Classical Book List
The Beautiful Teaching Team has curated book lists to help you get started.
When anybody sits down to read, the author who made the book comes and leans over his shoulder and talks to him. -Charlotte Mason, Ourselves
SPONSOR
Eighth Day Books is sponsoring our online classical education conference.They are offering FREE standard shipping through November, 2024.
Coupon Code: BEAUTIFUL (at the checkout, choose the "standard shipping rate." That standard rate will automatically be deducted from the total order.)
CALL: 316-683-9446 to place a phone order if you do not see what you need on their website! Don’t forget to use the free shipping code.
Check out Adrienne’s curated book list below!
Philosophy of Classical Education Titles
The top 20 books (no particular order) are the most important to understanding the philosophy of classical education. If you read at least three of these titles, you will begin to grasp the path of a liberal arts education.
The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education by Ravi Jain and Kevin Clark & published by CAP (For 15% off CAP products use discount code CEPODCAST15 at checkout)
Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
Norms & Nobility by David Hicks
Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Liberal Arts Tradition by Karen Glass
In Vital Harmony by Karen Glass
A Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason (OR the abridged version, Mind to Mind by Charlotte Mason and Karen Glass )
Poetic Knowledge by James Taylor
The Death of Christian Culture by John Senior
The Restoration of Christian Culture by John Senior
Beauty for Truth’s Sake: On the Re-enchantment of Education by Stratford Caldecott
Beauty in the Word: Rethinking the Foundations of Education by Stratford Caldecott
Awakening Wonder: A Classical Guide to Truth, Goodness & Beauty by Steve Turley
The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on What It Means to Be an Educated Human Being by Richard Gamble
The Love of Learning and The Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture by Jean Leclercq O.S.B.
The Republic by Plato (Translated by Allan Bloom)
The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius
The Seven Liberal Arts in the Middle Ages by David L. Wagner
Aristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy by Mortimer Adler
Confessions by St. Augustine (translated by Maria Boulding)
Novels for Teachers or Homeschool Moms
Notable novels that capture the spirit of classical education, show us what bad teaching looks like, or models virtuous living for educators. Great for staff meeting discussions
The Awakening of Miss Primm by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
Hannah Coulter: A Novel by Wendell Barry
Hard Times by Charles Dickens
Agnes Grey By Anne Brontë
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Aesop’s Fables by Aesop, published by New West Press
The Blue Fairy Book: With 139 Original Illustrations by Andrew Lang, published by New West Press
Books on How to Teach
These books are excellent for beginning to understand how to teach classically. They are great for both at home educators and classroom teachers.
A Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason (Centenary Expanded Edition | Smidgen Press)
Know and Tell: The Art of Narration by Karen Glass
When Children Love to Learn compiled by Elaine Cooper
Something They Will Not Forget by Joshua Gibbs
How to be Unlucky by Joshua Gibbs
The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory
Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child's Moral Imagination, 2nd edition by Vigen Guroian
The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto by Mortimer Adler
The Giants of History Series by Classical Academic Press (For 15% off CAP products use discount code CEPODCAST15 at checkout)
Lost Seeds of Learning: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric as Living Arts by Phillip Donnelly & CAP (For 15% off CAP products use discount code CEPODCAST15 at checkout)
Common Arts Education: Renewing the Classical Tradition of Training the Hands, Head, and Heart by Chris Hall & CAP (For 15% off CAP products use discount code CEPODCAST15 at checkout)
The Educated Imagination by Northrop Frye
Short Readings
These are short readings or essays that are online for free or in the public domain. A general search will locate these titles.
“A Short Introduction to Classical Education" by Joshua Gibbs (this pamphlet was discussed on the Classical Educaiton Podcast, Season 3 Episode 12.)
“So Your Parents are Thinking of Sending You to a Classical School” by Joshua Gibbs.
Notable Short Dialogues of Plato (esp. Georgias, Theaetetus, Cratylus, Meno, Apology, Euthyphro, Crito) or Middle Platonic Dialogues Collection
“Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God” by Simone Weill (the Lit Life podcast did an excellent episode on this essay, Episode 51)
“Reclaiming Childhood Through Poetry” by Anthony Esolen
"The Aims of Education” by Alfred North Whitehead
“Classical Schools Are Not Really Classical” by Jonathan Roberts (This essay was discussed on the Classical Education Podcast, Season 3, Epoisode 9.)
“What’s Virtue Got to do with it?” by Andrew Ellison
“Education by the Muses” by Dennis Quinn
“A Defense of Poetry” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
“The Fantastic Imagination” by George MacDonald (this essay was discussed on the Classical Education Podcast, Season 3, Episode 8.)
“On Fairy Stories” by J.R.R. Tolkien
Educators of Young Children
Notable titles for teachers, home educators, or caregivers for toddlers-5th graders.
For The Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
Home Education by Charlotte Mason (Volume 1 of the Home Education Series)
A Thinking Love by Karen Glass
In Vital Harmony by Karen Glass
Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classical Stories Awaken a Child’s Moral Imagination (second edition) by Vigen Guroian
Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child by Anthony Esolen
Simply Classical: A beautiful Education for any Child by Cheryl Swope
Learning Virtue from Books
A classical curriculum is rooted in stories and beautiful literature. In these stories we learn to empathize with Heidi, to embrace long-suffering like Corrie Ten Boom in The Hiding Place, walk the waves of courage with Odysseus in Homer, embrace friendship in Pooh Corner, and glorify God with Augustine in his Confessions. All of these stories give us a model from which to be inspired to choose a life of virtue.
Affiliate Book Suppliers
-
LIVING BOOKS PRESS
A great place to buy exccellent books that you can read as a family whether you homeschool or not.
Living Books Press reproduces quality reprints of living books affordable for everyone in a variety of formats.
As an affiliate of Living Book Press, which means that when you purchase from livingbookpress.com we receive a commission which allows us to keep offering an ad-free podcast as well as continued work in curating beautiful resources.Thank you for your support.
-
CLASSICAL ACADEMIC PRESS
CAP has some fantastic books to help us understand the foundations of classical education. I highly recommend the series of books in their “Giants in the History of Classical Education” as well as their titles in “Discover Classical Education” collection.
For 15% off CAP products use discount code CEPODCAST15 at checkout.
-
JOSHUA GIBBS PAMPHLETS
"A Short Introduction to Classical Christian Education" is available in two lengths (12,000 words and 7,000 words) as an easy-to-print PDF available in two formats: an 8.5 x 11 full-page document and a 5.5 x 8.5 folded booklet.
This resource is perfect for schools to provide for parents and teachers who are learning about classical educaiton.
-
BEAUTIFUL FEET BOOKS
A Great place to buy excellent books to give to or read to your kids! Excellent titles to enjoy together as a family whether you homeschool or have your kids in a school. BF Books has titles that are books every kid should read!
Beautiful Feet Books curates and publishes the very best "living books" - timeless tales that help you learn through the power of story.