From the Author In Volume IofThe Mystery of History, I cover world history from Creation to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The text spans the incredible stories of ancient times, ancient lands, and ancient peoples. Where most ancient studies encompass only Egypt, Greece, and Rome,The Mystery of Historygoes much farther. InVolume I, I include chronologically based stories fromallaround the world, including Asia, North America, and the Holy Lands. Beginning with the Garden of Eden, stories will spread from Sumer and Babel to Troy, Phoenicia, and Assyria. The study of early civilizations will include King Wu of China and Asoka of India as well as King David, Julius Caesar, and Xerxes of Persia. Above all, a favorite feature ofVolume Iis the weaving of Bible history with world history. In reality, it is all world history. But for most of us, history has not been taught this way. It has not been integrated. InThe Mystery of History, I have retold major stories from the Bible in the order that they happened alongside significant world history events and figures. As an example, Bible characters and world history figures living just decades apart include: Joshua and King Tut; Daniel and Aesop; Ezekiel and Buddha; Nehemiah and Socrates; and Cleopatra and Herod the Great. Imagine lining up such amazing figures on one master timeline! Imagine learning their stories back to back in the order they happened! For most of us, its an illuminating experience. Last, you may also choose to listen to the stories ofVolume Ithrough an Audio Book that I personally narrate. With text in hand, you can read along with me.Without the text, you can relax, listen, take notes, or color while I speak directly to you and your family. Beautifully mixed background music adds life, drama, and more meaning to these timeless historical lessons. (Tracks without music are also available!) In the car, over lunch, before bed, or as an integral part of your school day you can journey through the ancient world at your own pace.(This audio set contains story lessons only and does not include pretests, activities, quizzes, exercises or similar items.) 3rd Edition. Ournew editionoffers three major improvements: For durability,the book is now a hardbackmatching the popular layout ofThe Mystery of HistoryVolumes III and IV. For interest, we added more than 400 beautiful color images and dozens of colorful mapshandpicked by the author to be edifying and historically accurate. (Hundreds of fact-filled captions are included!) For convenience, the book contains a download code to access a 500+ page digitalCompanion Guidecontaining pretests; activities for younger, middle, and older students; timeline directions; mapping exercises; quizzes; literature suggestions; and much moreallowing you to customize this course to suit your needs. (A printed version of theCompanion Guidewill soon be released as a separate purchase for those who would prefer it.) Second Edition update.For those of you straddling two editions in a group or co-op, we are providing a thorough Update List reflecting all major text changes from the Second Edition to the Third Edition.Please click here. FAQ: Will the Third Edition still work for all ages?Yes! Students as young as 1stgrade can enjoy the stories of ancient times even morewith the addition of 400+ color images and maps in the text and updated hands-on activities (with photos). Middle students can glean even more from theCompanion Guidewith enhanced activities, new photos, and improved mapping exercises. Older students can continue to adapt the program to meet a high school credit through stimulating activities and literature suggestions on a high school level. Will the Second Edition Audiobook match the Third Edition?Yes and no. With the new edition, the author had the opportunity to rewrite several words, sentences, and paragraphs. However, the author did NOT rewrite entire lessons or change the chronological order of them. So, the two editions are aclosematch and will work together until a word for word revision of the audiobook can be made. If you would like to see the text differences between the two editions, we have an update sheet!Click here. If I sell the hardback down the road, will the download code be reusable?No. The download code falls under a one-time family license through the publisher, Bright Ideas Press. However, you can purchase adigitalCompanion Guide (downloadable PDF)allowing a secondary book owner to have access to the popular curriculum components.