Landmark books...

[always cookin']

Are these books worth buying? Where is the best place to find them and do your children enjoy them? Thanks for any help you can give me.

[FloridaLisa]

My boys have loved them. I haven't read all of them that my boys have, but given the authors and what I've read, they appear to be solid reads. We've collected them over the years from library discards and my grandfather's collection. Many libraries still have copies or can get them through interlibrary loan. I cringe when I see the *new* biography sections of children's libraries filled with sports and entertainment stars, but not a single volume on our historic figures!

HTH,
Lisa

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Beautiful Feet Book (http://www.bfbooks.com)s does carry some reprints and I think the usual suspects like Amazon have them too. The problem is that they don't always mention that they are part of the Landmark or World Landmark series.

[Julie in MN]

A friend and I were talking last week & we bravely squeaked out that we think they are... <whispering> boring.

I am glad some who purchased them found they love them!

[In The Great White North]

I think so. We have about a hundred of them (all older editions, which are about twice as thick as the paperback reprints). Ds didn't read any. Dd(#2) has read most, if not all, of them. Dd (#3) is just starting to read them.

Since they are by different authors, they are different reading levels, but usually around the 4th - 8th grade. Some were "better" than others, but all go into much more depth than the average middle school social studies text. Dd (11) really liked Alexander the Great, but Julius Caesar (by the same author) didn't attract her attention at all.

Unfortunately, they are usually spread all over the nonfiction section of the library or used book store so you really have to look for them. The "card catalog" computer doesn't reference them as Landmarks either.

These are books I'm saving for the grandchildren.

[Hausunterricht]

Well out library does have them listed as Landmark books. You just have to do a series search. If your library isn't listing them you could just ask a librarian for help. They like to help.

[8FillTheHeart]

We own a lot of them......probably more than 40. Some of them are excellent. We just finished Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt and it is great. Some are less than stellar.....Landing of the Pilgrims is my least favorite.

They are all by different authors, so the quality/style is affected by that. Overall, they are some of my favorite history books.

ETA: We also just read Rogers' Rangers and the French Indian War which is a great overview of the war from the British perspective. Now we are reading A Spy in Old Detroit which gives a more balanced view of the French and Indian perspectives in later yrs, though the further we get into the book, it is slanting more toward the British. (it is historical fiction.) I try to switch back and forth from different perspectives while going through time periods. My dd has spent the majority of this yr reading from the French and Spanish perspective of early America with the exception of the Landing of the Pilgrim book which is extremely slanted toward the not only the British, but the pilgrims in general.

[Another Lynn]

We own a lot of them......probably more than 40. Some of them are excellent. We just finished Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt and it is great. Some are less than stellar.....Landing of the Pilgrims is my least favorite.

They are all by different authors, so the quality/style is affected by that. Overall, they are some of my favorite history books.

ETA: We also just read Rogers' Rangers and the French Indian War which is a great overview of the war from the British perspective. Now we are reading A Spy in Old Detroit which gives a more balanced view of the French and Indian perspectives in later yrs, though the further we get into the book, it is slanting more toward the British. (it is historical fiction.) I try to switch back and forth from different perspectives while going through time periods. My dd has spent the majority of this yr reading from the French and Spanish perspective of early America with the exception of the Landing of the Pilgrim book which is extremely slanted toward the not only the British, but the pilgrims in general.


Glad to know I'm not the only one who didn't love Landing of the Pilgrims. We have enjoyed several others.... Sam Houston:Tallest Texan, To California by Covered Wagon (or something like that) was a big hit here, General Jackson and Pirate Lafite (that doesn't sound right either.... something like that) was great! I read Gettysburg several years ago, but ds hasn't yet. It seemed more cynical and focused on the futility of the war, the length of time it took to bury the dead, etc... I did not like it, but it might appeal to young boys.

We will probably continue to read more through the coming years.