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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13 Colonies: Georgia
by Roberta Wiener and James R. Arnold
from Raintree
for 6th-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
500 Facts: American History for Kids
from Rockridge Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
660 Curries
by Raghavan Iyer
from Workman Publishing
for Adult
in International & Ethnic Cooking (Location: COOK-ETH)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Abe's Honest Words
by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
from Disney-Hyperion
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Abraham Lincoln
A Rookie Biography
by Carol Greene
from Children's Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Across America
by Jacqueline Morley
from Franklin Watts
for 4th-6th grade
in Lewis & Clark Expedition (1801-1803) (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Africa Is My Home
by Monica Edinger, illustrated by Robert Byrd
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider
by Jean Fritz; illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Hyperion Books for Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Amelia Earhart
by Francene Sabin and Joanne Mattern, illustrated by Karen Milone
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
America At War: Korean War
by John Perritano
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Korean War (1950-1953) (Location: HISA-20KW)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
America in the Time of Lewis and Clark
by Sally Senzel Isaacs
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
American Adventures Part 1
by Morrie Greenberg
from Brooke-Richards Press
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$2.80 (5 in stock)
American Adventures Part 2
by Morrie Greenberg
from Brooke-Richards Press
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$4.80 (2 in stock)
American History: Globalization 1977-2008
from Saddleback Educational Publishing
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
American History: The Civil Rights Movement & Vietnam 1960-1976
from Saddleback Educational Publishing
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
American Indian Prayer Guide
by Danette Maloof, Dean Cozzens
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 4th-7th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$3.60 (3 in stock)
Ancient Hawai'i
from Kawainui Press
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient India
People of the Ancient World
by Virginia Schomp
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Israel (Location: HISW-ANIS)
$19.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Are We to Be a Nation?
by Richard B. Bernstein, with Kym S. Rice
from Harvard University Press
for 10th-Adult
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: April 4, 1968
24 Hour History
by Terry Collins
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Aztec and Maya Myths
by Karl Taube
from British Museum Press
for 6th-12th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beyond the Ridge
by Paul Goble
from Aladdin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Big Book of the Civil War
by Joanne Mattern
from Courage Books
for 4th-7th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Bill of Rights
by Lucia Raatma
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Brooklyn Bridge
by Elizabeth Mann
from Mikaya Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Buffalo Bird Girl
by S. D. Nelson
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.46 $4.80 (4 in stock)
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$5.94 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Tomie dePaola
from Coward McCann
for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Canada from A to Z
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Canada (Location: HISMC-CAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Cherokee: The Past and Present of a Proud Nation
American Indian Life
by Danielle Smith-Llera
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Chief Joseph: Leader of Destiny
by Kate Jassem
from Troll Associates
for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.40 (2 in stock)
Children of Native America Today
by Yvonne Wakim Dennis and Arlene Hirschfelder
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Civil War: An Interactive History Adventure
You Choose Books
by Matt Doeden
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Colter's Run
by Judith Edwards, illustrated by John Potter
from Falcon Press Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Confederate War
by Gary W. Gallagher
from Harvard University Press
for 10th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Countries Around the World: New Zealand
by Mary Colson
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in Australia & Oceania (Location: HISMC-AU)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Cowboys on the Western Trail
by Eric Oatman
from National Geographic
for 3rd-5th grade
in Cowboys & Cattlemen (Location: HISA-19CO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Cut & Assemble the Mayflower
by A. G. Smith
2020 Reprint from Dover Publications
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Daily Life in a Plains Indian Village 1868
by Michael Bad Hand Terry
from Clarion Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Declaration of Independence
History Speaks
by Douglas M. Rife
from Teaching & Learning Company
for 4th - 8th Grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Declaration of Independence
Documenting U.S. History
by Elizabeth Raum
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Mythology
by Neil Philip
from DK Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Don't Know Much About American History
by Kenneth C. Davis
from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Early American History for Intermediate Grades - Guide
by Rea Berg & Rebecca Manor
3rd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$25.95 $18.00 (1 in stock)
Early Family Home
Early Settler Life Series
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Early Settler Storybook
from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Electrical Wizard
by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Elizabeth I, the People's Queen
by Kerrie Logan Hollihan
from Chicago Review Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.60 (1 in stock)
English Castle
by Francois Matarasso
from Cassell
for 9th-Adult
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Everybody's Wokking
by Martin Yan
from Harlow & Ratner
for Adult
in International & Ethnic Cooking (Location: COOK-ETH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Explore Asia
Explore the Continents
by Bobbie Kalman and Rebecca Sjonger
from Crabtree Publishing
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Asia (Location: HISMC-ASIA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Explore Medieval Kingdoms
Child's Geography Volume IV
by Terry Johnson
Revised from Master Books
for 6th-7th grade
in Geography Curriculum (Location: GEO-CUR)
$39.19 $30.00 (1 in stock)
Explore Native American Cultures!
