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The Paideia Collection

The Library

A curated collection of classical books, living histories, and historic orations — the whole feast is open to you when you join. Growing with every season.

Winslow Homer — The Flirt, 1874
What You'll Find Inside

A Feast for the Mind & the Soul

Welcome to the Paideia Collection. Come to the table — what you see today is just the beginning: a curated selection of potent titles and eloquent orations, chosen to nourish mind and heart. With every new addition, the feast multiplies.

I

Pedagogy

7 Titles
The Six Volumes
  • Home Education
  • Parents and Children
  • School Education
  • Ourselves
  • Formation of Character
  • A Philosophy of Education
A Defence of Classical Education
Book · 1916
A Defence of Classical Education
Sir Richard Winn Livingstone
A compelling case for the enduring value of Greek and Latin — not as relics, but as the surest training for the mind and the most direct path to wisdom, character, and civilized life.
II

American History

8 Titles
This Country of Ours
Book · 1917
This Country of Ours
Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall
A classic narrative history of the United States — from early European exploration to the presidency of Woodrow Wilson — told with vividness and drama for younger readers.
The Five Volumes
  • Explorers & Discoverers
  • The Colonies
  • Colonial Life
  • Struggles for Freedom
  • The Birth of the Republic
The Little Book of the Flag
Book · 1917
The Little Book of the Flag
Eva March Tappan
A short, spirited history of the American flag — its origins, its symbolism, and the stories woven into its stars and stripes.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies
Book · 1898
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies
Hélène A. Guerber
A rich narrative of each of the original thirteen colonies — their founding, their struggles, and the distinct character each brought to the young republic.
American Hero Stories
Book · 1906
American Hero Stories
Eva March Tappan
Stories of American heroes from 1492 to 1865 — explorers, founders, and leaders whose courage shaped a nation. Brisk, character-driven, and written for young readers.
Letters from Colonial Children
Book · 1908
Letters from Colonial Children
Eva March Tappan
Colonial life told through the eyes and voices of children — an intimate, vivid window into everyday life in early America.
The Federalist Papers
Essays · 1787–88
The Federalist Papers
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison & John Jay
The eighty-five essays written to urge ratification of the Constitution — the fullest account of the American system of government ever put to paper, from the men who helped frame it.
The Twelve Documents
  • Magna Carta (1215, 1297)
  • Mayflower Compact (1620)
  • Petition of Right (1628)
  • Habeas Corpus Act (1679)
  • English Bill of Rights (1689)
  • Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
  • Declaration of Independence (1776)
  • Articles of Confederation (1781)
  • United States Constitution (1787)
  • Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)
  • United States Bill of Rights (1791)
  • Washington's Farewell Address (1796)
III

English Literature

3 Titles
Grammar-Land
Book · 1878
Grammar-Land
M. L. Nesbitt
Grammar taught as a court of law — the parts of speech become characters in a delightful trial, making the rules of language memorable and surprisingly entertaining for young students.
Tales from Shakespeare
Book · 1807
Tales from Shakespeare
Charles & Mary Lamb
Twenty of Shakespeare's greatest plays retold in vivid prose — an ideal first encounter with the Bard, beloved by families for over two centuries as a bridge to the original works.
The Faery Queen and Her Knights
Book · 1903
The Faery Queen and Her Knights
Alfred J. Church
Spenser's great allegory of virtue and chivalry retold in clear, vivid prose — Church brings the Red Cross Knight, Una, and the Faery Queen herself within reach of younger readers encountering English literature's greatest epic poem.
IV

Natural History

7 Titles
The Six Books
  • Wild Life in Woods and Fields
  • By Pond and River
  • Plant Life in Field and Garden
  • Birds of the Air
  • Trees and Shrubs
  • Insect Life
The Story Book of Science
Book · 1902
The Story Book of Science
Jean-Henri Fabre
The great French naturalist tells the stories of insects, plants, and the living world to a family gathered around the fire — science as wonder, patience, and careful attention to the smallest creatures.
V

