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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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Adventurous Life of Winston Churchill
by Geoffrey Bocca
from Julian Messner
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Armourer's House
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges
from Oxford University
England, 1500s for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Art and Artists of Russia
by Richard Hare
from Methuen
for Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Augustus Caesar's World
by Genevieve Foster
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Non-fiction for 7th-10th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Battle of Britain
World Landmark #10
by Quentin Reynolds
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Book of England for Young People
by Sidney Dark
from George H. Doran Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Caesar
by Irwin Isenberg
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Caesar and Christ
Story of Civilization III
by Will Durant
from Simon and Schuster
for 11th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
Captain Cortés Conquers Mexico
World Landmark #45
by William Johnson
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Captain Marryat
by Tom Pocock
from Stackpole Books
for Adult
in Nautical History (Location: VIN-NAUT)
Captain Waymouth's Indians
by Anne Molloy, illustrated by Douglas Gorsline
from Hastings House
for 7th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Catherine the Great
World Landmark #29
by Katharine Scherman
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Charlemagne
by Richard Winston
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Charles Darwin and the Origin of Species
by Walter Karp
from Harper & Row
for 4th-8th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Chief of the Cossacks
World Landmark #39
by Harold Lamb
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Cleopatra of Egypt
World Landmark #50
by Leonora Hornblow
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Conscience of a King
by Margaret Stanley-Wrench, illustrated by Kenneth Ody
from Hawthorn Books, Inc.
for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Constantinople
by David Jacobs
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Crusades: Iron Men & Saints
by Harold Lamb
from International Collectors Library
for 5th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Curies and Radium
Immortals of Science
by Elizabeth Rubin
from Franklin Watts
for 6th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Elizabeth of York
by Nancy Lenz Harvey
from Macmillan
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Ferdinand and Isabella
by William Hickling Prescott
from Heritage Press
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Ferdinand and Isabella
by Melveena McKendrick
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for 4th-8th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
First 3000 Years
by Charles B. Falls
from Viking Press
for 6th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
First Book of England
by Noel Streatfeild, illustrated by Gioia Fiammenghi
from Franklin Watts
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
First Lady of the Theatre: Sarah Siddons
by Molly Costain Haycraft
from Kingston House
Biography for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Flight and Adventures of Charles II
World Landmark #38
by Charles Norman, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
French Revolution
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for 4th-8th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Friend William
by Willard M. Wallace
from Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd
for 6th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
From Tsars to Commissars
Milestones in History
by Kaye M. Teall, illustrated by Barry Martin
from Julian Messner
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Galileo and the Magic Numbers
by Sidney Rosen, illustrated by Harve Stein
from Little, Brown & Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Garibaldi: Father of Modern Italy
World Landmark #32
by Marcia Davenport
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Geoffrey Chaucer of England
by Marchette Chute
from Dutton Adult
for 12th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
George Muller of Bristol
by Arthur T. Pierson
from Fleming H Revell Co.
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Great Britain to 1688 / Great Britain Since 1688
by Maurice Ashley and K.B. Smellie
from University of Michigan Press
for Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Growing Up in 13th Century England
from Faber & Faber
for 6th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Helmet of Navarre
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)
Henry the Fourth, King of France
from D. M. Mac Lellon Book Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
History of the English People - 4 Volume Set
undated from A. L. Burt Company
for Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
History of the English-Speaking Peoples Volume 1
by Winston S. Churchill
from Dodd, Mead & Co.
for 7th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
Joan of Arc
by Jay Williams
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
John Charles Ryle
by Peter Toon, Michael Smout
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Josephine, Empress of the French
from D. M. Mac Lellon Book Company
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Julius Caesar
World Landmark #43
by John Gunther
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Julius Caesar
by Manuel Komroff
from Julian Messner
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
King Arthur and His Knights
World Landmark #5
by Mabel Louise Robinson
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
King of Song
by Ruth & Paul Hume, illustrated by Irene Murray
from Hawthorn Books, Inc.
for 6th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Lafayette Flying Corps
by Charles Nordhoff & James Norman Hall
from Houghton Mifflin
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Lajos Kossuth, Hungary's Great Patriot
Immortals of History
by Emil Lengyel
from Franklin Watts
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Leonardo da Vinci
by Emily Hahn
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Life & Times of Beethoven
by Gino Pugnetti
from Curtis Publishing Co.
