by Albert Lorenz
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
To Be a Pilgrim
by Joyce Reason
1980th edition from Christian Literature Crusade
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Toliver's Secret
by Esther Brady
from Yearling
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Turn Homeward, Hannalee
by Patricia Beatty
from Beech Tree Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
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