Heritage History is an intriguing web store which specializes in history-related public domain classics. The books are available in three ways: as stand-alone titles, as CD-ROM ‘curriculum’ bundles which include supplementary materials, and as online courses, which include quizzes and learning materials as well as download access. The site is marketed toward the homeschool community, but I think many history buffs would enjoy the books independently, and I have bookmarked a few to read myself.
The CD bundles are probably the best value in terms of cost, with most of them in the $15-20 range and including 50 or so ebooks plus a study guide. There is some overlap, especially in the Young Readers collection, with the Yesterday’s Classics bundle I reviewed already (I understand that they used to have an affiliation and produce ebooks jointly) but I found the supplementary materials in the Heritage History bundle to be much more comprehensive and slickly produced. It felt like a polished and put together product; the covers all had a matching style and were colour-coded by reading level, and the study guide had not just book summaries but also maps, background information and other reference materials.
I like the different price options this site offers. Most of the books can be read online as HTML web pages, but a single a la carte download is just $1.99 and includes DRM-free epub, mobi and PDF versions. For those who are especially interested in a topic (such as Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome) the bundles do give a lot of content, but since many of the books are targeted for little kids, I preferred to browse a la carte for just the titles I wanted. I’m glad they provide this option; Yesterday’s Classics seems to be moving all their new stuff into a subscription website, and I appreciate that this company still makes solo titles available to everyone.
I liked the breadth of content too. I found a handful of books from their catalogue available for free on Project Gutenberg, but two I checked were in not that great condition. It’s worth two bucks for a nicely proof-read and formatted one. I also was told that most of their still-to-digitize titles are for the older age groups, and that will be a welcome addition to their mostly child-oriented book list. I appreciate that their focus so far has been on the homeschool market, but even there I think there is room for more where older kids are concerned!
I was pleased with my experience with Heritage History. It is a bit of a niche market, perhaps—the suitable-for-adults content takes a little filtering to access, and not everyone wants to read vintage history. But there were some fascinating old gems, and they are worth exploring if you are a history fan. I like the affordability and the DRM-free stuff is always a plus! I definitely will shop there again!
