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Vintage History & Biographies

There is a subtle difference between "history" and "current events." At the time of this writing, Russia has invaded Ukraine, and Israel is engaged in a conflict with Hamas. Our world has just resurfaced from the fear spread by COVID-19 and the reactions it spurred, and the United States government is trying to figure out how to combat (or not) a surge of illegal immigration on our Southern border. These are all "historical events" and much is being written about them even as I type. But while facts are facts, we currently don't have them all and lack perspective.

Two common quotes immediately jump to mind.

The first: "hindsight is 20/20." The idea behind this is that we can see more clearly things that are in our past; as we unearth information and take the time to understand multiple points of view, histories will be written. Many of these will be excellent, though never completely without bias, because of the second saying: "history is written by the victors." The primary sources—and the propaganda—of today will influence the histories of tomorrow.

So vintage history books are a funny thing. Being closer to the original events, some authors had the opportunity to witness the events they write about, or meet their subjects. As such, many of these authors were writing about what, for them, were essentially current events, and thus the books have primary (or secondary) source value. But they are products of their time, and were not immune to propaganda or inaccuracies themselves: the worldviews and prejudices of the authors influenced their work. Others, writing with longer perspective, often had access to sources or witnesses who have since passed away. Either way, views on race, gender, colonization, climate change and many other topics were often vastly different than those of people today; some for the good, and some not so good.

Many of the books here were written in the 1940s-60s, when the USA was fresh from victory in WWII. You might say America was at the peak of her power and glory, though she was then competing for world dominance with the USSR. That isn't to say she was always at her best, but there was a huge drive to educate her youth about her past and her heroes. The Landmark Books, Signature Books, Julian Messner biographies, and many others brought excellent authors and their topics into view of children. Not all of the books are about America, but most of them are, and it's a fair criticism that the selection here is Ameri- and Eurocentric. Looking at the world with a broader lens is generally a blessing of newer publications.

As with anything, when using history books for the education of children, care has to be taken. Keep in mind that good history is question-driven, not philosophy-driven. It's honest about the past, and doesn't whitewash horrible events. It doesn't impose biases onto primary sources or promote a certain perspective by manipulating data; good history lets the historical facts speak for themselves. We won't say all of the books here are good; we WILL say they provide different viewpoints, both for texts from their own time and for those of today. But it is important to read a range of books, both older and newer, to truly understand a diversity of perspectives.

We're working to add more books to this list all the time, and we want to make them as accessible as possible, so we're linking to online versions whenever we can. Look for links to Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, and other sources!

Introduction by Eli Evans
Formerly home educated and now father of five, Eli loves discovering amazing books, new and old, and is an artistic curator at heart. The owner and manager of Exodus since 1998, his focus is on offering thoughtful and well-written books that inspire the imagination and promote creativity and diligence while living for God. Read more of his reviews here.

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Parent Categories

Vintage & Collectible

Vintage History & Biographies

Subcategories by Grade

4th grade (Ages 9-10)

5th grade (Ages 10-11)

6th grade (Ages 11-12)

7th grade (Ages 12-13)

8th grade (Ages 13-14)

Subcategories

American Adventure Series

American Heritage Book of the Presidents

American Heritage Junior Library

Britannica Bookshelf

Catholic Digest Junior Book Shelf

Colonial American Craftsmen

Curtis International Portraits of Greatness

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Garrard's World Explorer Series

Golden Book History of the United States

Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books

Horizon Caravel Books

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Julian Messner Shelf of Biographies

