TOS Review: Yesterday’s Classics

Do you or children like to read?  Do you like e-books?  Do you use a literature based approach to home education?  If you answered yes to any of those questions you’ll want to know more about this bundle package of e-books from Yesterday’s Classics.  I love to read.  My children love to read (and be read to!). I use a literature based curriculum to home educate my children.  I do not like e-books.  Or rather I didn’t until I discovered Yesterday’s Classics. Grab a cup of coffee or tea or whatever hot (or cold) beverage helps you relax.  Let’s talk about e-books from Yesterday’s Classics.. 

Yesterday’s Classics republishes out-of- print classics from “the golden age of Children’s Literature, the era from 1880 to 1920.”  They have history books covering the great civilizations such as Greece and Rome and literature books including poetry and hero tales. The books encompass 22 genres! There are books for young children, books for upper elementary and even books for high school students!

When I thought of e-books, I thought of PDF files that needed to be read on the computer with something like Adobe Reader.  I found those difficult. frustrating and annoying to read on the computer. Yesterday’s Classics e-books are NOT PDF files.  These books are formatted in Kindle format and in EPub format.  EPub format can be read on a variety of e-readers such as Nook and Sony.  I had been on the fence about purchasing an e-reader but when I found out about the e-book bundle deal,  I knew I needed to purchase an e-reader.  I also knew that if I was not chosen to review Yesterday’s Classics, I would be purchasing the bundle offer for $99.95. 

I purchased a Nook and then waited (rather impatiently) for the Vendor List to post.  I was thrilled to see my name as a reviewer for Yesterday’s Classics.  When purchasing the bundle, you get to choose Kindle or EPub formats.   The TOS Crew also got to choose.  Since I now owned a Nook, I chose EPub.

So what is this bundle package?  It is 225, yes that’s correct two hundred twenty five books, in Kindle or Epub format for $99.95.

When you purchase the bundle, you receive an email with the download links.  Included with the download links are four PDF documents links:

• Guide to Downloading Files and Transferring Them to E-reader Devices.
• Guide to E-reader Devices and Software.
• List of all books arranged by level, genre, author, and title
• List of all books with descriptions and thumbnails

I have found these list documents to be helpful in choosing books and planning which books to add to our studies.  I can search for books on church history to add to our Sonlight Core 200 program or I can search for books on Greece, Rome and Egypt to add to our Sonlight Core 1/6 combo.   I have found so many wonderful sounding titles such as Famous Men of Greece,  Famous Men of Rome, The Early Church, Tales and Customs of the Ancient Hebrews.   I’m looking forward to supplementing our study of the Middle Ages with some books about Vikings such as Viking Tales and The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow.

I did a search for Robin Hood because my girls love the Robin Hood legends.  I found a book of Robin Hood stories and a couple of story books with stories about Robin.  We’ve been reading Stories of Robin Hood as part of our afternoon read aloud time.  Although intended for younger students, my 6th, 8th and 10th grade daughters are loving these just as much, if not more so, than my special needs daughter who is cognitively in the age range! To quote Turtlegirl (my 8th grader), “Good books for children don’t need to be confined to an age range.”

Though this is an incredible deal at $99.95, it is still an investment.  Yesterday’s Classics offers The Dutch Twins FREE so that you can see the beautiful formatting for yourself.  Click HERE to go to the offer page.  Lots of information about the package so don’t skim too fast! If you read and scroll down you’ll see a link for downloading The Dutch Twins in your choice of Kindle or Epub formats.  Click HERE for how to view this on your computer without a dedicated e-reader such as Kindle or Nook.

 I love have having these books available on my Nook. I love how well these are formatted.  I can easily jump from one chapter to another and I like that that many of them include black and white illustrations.  You don’t have to have a dedicated e-reader like the Nook to enjoy  these books. You can also use them on your Ipod or Ipad.  You can use them on the computer but you will need software such as the free Kindle App or the Nook app or something like Adobe Digital Editions or Calibre.  The PDF file included with the download links describes the different e-reader applications and software and includes links.   You can download the e-books and enjoy them on your computer and if you decide to get a dedicated e-reader in the future you can then transfer the books or copy them to the e-reader. 

In addition to the e-book bundle package, they do sell paperback versions of these titles.  After June 1st, 2011 the e-books will be available for individual purchase as well as bundle but the $99.95 offer for the bundle ends May 31st!

Edited to Add Breaking News!: Yesterday’s Classics has reinstated the availability to purchase individual e-book titles.  Click HERE for Epub or HERE or Kindle.

All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

You can read my other Schoolhouse Review Crew Reviews to find more great products.

Yesterday’s Classics generously provided me with the 225 Title e-book bundle for Epub for review purposes.

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