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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101 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
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Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
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America Grows Up
A History for Peter #2
by Gerald W. Johnson
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America Moves Forward
A History for Peter #3
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American History Stories Volume 1
by Mara L. Pratt
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Antoine of Oregon
America's Children
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Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
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Awakening of Europe
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Baktar
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Bears of Blue River
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Benjamin of Ohio
America's Children
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Best Bad Thing
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British Empire
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Buried Cities
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Burning of Rome
by Alfred J. Church
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Calvert of Maryland
America's Children
by James Otis
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Cedric the Forester
by Bernard Marshall
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1922 Newbery Honor Book
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Chestry Oak
by Kate Seredy
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Children of the New Forest
by Frederick Marryat
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Children of the New Forest
by Frederick Marryat
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Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Romans
by F. J. Gould, Reteller
from Yesterday's Classics
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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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Florence Nightingale
by Laura E. Richards
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Free at Last
by Sara Bullard
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Great Quest
by Charles Boardman Hawes
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1922 Newbery Honor Book
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Greyfriars Bobby
by Eleanor Atkinson
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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
Story of the World Series #5
by M. B. Synge
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Hannah of Kentucky
America's Children
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He Went with Champlain
by Louise Andrews Kent
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He Went with Christopher Columbus
by Louise Andrews Kent
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He Went with Drake
by Louise Andrews Kent
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by Louise Andrews Kent
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He Went with John Paul Jones
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He Went with Vasco da Gama
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History of France (color)
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History of Germany (color)
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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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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
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Days of Queen Elizabeth
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Days of Queen Victoria
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In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Days of William the Conqueror
by Eva March Tappan
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by Eva March Tappan
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$9.99
King of Ireland's Son
by Padraic Colum
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for 3rd-7th grade
$14.95
Let's Explore the British Isles
by Caroline Walker, with maps & illustrations by Gloris Smith Young
from Living Book Press
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$15.99
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott, Illustrated by Frank Merrill
from SeaWolf Press
Romantic Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
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Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali
by P. James Oliver
from CreateSpace
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Marco Polo
by Manual Komroff
from Living Book Press
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$12.99
Martha of California
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
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Mary of Plymouth
America's Children
by James Otis
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Medical Corps Heroes of World War II
Landmark #120
by Wyatt Blassingame
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Night Watch
by Isabelle Lawrence
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On the Edge of the Fjord
by Alta Halverson Seymour
from Purple House Press
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On the Shores of the Great Sea
Story of the World Series #1
by M. B. Synge
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On the Shores of the Great Sea
Story of the World Series #1
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
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Our Australasian Story
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
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Our Empire Story
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
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$22.95
Our Empire Story - Black & White Edition
by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
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Our Empire Story - Color Edition
by H. E. Marshall
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Our Island Story
by H. E. Marshall
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Our Island Story (B&W Edition)
by H. E. Marshall
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Our Island Story (Color Edition)
by H. E. Marshall
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Peter of New Amsterdam
America's Children
by James Otis
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Philip of Texas
America's Children
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Ruth of Boston
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
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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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$18.98
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
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Saints and Heroes to the End of the Middle Ages
by George Hodges
from Yesterday's Classics
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$11.95
Scotland's Story
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
for 5th-12th grade
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$17.95
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by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
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by H. E. Marshall
from Living Book Press
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$22.99
Seth of Colorado
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Stephen of Philadelphia
America's Children
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Stories from Ancient Rome
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4rd-6th grade
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$9.95
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
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Stories of Siegfried Told to the Children
by Mary MacGregor
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-7th grade
$9.95
Story of Canada
by George W. Brown
Living Book Press Edition 2020 from Living Book Press
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$17.99
Story of Sir Walter Raleigh
The Children's Heroes Series
by Margaret Duncan Kelly
from Yesterday's Classics
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$9.95
Streams of History: Ancient Rome
by Ellwood W. Kemp
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$9.95
Struggle for Sea Power
Story of the World Series #4
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
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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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$10.99
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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Three Knocks on the Wall
by Evelyn Sibley Lampman
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$14.99
Toward Morning
by Alta Halverson Seymour
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$10.99
West African Folk-Tales
by William H. Barker
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$10.95
Wonderland of Nature
by Nuri Mass
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$24.99
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