Ancient History

11 Titles
The Six Volumes
  • History of Cyrus the Great
  • History of Darius the Great
  • The History of Xerxes the Great
  • History of Alexander the Great
  • History of Hannibal
  • History of Pyrrhus
The Iliad for Boys and Girls
Book · 1907
The Iliad for Boys and Girls
Alfred J. Church
The wrath of Achilles and the fall of Troy retold for younger readers — Church's gift for vivid narrative brings Homer's heroes to life with warmth and immediacy.
The Odyssey for Boys and Girls
Book · 1906
The Odyssey for Boys and Girls
Alfred J. Church
Odysseus's long voyage home retold with verve and clarity — gods, monsters, and the sea rendered accessible to every young reader encountering Homer for the first time.
The Aeneid for Boys and Girls
Book · 1908
The Aeneid for Boys and Girls
Alfred J. Church
The flight from burning Troy, storm and prophecy, and the founding of a people — Virgil's epic retold from the master storyteller, completing the great classical epics for young readers.
The Story of the Greeks
Book · 1896
The Story of the Greeks
H. A. Guerber
From the age of gods and heroes through Marathon, Thermopylae, and the golden age of Athens — Greek history told in clear, vivid episodes that young listeners will carry with them for life.
The Story of the Romans
Book · 1896
The Story of the Romans
H. A. Guerber
Rome from Romulus to the Caesars — kings, consuls, and conquests recounted in brisk, memorable stories that trace how a small city on the Tiber came to rule the ancient world.
VI

World History

13 Titles
The Six Volumes
  • On the Shores of the Great Sea
  • The Discovery of New Worlds
  • The Awakening of Europe
  • The Struggle for Sea Power
  • The Growth of the British Empire
  • The World at War
Our Island Story
Book · 1905
Our Island Story
H. E. Marshall
The history of England retold as one grand story — kings and queens, battles and legends, from the earliest days to modern times — told for children with warmth, wonder, and Marshall's rare gift for making the past feel alive.
Peeps at Many Lands: England
Book · 1908
Peeps at Many Lands: England
John Finnemore
A friendly ramble through England itself — village greens and castle walls, cathedral towns and country lanes — the everyday life of the land seen fresh, as a traveller's child would see it.
Peeps at Many Lands: Denmark
Book · 1910
Peeps at Many Lands: Denmark
M. Pearson Thomson
The land of the Vikings and of Hans Christian Andersen — Copenhagen's harbors, tidy farms, and old castles, with the seafaring spirit of the Danes running through it all.
Peeps at Many Lands: Finland
Book · 1909
Peeps at Many Lands: Finland
M. Pearson Thomson
A land of a thousand lakes and endless forests — children on skis, log rafts on the rivers, and the long white winter giving way to the midnight sun.
Peeps at Many Lands: Iceland
Book · 1908
Peeps at Many Lands: Iceland
Mrs. Disney Leith
The island of the sagas — geysers and glaciers, ponies and fishing boats, and a hardy people whose stories reach back to the Norse settlers of a thousand years ago.
Peeps at Many Lands: Italy
Book · 1911
Peeps at Many Lands: Italy
John Finnemore
From the canals of Venice to the ruins of Rome — olive groves, mountain villages, and city squares alive with festival, in the land where so much of the West's story began.
Peeps at Many Lands: South Africa
Book · 1927
Peeps at Many Lands: South Africa
Dudley Kidd
Across the veld and up to the high plateaus — diamond fields and ostrich farms, wide skies and many peoples, at the southern tip of a vast continent.
The Library Is Growing

More Titles on the Way

As our library grows, so will yours. We're actively curating the next additions — from Plutarch's Lives and Aesop's Fables to Henty, Homer, and beyond.

Plutarch's Lives Aesop's Fables Pilgrim's Progress Jacob Abbott G.A. Henty Thornton W. Burgess John Milton St. Augustine Alfred Church Maria Edgeworth Helene A. Guerber Sir Walter Scott More…

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