Landmark Books

- American Landmark Books

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- World Landmark Books

Life World Library

North Star Books

Pictorial Encyclopedia of American History

Piper Books

Time-Life Library of Art

True Story of Series

We Were There Series

Will Durant's Story of Civilization

Winston Adventure Books

Young People's Story of Our Heritage

59 Items found Print

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Historical Fiction

	Battle for Quebec North Star Books #38 by F. Van Wyck Mason, illustrated by Victor Mays from Houghton Mifflin for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Boy Sailor with John Paul Jones by H. C. Thomas from Whitman Publishing Company for 5th-7th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Captain of the Minute Men or, the Concord Boys of 1775 Boys of Liberty Library by Harrie Irving Hancock from David McKay Company for 5th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Coonskin for a General Stories of Great American Cities by Alma B, Weber, et al., illustrated by Kurt Werth from American Book Co. for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Daniel Boone, Wilderness Scout The Life Story and True Adventures of the Great Hunter Long Knife by Stewart Edward White, illustrated by James Daugherty from Garden City Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Helmet of Navarre The Story of King Henry IV of France by Burke Wilkinson, illustrated by James W. Williamson Second Printing from Macmillan for 5th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Lost Colony by Jean Bothwell, illustrated by Edward F. Cortese from John C. Winston for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Men of Athens by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Milton Johnson from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade 1963 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Powder Keg A Story of the Bermuda Gunpowder Mystery by Donald E. Cooke First Edition from John C. Winston for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Riders of the Pony Express North Star Books #6 by Ralph Moody from Houghton Mifflin for 5th-9th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	River-Boy Story of Mark Twain by Isabel Proudfit 1958 Printing from Julian Messner for 4th-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Soldier for the King A Story of Amherst in America by J. C. Long, illustrated by Frank Nofer from John C. Winston for 3rd-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh, illustrated by Helen Sewell from Charles Scribner's Sons Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade 1955 Caldecott Honor Book in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	That Lively Man, Ben Franklin by Jeanette Eaton, illustrated by Henry Pitz from William Morrow & Company for 4th-7th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	This Dear-Bought Land by Jean Lee Latham from Harper & Row for 3rd-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $56.00 (1 in stock)
	We Were There at Pearl Harbor We Were There #15 by Felix Sutton, illustrated by Frank Vaughn from Grosset & Dunlap for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Battle for Bataan We Were There #13 by Benjamin Appel, illustrated by Irv Docktor from Grosset & Dunlap for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Battle of Britain We Were There #24 by Clayton Knight & Katherine Sturges Knight from Grosset & Dunlap for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Battle of Gettysburg We Were There #2 by Alida Sims Malkus, illustrated by Leonard Vosburgh from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Battle of Gettysburg by Alida Sims Malkus Reprint from Dover Publications for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.94
	We Were There at the Battle of Lexington and Concord We Were There #20 by Felix Sutton, illustrated by H. B. Vestal from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Battle of the Alamo We Were There #18 by Margaret Cousins, illustrated by Nicholas Eggenhofer from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Battle of the Bulge We Were There #34 by David Shepherd, illustrated by George Kraynak from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Boston Tea Party We Were There #3 by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by E. F. Ward from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Boston Tea Party by Robert N. Webb from Dover Publications for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49
	We Were There at the Driving of the Golden Spike We Were There #31 by David Shepherd, illustrated by William K. Plummer from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Driving of the Golden Spike by David Shepherd, William K. Plummer Reprint from Dover Publications for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.79
	We Were There at the First Airplane Flight We Were There #28 by Felix Sutton, illustrated by Lazlo Matulay from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	We Were There at the First Airplane Flight by Felix Sutton, illustrated by Lazlo Matulay Reprint from Dover Publications for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.94
	We Were There at the Normandy Invasion We Were There #5 by Clayton Knight from Grosset & Dunlap for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run We Were There #12 by Jim Kjelgaard, illustrated by Chris A. Kenyon from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Opening of the Atomic Era We Were There #32 by James Munves, illustrated by Charles Brey from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Opening of the Erie Canal We Were There #19 by Enid Lamonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by Gerald McCann from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There in the Klondike Gold Rush We Were There #6 by Benamin Appel, illustrated by Irv Docktor from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There on the Chisholm Trail We Were There #14 by Ross McLaury Taylor, illustrated by Charles Banks Wilson from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There on the Nautilus We Were There #35 by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by Frank Vaughn from Grosset & Dunlap for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There on the Oregon Trail by William O. Steele from American Home-School Publishing Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	We Were There on the Oregon Trail We Were There #1 by William O. Steele, illustrated by Jo Polseno from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There on the Santa Fe Trail We Were There #29 by Ross McLaury Taylor, illustrated by Albert Orbaan from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There When Grant Met Lee at Appamattox We Were There #23 by Earl Schenck Miers, illustrated by Leonard Vosburgh from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There When Washington Won at Yorktown We Were There #17 by Earl Schenck Miers, illustrated by Herman B. Vestal from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with Byrd at the South Pole We Were There #4 by Charles S. Strong, illustrated by J. Graham Kaye from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There With Caesar's Legions We Were There #27 by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by Fabian Zaccone from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with Charles Darwin on H.M.S. Beagle We Were There #30 by Philip Eisenberg, illustrated by Herman B. Vestal from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with Cortes and Montezuma We Were There #25 by Benjamen Appel, illustrated by Reynold Pollack from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys We Were There #10 by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by Robert Pious from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea We Were There #21 by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by Evelyn Copelman from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with Jean Lafitte at New Orleans We Were There #11 by Iris Vinton, illustrated by Robert Glaubke from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with Lewis & Clark by James Munves from American Home-School Publishing Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	We Were There With Lewis and Clark We Were There #22 by James Munves, illustrated by Robert Glaubke from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There With Lincoln in the White House We Were There #36 by Earl Schenck Miers, illustrated by Charles Geer from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with Richard the Lionhearted in the Crusades We Were There #16 by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by Leonard Vosburgh from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with the California Forty-Niners We Were There #9 by Stephen Holt, illustrated by Raymond Lufkin from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with the California Rancheros We Were There #26 by Stephen Holt, illustrated by William Reusswig from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with the Lafayette Escadrille We Were There #33 by Clayton Knight & Katherine Sturges Knight from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with the Mayflower Pilgrims We Were There #7 by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by Charles J. Andres from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with The Pony Express by William O. Steele from American Home-School Publishing Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	We Were There with the Pony Express We Were There #8 by William O. Steele, illustrated by Frank Vaughn from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Young Eagles by Eva K. Betz, illustrated by June Driscoll from Declan X. McMullen Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)

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