Yesterday's Classics Review

I love books!  I can't remember a time when I didn't love to read.  And I know so many homeschoolers these days have come to recognize the value of "living books"-books written by an author passionate about their subject in an engaging manor as opposed to the dry information usually presented in, say, textbooks.  These living books draw the reader in and involve them in the time, or place, or event, or story being presented.  And they are addictive!  The only problem with living books is that you eventually run out of bookshelf space.

Enter Yesterday's Classics.  They have put together a collection of 225 classic children's books from the 1800's-early 1900's, and turned them into beautiful e-books that can be read on a Kindle, your home computer, or any other electronic reader device.  Don't get me wrong, they offer the same collection in real, tangible books too.  But imagine having a huge assortment of quality living books that you can take with you any where you go- to the doctor's office, soccer practice, or the car repair shop!  With 225 books covering a wide range of subjects (and new ones introduced regularly), your schooling (or even reading for enjoyment) never has to stop because you have to run out the door.  And other than hard drive space, this collection takes up no room at all.   Many of the books are history related stories and cover topics like early civilizations, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and American History to name a few.  Other books tell stories about children of the world, or nature, or church history.  There are also books on science, literature, poetry, fables, and some readers, and I still haven't covered all the subjects!



The pros:  What's not to love about having 225 good books at your fingertips?  In the past year, we have really turned more toward living books, and my kids crave more and more.  And these virtual books contain the same illustrations the originals have.  Each book has a table of contents, and you can "bookmark" where you are as you read so that you don't lose your place between readings.  You are free to print the books if you want, and you can load them onto as many devices as you'd like.  And the package price makes each book less that .50 a piece!  And being able to take it with you?  That's priceless.  And some these books are used by several mainstream curriculums like Tapestry of Grace and Ambleside Online.

The cons:  Okay, I have to say it...I'm just a "real book" sort of gal.  Give me real paper and ink, and this girl is one happy camper.  But I really do have space issues, and my bookshelves overfloweth.  That, and I can't afford to buy 225 real, quality books right now, so I'll have to make myself content and join the virtual generation.


The bottom line:  Are you kidding?  What's not to love?  To buy these books all in paperback would cost you $2495.75.  To buy them each individually as an e-book would be $648.80.  But for right now, through the end of May 2011, you can get the whole collection for $99.95 by following this link HERE.  If you aren't sure, there is even a book you can download for free to check it out for yourself!  As for my kids and I, we have been reading The Story of the Chosen People by H.A. Guerber and are starting a new book on Monday!

To see what other members of the TOS Crew had to say, go HERE.

Legal Disclaimer:  I received a free download of the collection of 225 e-books for the purpose of giving my honest review.  Those e-books were the only compensation I received.