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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2,164 Items found Print
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), In-Stock Books & Materials
100 African-Americans Who Shaped American History
by Chrisanne Beckner
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1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving
by Catherine O'Neill Grace
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An I Can Read Book Level 3
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500 Facts: American History for Kids
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7 Continents: Africa
by Jo Ellen Moore
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
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by Jo Ellen Moore
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A is for Abigail
by Lynne Cheney
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
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ABC Book of Early Americana
by Eric Sloane
2012 Dover from Dover Publications
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Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance
by Frances Cavanah
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Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Abigail Adams
by Natalie S. Bober
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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Abigail Adams Package (FACE)
by Rosalie J. Slater, Evelyn Witter
from Foundation for American Christian Education
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Above the Trenches
by Nathan Hale
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Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
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$15.26
Abraham Lincoln - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
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$5.09
Across America
by Jacqueline Morley
from Franklin Watts
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Across America, I Love You
by Christine Loomis, illustrated by Kate Kiesler
from Hyperion Press
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Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
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$8.49
Adara
by Beatrice Gormley
from Eerdmans
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Adoniram Judson
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$10.19
Adventures of King Arthur - Coloring Book
by Arkady Roytman
from Dover Publications
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$3.39
Adventures of Lewis and Clark
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Adventures of Munford: The American Revolution
by Jamie Aramini
1st edition from Geography Matters
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of the American Revolution
by Susan Olasky
from P&R Publishing
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Adventures with the Santa Fe Trail
by Dave Webb, illustrated by Phillip R. Buntin
Revised from Kansas Heritage Center
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Aeneas: Virgil's Epic Retold for Young Readers
by Emily Frenkel(translator and reteller), Virgil (original text), illustrated by Simon Weller
2015 Reprint from Bloomsbury Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Africa
by Yvonne Ayo
1st edition from DK Publishing
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in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Africa For Kids
by Harvey Croze
from Chicago Review Press
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Africa Is My Home
by Monica Edinger, illustrated by Robert Byrd
from Scholastic Inc.
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African Plains - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Airplanes of the Second World War - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Airplanes of World War I - Coloring Book
by Carlo Demand
from Dover Publications
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$5.09
Akavak
by James Houston
from Harcourt, Brace & World
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Akimbo of Africa
by Alexander McCall Smith
from Notgrass Company
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Alamo All Stars
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6
by Nathan Hale
from Amulet Books
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Alaska Bush Pilot
by Charles Coombs
from Purple House Press
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Alaskan Wildlife - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Jan Sovak
from Dover Publications
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Albert Schweitzer
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider
by Jean Fritz; illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
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All Thirteen
by Christina Soontornvat
from Candlewick Press
Daring Rescues for 4th-7th grade
2021 Newbery Honor Book, 2021 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
in 21st Century (Location: HISW-21)
$24.99
Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
by Cheryl Harness
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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Amazon River
by Sangma Francis and Romolo D'Hipolito
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Amelia Earhart
by Francene Sabin and Joanne Mattern, illustrated by Karen Milone
from Scholastic Inc.
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$2.40 (1 in stock)
Amelia Earhart: Young Aviator
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Beatrice Gormley
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$6.79
Amelia to Zora
1st edition from Charlesbridge
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$6.76
America At War: Korean War
by John Perritano
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America Grows Up
A History for Peter #2
by Gerald W. Johnson
from Yesterday's Classics
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America In Korean War
by KidCaps
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America in the Time of Abraham Lincoln
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
from Heinemann Library
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
America in the Time of Lewis and Clark
by Sally Senzel Isaacs
from Heinemann-Raintree
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in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
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America is Born
A History for Peter #1
by Gerald W. Johnson (iilustrations by Leonard Everett Fisher)
from William Morrow & Company
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$45.00 (1 in stock)
America's First Ladies - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Leslie Franz
Revised Edition from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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$5.09
America's Lost Dream
by Tom Dooley
from Master Books
American History for 4th-6th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
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America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
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$11.04
American Adventures Part 1
by Morrie Greenberg
from Brooke-Richards Press
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American Adventures Part 2
by Morrie Greenberg
from Brooke-Richards Press
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$6.00 (2 in stock)
American History for Young Students I
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-5th grade
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
$17.50 (1 in stock)
American History for Young Students II
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-5th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$17.50 (1 in stock)
American History for Young Students III
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-6th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$29.95
American History Stories Volume 1
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
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$11.95
American History Stories Volume 2
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
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American History Stories Volume 3
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
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American History Stories Volume 4
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
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in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
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American History: Globalization 1977-2008
from Saddleback Educational Publishing
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American History: The Civil Rights Movement & Vietnam 1960-1976
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American Indian in Words and Pictures
by Sydney Fletcher
from Grosset & Dunlap
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American Indian Prayer Guide
by Danette Maloof, Dean Cozzens
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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American Indian Tales and Legends
by Vladimir Hulpach, illustrated by Miloslav Troup
from Paul Hamlyn
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
American Milestones: The U. S. Constitution (September 17, 1787)
by Carole Marsh
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
American Milestones: World War I
by Carole Marsh
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American Milestones: World War II (1939-1945)
by Carole Marsh
from Gallopade International
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American Plague
by Jim Murphy
from Clarion Books
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2004 Newbery Honor Book, 2004 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner, NCTE Orbi Pictus Award
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$17.59
American Presidents & Presidential First Ladies Notebooking Pages
from Notebooking Pages
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
American Presidents - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$5.09
American Revolution
America at War Series
by Alden Carter
from Grolier Publishing
Historical Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
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$6.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
American Revolution
Revolution!
by R. G. Grant
from Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishing
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
American Revolution for Kids
by Janis Herbert
1st edition from Chicago Review Press
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in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
American Tall Tales
by Mary Pope Osborne, Michael McCurdy
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Fairy Tales & Fables for 4th-8th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Amethyst Ring
by Scott O'Dell
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Amistad - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$3.36
Among the Plains Indians
from Lerner Publishing Group
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in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Amos Fortune, Free Man
by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1951 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.64
Amzat and His Brothers
by Paula Fox (reteller), illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
from Yearling
for 2nd-5th grade
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Ancient Africa Volume 2 - Coloring Book
from Bellerophon Books
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in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$2.00
Ancient China
by Judith Simpson
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient China: To the Great Wall...and Beyond
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
for Kindergarten-12th grade
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$13.95
Ancient Civilizations: China
Ancient Civilizations
by Valerie Bodden
Reprint from Creative Paperbooks
for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.50 (1 in stock)
Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons - Set
by Lori Verstegen
6th edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 3rd-6th grade
in IEW Theme-Based Writing Lessons (Location: WRI-IEWTBW)
$55.00
Ancient India
People of the Ancient World
by Virginia Schomp
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
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$19.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Ancient Maya
by Lila Perl
from Children's Press
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Near East - Coloring Book
from Bellerophon Books
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in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Ancient Roman Art
by Susie Hodge
2nd edition from Heinemann Educational Books
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Romans
People of the Ancient World
by Allison Lassieur
from Franklin Watts
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in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Rome
Gifted Learning Series
by John H. Artman
from Good Apple
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Ancient Rome
Discoveries Series
by Dr. Paul C. Roberts
from Barnes & Noble
for 4th-9th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Ancient Rome
Then and There Series
by N. Sherwin-White
1975 Printing from Longman
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Sicily
Monuments Past & Present
by Gaetano Messineo & Emanuela Borgia
from Vision S.R.L.
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$27.00
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
Andie's Moon
Historical House: 1969
by Linda Newbery
from Educational Development Corporation
for 3rd-6th grade
in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
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