Biography for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life & Times of Dante
by Maria Luisa Rizzatti
from Curtis Publishing Co.
for 8th-12th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Life & Times of Napoleon
by Mario Rivoire
from Curtis Publishing Co.
for 8th-12th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Life & Times of Peter the Great
by Giancarlo Buzzi
from Curtis Publishing Co.
for 8th-12th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life and Times of Martin Luther
by J. H. Merle D'Aubigne, translated by H. White
from Moody Press
for Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Life of Saint Patrick
World Landmark #17
by Quentin Reynolds
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Life World Library: Switzerland
by Herbert Kubly
from Time Inc.
for 7th-Adult
in Life World Library (Location: ZCLE-LWL)
$2.00 (4 in stock)
Lion of Poland
by Ruth & Paul Hume, illustrated by Lili Réthi
from Hawthorn Books, Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Louis Braille
by J. Alvin Kugelmass
12th Printing from Julian Messner
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Louis Pasteur
by John Mann
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Biography for 6th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Louisiana Purchase
Landmark #24
by Robert Tallant
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
Marie Antoinette
by Marguerite Vance, illustrated by Nedda Walker
from Junior Literary Guild
for 7th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Marie Antoinette of France
by John S. C. Abbott
from D. M. Mac Lellon Book Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Martin Luther
by May McNeer & Lynd Ward
from Abingdon Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Mary Queen of Scots
by Jacob Abbott
from D. M. Mac Lellon Book Company
for 6th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Mary, Queen of Scots
World Landmark #6
by Emily Hahn
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Monuments to Glory
by Daniel M. Madden, illustrated by Lili Réthi
from Hawthorn Books, Inc.
for 6th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Napoleon
by Manual Komroff
from Julian Messner
for 4th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Napoleon's Hundred Days
by Patrick Pringle, illustrated by Sheila Bewley
from Frederick Warne & Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Nelson and the Age of Fighting Sail
by Oliver Warner
from Harper & Row
for 4th-8th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Nigerian Pioneer
by Ronald Syme, illustrated by Jacqueline Tomes
from William Morrow & Company
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Of Dikes and Windmills
by Peter Spier
1st edition from Doubleday & Company
for 7th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Oliver Cromwell
by I. E. Levine
from Julian Messner
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
People in Palestine
by Olivia Coolidge
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Peter the Great of Russia
from D. M. Mac Lellon Book Company
for 6th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Picture History of Ancient Rome
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Queen Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada
World Landmark #13
by Frances Winwar
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Queen Elizabeth I: Forging an Empire
by Elizabeth Linington, illustrated by Robert Boehmer
from Kingston House
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Queen Victoria
World Landmark #37
by Noel Streatfeild
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Queen Victoria
by Molly Costain Haycraft
from Julian Messner
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Rivals in Parliament
by Iris Noble
from Julian Messner
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Robespierre
Sacred Fool Quartet #2: The Fool as Revolutionary
by Otto Scott
from Mason & Libscomb Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Roman People
by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Lino Lipinski
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Rudyard Kipling
by Lord Birkenhead
from Random House
for 11th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Russia Under the Czars
by Henry Moscow
from Harper & Row
for 4th-8th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Sea Tiger
by Frank Kolars, illustrated by Craig Pineo
from Hawthorn Books, Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Search for King Arthur
by Christopher Hibbert
1st edition from Harper & Row
for 4th-8th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Seven Queens of England
by Geoffrey Trease
from Vanguard Press
for 5th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Shakespeare of London
by Marchette Chute
1st edition from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 6th-12th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Shakespeare's England
by Louis B. Wright
from Harper & Row
for 3rd-8th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Sir Walter Raleigh
by Nina Brown Baker
1st edition from Harcourt, Brace & Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Spanish Armada
by Jay Williams
from Harper & Row
for 4th-8th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Spanish Armada
by C. Hodges
from Coward McCann
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Stories of the French Revolution
by Marcelle & Georges Huisman, translated and adapted by Barbara Whelpton and illustrated by Pierre Noël
from World Publishing Company
for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Story of Beethoven
Signature Books #41
by Helen L. Kaufmann, illustrated by Fritz Kredel
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-8th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Edith Cavell
Signature Books #47
by Iris Vinton, illustrated by Gerald McCann
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Florence Nightingale
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #10
by Margaret Leighton, illustrated by Corinne B. Dillon
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Good Queen Bess
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #18
by Alida Sims Malkus, illustrated by Douglas Gorsline
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Lafayette
Signature Books #7
by Hazel Wilson, illustrated by Edy Legrand
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biograhy for 4th-8th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of Louis Pasteur
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #11
by Alida Sims Malkus, illustrated by Jo Spier
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
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