The Ancient American World

This series by Oxford University Press, is an excellent reference set for 6th-8th grade. Perfect for homeschoolers and those following the Well Trained Mind classical education sequence, especially the Primary Sources volume: The World in Ancient Times: Primary Sources and Reference Volume I also recommend the Teachers Guides and Student Guides that are available for this series; I have these for Egypt, Greece and Rome and they are very helpful and useful. OUP published a second series, The Medieval and Early Modern World, which is equally good. The Medieval and Early Modern World: Seven-Volume Set

All the books in THE WORLD IN ANCIENT TIMES series (2005 ed) are excellent--no matter the contributing author. The publisher (Oxford) has envisioned and produced high quality books that present rich content in a pleasing visual and tactile product. There are generally 20-30 chapters of 3 to 10 pages each. Each chapter is thematic that runs more or less chronologically. Photographs and sidebars are dispersed throughout a chapter, and each page has plenty of white space. The only detraction--a little more line spacing would help those children with borderline vision issues. Several maps are incorporated throughout the book, so that purchasing additional specialized maps may not be necessary for the cash-strapped. At the back of the book, there is a Timeline, reading & website list, as well as an index. There is also a single Primary Material and Resource book that supports the whole series for deeper enrichment. Children like the fact that each ancient world volume is library bound in its own text. They are a manageable size. They do not have to lug a heavy tome around for year, that inevitably gets tattered due to its size. I have used these volumes in two rotations and will use them again for third and they appear like new. This series is an excellent investment without having to cost an arm and a leg.