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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...and now Miguel
by Joseph Krumgold
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1954 Newbery Medal winner
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100 African-Americans Who Shaped American History
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13 Colonies: Georgia
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Abe Lincoln Grows Up
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Abraham Lincoln in Peace and War
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Across Five Aprils
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1965 Newbery Honor Book
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Adam and His Kin
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Adam of the Road
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1943 Newbery Medal winner
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Africa's Vanishing Wildlife
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After the Dancing Days
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Album of the Civil War
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All Aboard for Freedom
by Marie McSwigan, illustrated by E. Harper Johnson, with an introduction by Jan Papanek
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Alone Yet Not Alone
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Mti from Zonderkidz
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America Grows Up
A History for Peter #2
by Gerald W. Johnson
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America in the 1930s
Decades of American History
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America in the 1970s
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America in the 1990s
by George Ochoa
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America is Born
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America Is Born
A History for Peter #1
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1960 Newbery Honor Book
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America Moves Forward
A History for Peter #3
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America's Fascinating Indian Heritage
by James A. Maxwell
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America's God and Country
by William J. Federer
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America's God and Country
by William J. Federer
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American Barns and Covered Bridges
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American Heritage Book of the Presidents and Famous Americans Volume 1
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American Heritage Book of the Presidents and Famous Americans Volume 9
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American Heritage History of the Indian Wars
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American Indian Prayer Guide
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American Indian Tales and Legends
by Vladimir Hulpach, illustrated by Miloslav Troup
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American Presidents & Presidential First Ladies Notebooking Pages
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American Revolution
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American Waterways: Canal Days
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American Yesterday
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15th Printing from Funk & Wagnalls
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Americans Before Columbus
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1952 Newbery Honor Book
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Amethyst Ring
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Amistad Slave Revolt and American Abolition
by Karen Zeinert
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Ancient Near East - Coloring Book
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Ancient Romans
People of the Ancient World
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Ancient Rome
by Michelle Miller
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History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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Ancient Rome
Gifted Learning Series
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Ancient Rome
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Ancient World
by Albert Malet
2021 Reprint from Yesterday's Classics
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Angel on the Square
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Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
by Ruud van der Rol & Rian Verhoeven
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Apache Land
by Ross Santee
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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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Atlas of North American Exploration
by Glyndwr Williams, William H. Goetzmann
Oklahoma Paperbacks Ed from University of Oklahoma Press
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Australia
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Australia - An Interdisciplinary Unit
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Australia: Beyond the Black Stump
by Gary Lewis
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Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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Aztec and Maya Myths
by Karl Taube
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Aztecs
Journey Into Civilization
by Robert Nicholson and Claire Watts
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B. Franklin, Printer
by David A. Adler
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Bamboo Sword
Companion to Heart of a Samurai
by Margi Preus
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Battle of the Little Bighorn
by Mark Henckel
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Battles of the Ancient World: 1285 BC ~ AD 451
by Kelly Devries, et. al
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Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum
by Ashley Bryan
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Before Columbus
by Charles C. Mann
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Beggar's King
by Howard C. Emmons
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Behind the Blue and Gray
by Delia Ray
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Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia
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Beyond the Sacred Page
Book of Books #2
by Jack Cavanaugh
from Zondervan
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Big Annie of Calumet
by Jerry Stanley
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Big Annie of Calumet
by Jerry Stanley
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Big Book of the Civil War
by Joanne Mattern
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Billy Yank - Coloring Book
by Alan Archambault
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Birds of the Puget Sound Region
by Dennis Paulson
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
Black Hawk, Sac Rebel
from Chelsea House Publishing
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Black Heroes of the American Revolution
by Burke Davis
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Black Man in America
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Black Symbol
by Annabel & Edgar Johnson
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Blue Willow
Puffin Newbery Library
by Doris Gates
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1941 Newbery Honor Book
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Bold Journey
by Charles Bohner
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Bomb
by Steve Sheinkin
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2013 Newbery Honor Book
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Bonanza Girl
by Patricia Beatty
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Book of the Ancient Romans - Teacher Guide
by Dorothy Mills
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Boston
from Crescent Books
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Boston Jane
by Jennifer L. Holm
from Scholastic Reference
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Bound for America
Great Journeys
by Milton Meltzer
from Benchmark Books
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Boy and the Samurai
by Erik Christian Haugaard
Reissue from HMH Books for Young Readers
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Boy's War
by David Michell
1st edition from OMF
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Boys' War
by Jim Murphy
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Buffalo Bill
by Helen Cody Wetmore
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Biography for 6th-9th grade
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Bull Run
by Paul Fleischman
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
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Bull Run
by Paul Fleischman, David Frampton (Woodcuts)
2nd edition from Scholastic Inc.
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Bull Run
by Paul Fleischman
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
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By the Bridge of a Thousand Ages
by Myrth Bartlett, illustrations by Alice Marie Bartlett and Arthur D. Roberts
from Willing Publishing Co.
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$45.00 (1 in stock)
Calico Bush
by Rachel Field
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1932 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
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Canada: Our History
by Rick Archbold
First Printing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Canada (Location: HISMC-CAN)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
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