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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123 Items found Print
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Abe Lincoln
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Across Five Aprils
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After the War
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Angel on the Square
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Art of Keeping Cool
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Ballad of Lucy Whipple
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Before the Gold Rush
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Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia
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Benjamin Franklin: Young Printer
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Bonanza Girl
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Bud, Not Buddy
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Buffalo Bill: Frontier Daredevil
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Calico Bush
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1932 Newbery Honor Book
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Cavalryman with Custer
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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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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
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Defenders, The
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Dragonwings
Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903
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Dragonwings
Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903
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Escape From Warsaw
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Eyes of the Emperor
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Fireflies in the Dark
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For Freedom
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George Washington, Spymaster
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Gettysburg
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Good Night, Mr. Tom
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Great Little Madison
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Guide to Australia
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Guns for General Washington
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Habibi
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Hidden
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History of Mexico: An Introduction
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Homeless Bird
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House of Dies Drear
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In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
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In Their Own Words: Lewis and Clark
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India: The Culture
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Indian Captive
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1942 Newbery Honor Book
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
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Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express
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Journey to America
Journey to America Saga #1
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Journey to Jo'Burg
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Journey to Jo'Burg
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Kidnapped Prince
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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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Lost Star
by Patricia Lauber
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M. C. Higgins, the Great
by Virginia Hamilton
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1975 Newbery Medal winner
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Meet Christopher Columbus
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
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Meet George Washington
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
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Meet George Washington
by Joan Heilbroner
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Molly Pitcher: Young Patriot
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Augusta Stevenson
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My Brother Sam Is Dead
by James & Christopher Collier
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Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1975 Newbery Honor Book
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No Promises in the Wind
by Irene Hunt
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Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
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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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On the Way Home
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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One Thousand Paper Cranes
by Takayuki Ishii
2001 Printing from Laurel-Leaf Books
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Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 6th-8th grade
1998 Newbery Medal winner
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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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Perilous Road
by William O. Steele
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Peterson Field Guide to Mammals
by William H. Burt, Richard P. Grossenheider
3rd edition from Houghton Mifflin
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Pioneers Go West
Landmark Series
by George Stewart
from Random House
Historical Non-fiction for 5th-8th 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
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
by Mildred Taylor
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1977 Newbery Medal winner
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Roman Activity Book
by Sue Weatherill
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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr
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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Puffin Modern Classics
by Eleanor Coerr
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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr
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Sarah Bishop
by Scott O'Dell
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Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade
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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
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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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$3.50 (1 in stock)
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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$3.00 (1 in stock)
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.
for 4th-6th grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Slave Dancer
by Paula Fox
from Laurel-Leaf Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade
1974 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
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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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$6.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Star Fisher
by Laurence Yep
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
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