by Anita Yasuda, illustrated by Jennifer K. Keller
from Nomad Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$5.20 (1 in stock)
Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)
by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Famous Presidents
Eyes on America
by Philip Koslow
from KidsBooks, Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$1.60 (3 in stock)
Farmland Innovator
Creative Minds Biographies
by Catherine A. Welch, illustrated by Jan Naimo Jones
from Lerner Publishing Group
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Flag We Love
by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Ralph Masiello
from Charlesbridge
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Folk Arts and Crafts of New England
by Priscilla Sawyer Lord & Daniel J. Foley
Updated from Chilton Book Company
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Frog Girl
by Paul Owen Lewis
from Tricycle Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
General Washington's Army
by Marko Zlatich, Illustrated by Peter F. Copeland
2003 Printing from Osprey Publishing
for 6th-Adult
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Geography of Oregon
by John B. Woods and Nelson S. Rogers
from Allyn and Bacon
for 5th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$14.40 (1 in stock)
George Washington Carver
by Tonya Bolden
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
George Washington Carver: Botanist
Black Americans of Achievement
by Gene Adair, introduction by Coretta Scott King
from Chelsea House Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
George Washington You Never Knew
by James Lincoln Collier
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Gettysburg: The Final Fury
by Bruce Catton, photographs by Matthew Brady
1982 Edition from Berkley Books
for 9th-Adult
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Grant's Getaways
by Grant McOmie, photos by Steve Terrill
from West Winds Press
for Adult
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
from kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co
for 1st-Adult
in Japan (Location: HISMC-JAP)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Greece: The Land
The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series
by Bobbie Kalman, Sierra Adare
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-5th grade
in Europe (Location: HISMC-EUR)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Handa's Noisy Night
by Eileen Browne
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Hannibal: A Wicked History
by Philip Brooks
from Franklin Watts
for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Happy Birthday, Dr. King!
by Kathryn Jones, Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
from Modern Curriculum Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$1.60 (1 in stock)
I Just Want to Say Good Night
by Rachel Isadora
from Nancy Paulsen Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 - Graphic Novel
by Lauren Tarshis, art by Haus Studio
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$4.40 (1 in stock)
I'm In Charge of Celebrations
by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
If You Grew Up With George Washington
If You Were There
by Ruth Belov Gross
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
If You Were a Kid in the Thirteen Colonies
by Wil Mara, illustrated by Lluis Farre
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
In Defense of Liberty
by Russell Freedman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 8th-Adult
2004 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Incans, Aztecs, Mayans
by John Holzmann
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.50 (6 in stock)
Incans, Aztecs, Mayans
by John Holzmann
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Indian Winter
by Russell Freedman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Indians Knew
by Tillie S. Pine, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Jackie Robinson
Photo-Illustrated Biography
by Barbara Knox
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
John Hancock
by Candice Ransom
from Barnes & Noble
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Ken Hom's Quick & Easy Chinese Cooking
by Ken Hom
from Chronicle Books
for Adult
in International & Ethnic Cooking (Location: COOK-ETH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Kinderlager
by Milton J. Nieuwsma
from Scholastic Inc.
for 6th-Adult
in Holocaust (Location: HISW-20WW2H)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lady Liberty: A Biography
by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Matt Tavares
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Last River
by Stuart Waldman, illustrated by Gregory Manchess
from Mikaya Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$15.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Let's Find Out About Ice Cream
by Mary Ebeltoft Reid, photographs by John Williams
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Food & Farming Around the World (Location: HISMC-FOOD)
$2.00 (4 in stock)
Lewis & Clark: An illustrated History
by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns
2004 printing from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 9th-Adult
in Lewis & Clark Expedition (1801-1803) (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Life in a Fishing Community
Learn About Rural Life
by Helene Boudreau
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Everyday Life in History (Location: HISV-EVERY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life in Ancient Rome
by Joseph Farrell
from Running Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life in Early America
by Jeanne S. Chall, selections
from Andrews McMeel
for 2nd-3rd grade
in McGuffey's Readers & Other Primers (Location: REA-MCG)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Life in the Far North
Native Nations of North America
by Bobbie Kalman and Rebecca Sjonger
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life on a Plantation
Historic Communities
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in Everyday Life in History (Location: HISV-EVERY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lion Dancer
by Kate Waters & Madeline Slovenz-Low, photographs by Martha Cooper
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Little Bighorn
by Robert Nightengale
from Far West Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Louisa May Alcott: Her Girlhood Diary
by Louisa May Alcott
from Troll Medallion
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Magellan and the Exploration of South America
by Colin Hynson
from Barron's
Non-fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$3.20 (2 in stock)
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