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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425 Items found Print
Active Filters: 9th grade (Ages 14-15), New Books & Materials
50 States Flipper
from Christopher Lee Publications
for 5th-Adult
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$7.96
Abraham Lincoln's World
by Genevieve Foster, expanded by Joanna Foster
from Beautiful Feet Books
Historical Non-fiction for 7th-10th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
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Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
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Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
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Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
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1965 Newbery Honor Book
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
from Puffin Books
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Sterling Classics
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Scott McKowen
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Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
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Aeneid
by Virgil, translated by Robert Fagles
from Penguin Putnam
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$19.00
After the Dancing Days
by Margaret I. Rostkowski
from HarperTrophy
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Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko
Reprint from Puffin Books
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2005 Newbery Honor Book
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All He Knew
by Helen Frost
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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America and Vietnam
by Albert Marrin
from Beautiful Feet Books
Historical Non-Fiction for 7th-10th grade
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America: The First 350 Years - MP3 CD
by Steve Wilkins
from Covenant Publications
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$25.00
American History in Verse
by Burton Stevenson
from Bob Jones University Press
Poetry for 3rd-Adult
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$11.00
American History to 1865 - CD Set
by R. J. Rushdoony
from Chalcedon / Ross House Books
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$119.00
Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry
by Tony Barnstone & Chou Ping, eds.
from Anchor Books
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Ancient China: To the Great Wall...and Beyond
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
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Ancient Rome
by Richard Maybury
2nd edition from Bluestocking Press
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$11.95
Ancient Rome
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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Anna and the King of Siam
by Margaret Landon
from HarperCollins
Historical fiction for 9th-12th grade
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Anne Bradstreet
Christian Renegades Series
by Doug Wilson
3rd edition from Canon Press
Biography for
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$16.95
Anne of Green Gables
Anne #1
by L. M. Montgomery
Reprint from Puffin Books
Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade
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$8.99
Anno's Journey
by Mitsumasa Anno
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Anpao
by Jamake Highwater
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1978 Newbery Honor Book
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Ark, The
by Margot Benary-Isbert
2021 Revision from Purple House Press
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$23.00
Arthur Erskine's Story
Reformation Trail Series #14
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
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$25.95
Augustus Caesar's World
by Genevieve Foster
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-fiction for 7th-10th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$21.95 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Dover Thrift Editions
by Benjamin Franklin
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Balloon Boy of San Francisco
by Dorothy Kupcha Leland
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Bamboo People
by Mitali Perkins
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Battle of Lexington
by Jonas Clark
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$8.50
Battle of Seattle
by Douglas Bond
from P&R Publishing
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$11.99
Beginning of the Republic
A Basic History of the United States Volume 2
by Clarence B. Carson
from American Textbook Committee
American History Reference for 9th-Adult
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$17.00
Ben-Hur
by Lew Wallace
from Dover Publications
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$7.00
Ben-Hur
Signet Classics
by Lew Wallace
from Signet Classics
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$9.95
Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography and Other Writings
Signet Classics
by Benjamin Franklin
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Autobiography for 9th-Adult
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$5.95
Beric the Briton - MP3 CD
by Jim Hodges
from Jim Hodges Productions
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$14.00
Berliners
by Vesper Stamper
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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Betty Before X
by Ilyasah Shabazz with Renee Watson
from Square Fish Publishing
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$8.99
Between the Forest and the Hills
Bethlehem Books Adventure Library
by Ann Lawrence
from Bethlehem Books
Humorous Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
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$9.50
Beyond the Desert Gate
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
by Mary Ray
2nd edition from Bethlehem Books
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$13.95
Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci
by Romola Anderson, R. C. Anderson
1st edition from Henry Holt and Company
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$19.99
Blood Brothers
by Elias Chacour with David Hazard
from Baker Books
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Bluestocking Guide - Ancient Rome
by Jane Williams
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Bluestocking Guide - World War I
by Jane Williams
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$15.95
Bluestocking Guide - World War II
by Jane Williams
from Bluestocking Press
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in Uncle Eric books (Location: ECON-ERIC)
$15.95
Bomb
by Steve Sheinkin
First Edition from Flash Point
for 5th-9th grade
2013 Newbery Honor Book, 2013 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$24.99 $14.00 (1 in stock)
Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom - Audio Drama (CD)
from Tyndale House
for 4th-9th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$17.99
Bonnie Prince Charlie
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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$20.00
Book of Discovery
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-12th grade
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$20.95
Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 8th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.99
Borrowed House
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
by Hilda Van Stockum
from Purple House Press
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
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$13.95
Boy in the Alamo
by Margaret Cousins
from Veritas Press
Historical fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$19.00
Boys in the Boat adapted for Young Readers
by Daniel James Brown, adapted by Gregory Mone
from Penguin Putnam
for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$17.99
Brethren
by H. Rider Haggard
from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
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Bring Your Eyes and See
International Adventures
by Steve Goode, Mary Goode
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$12.00
Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
1962 Newbery Medal winner
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Bulfinch's Greek and Roman Mythology
by Thomas Bulfinch
from Dover Publications
for 8th-Adult
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$6.00
Burning of Rome
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
for 6th-9th grade
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$14.95
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
by Dee Brown
from Holt McDougal
for 9th-Adult
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$20.00
By England's Aid
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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$20.00
By Right of Conquest - MP3 CD
by Jim Hodges
from Jim Hodges Productions
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Henty Audio Books (Location: CD-Henty)
$14.00
Calico Captive
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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$7.99
Call of Duty
Leaders in Action Series
by Steve Wilkins
from Cumberland House
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA)
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Captain, My Captain
by Deborah Meroff
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 8th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Carver and the Queen
by Emma C. Fox
from Owl's Nest Publishers
for 7th-10th grade
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$12.99
Carver: A Life in Poems
by Marilyn Nelson
from Boyds Mill Press
for 7th-11th grade
2002 Newbery Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Honor Award
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.95
Chang Cheng
from Z-Man Games
Historical Strategy Game for Ages 10 and Up
$29.00
Children of the River
by Linda Crew
from Laurel-Leaf Books
for 7th-10th grade
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$7.99
Children of the Storm
by Natasha Vins
from Bob Jones University Press
Autobiography for 8th-10th grade
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$8.99
Churchill
by Paul Johnson
Reprint from Penguin Putnam
for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.00
Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
Dover Thrift Editions
by Henry David Thoreau
from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$3.00
Civil War Between the States
by Tom Spencer
from Logos School
Historical Reference for 9th-12th grade
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$21.50
Civil War Stories
by Ambrose Bierce
from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$5.00
Co. Aytch
by Sam Watkins
from Touchstone
Historical Non-fiction for 8th-Adult
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$17.00
Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 9th-12th grade
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$10.99
Colonial Experience
A Basic History of the United States Volume 1
by Clarence B. Carson
from American Textbook Committee
American History Reference for 9th-Adult
in Basic History of the United States (Location: HISCUR-US)
$17.00
Colonist of Southwest Africa
The Louis Wessels Commando #5
by Lawrence Penning
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.95
Color the Pacific Northwest
by Zoe Keller
Clr Csm from Timber Press, Inc.
for 5th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
$12.95
Combat Nurses of World War II
Landmark #116
by Wyatt Blassingame
from Purple House Press
for 5th-9th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$13.99
Come On, Seabiscuit!
by Ralph Moody
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 5th-9th grade
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$14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Common Sense
Dover Thrift Editions
by Thomas Paine
from Dover Publications
Political Philosophy for 9th-Adult
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$4.00
Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm
3rd edition from Bantam Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 7th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$24.00
Constitution of the United States of America
by Founding Fathers
from Applewood Books
Primary Source Documents for 9th-Adult
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$9.95
Cuban Missile Crisis
by Karl E. Valois
from History Compass
Historical Non-Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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$7.95
Czar, The
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Inheritance Fiction (Location: FIC-WH03)
$19.95
Darius, Artaxerxes, and Ahasuerus in the Bible
by James B. Jordan
from Athanasius Press
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Commentaries (Location: XBI-COMM)
$8.95
Dark Year of Dundee
Reformation Trail Series #06
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
for 7th-10th grade
in Reformation Trail Series (Location: FIC-WH06)
$10.95
Daughter of Time
by Josephine Tey
1st edition from Touchstone
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in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.00
David Livingstone
by C. Silvester Horne
from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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$11.75
Day and a Life
Hawk and the Dove Series #9
by Penelope Wilcock
from Lion Hudson
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$13.99
Day of Pleasure
by Isaac Bashevis Singer
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 7th-9th grade
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$10.99
Days of Elijah
by John Noble
from Lulu.com
for 9th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$19.99
Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History
Dover Thrift Editions
by John Grafton, editor
from Dover Publications
Primary Source Documents for 9th-Adult
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$4.00
Diary of a Young Girl
by Anne Frank
from Bantam Books
Biography for 7th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Do's and Don'ts of Yesteryear
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
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in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$12.95
Duncan's War
Crown & Covenant Series #1
by Douglas Bond
from P&R Publishing
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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$16.99
Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff
Reprint from Square Fish Publishing
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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$10.99
Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
$20.00
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