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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69 Items found Print
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Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
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Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Living Book Press
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
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America Is Born
A History for Peter #1
by Gerald W. Johnson
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1960 Newbery Honor Book
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Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
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Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
by M. B. Synge
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Book of Discovery
by M. B. Synge
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Borrowed House
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
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Burning of Rome
by Alfred J. Church
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Cedric the Forester
by Bernard Marshall
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1922 Newbery Honor Book
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Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Romans
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Combat Nurses of World War II
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by Wyatt Blassingame
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Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
by M. B. Synge
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Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
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Early Church
by George Hodges
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Florence Nightingale
by Laura E. Richards
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Frontier Living
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Great Quest
by Charles Boardman Hawes
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Greyfriars Bobby
by Eleanor Atkinson
from Living Book Press
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Growth of the British Empire
Story of the World Series #5
by M. B. Synge
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Growth of the British Empire
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Hannibal
Makers of History Series
by Jacob Abbott
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He Went with Hannibal
by Louise Andrews Kent
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Hereward the Wake
by Charles Kingsley
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History of France (color)
by H. E. Marshall
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History of Germany (color)
by H. E. Marshall
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Horsecatcher, The
by Mari Sandoz
First Bison Book from Bison Books
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1958 Newbery Honor Book
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How the Heather Looks
by Joan Bodger, illustrated by Mark Lang
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In Freedom's Cause
by G. A. Henty
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In the Days of Alfred the Great
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Days of Queen Elizabeth
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In the Days of Queen Elizabeth
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In the Days of Queen Victoria
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In the Days of Queen Victoria
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In the Days of William the Conqueror
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by Eva March Tappan
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Keeper of the Bees
by Gene Stratton-Porter, illustrated by Gordon Grant, decorations by Lee Thayer
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Kim
Reader's Digest World's Best Reading
by Rudyard Kipling
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Life of Christopher Columbus
by Edward Everett Hale
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Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott, Illustrated by Frank Merrill
from SeaWolf Press
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Medical Corps Heroes of World War II
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On the Shores of the Great Sea
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Our Australasian Story
by H. E. Marshall
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Our Empire Story
by H. E. Marshall
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by H. E. Marshall
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by H. E. Marshall
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Red Badge of Courage
by Stephen Crane & Ambrose Bierce
from SeaWolf Press
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$7.45
Romulus
Makers of History series
by Jacob Abbott
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Sailing on the Ice: And Other Stories from the Old Squire's Farm
from Rutledge Hill Press
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Saints and Heroes 1
by George Hodges
from Living Book Press
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
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Saints and Heroes 2
by George Hodges
from Living Book Press
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Saints and Heroes to the End of the Middle Ages
by George Hodges
from Yesterday's Classics
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
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Scotland's Story
by H. E. Marshall
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by H. E. Marshall
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by H. E. Marshall
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Stories From Livy
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
History for 6th-9th grade
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$11.95
Stories From Livy
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
History for 6th-9th grade
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Story of Europe
by H. E. Marshall
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European History Reference for 8th-10th grade
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$15.95
Story of Europe
by H. E. Marshall
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Story of the Last Days of Jerusalem
by Alfred J. Church
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Story of the Romans
by H. A. Guerber
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Story of the Romans
by H. A. Guerber
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Struggle for Sea Power
Story of the World Series #4
by M. B. Synge
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Struggle for Sea Power
Story of the World Series #4
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
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This Country of Ours
by H. E. Marshall
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$22.95
This Country of Ours (B&W Edition)
by H. E. Marshall
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$16.99
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by H. E. Marshall
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Wonderland of Nature
by Nuri Mass
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$24.99
World at War
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
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$10.99