Famous Men of Rome (plus Famous Men of Greece and Famous Men of the Middle Ages)

by John H. Haaren and Addison B. Poland
guides by Cheryl and Leigh Lowe

Memoria Press

original publication 1904, revised and updated 2005 and 2006

The Famous Men books have been revised and updated before, but this newest version and it's companion study guides is better than ever. Thus far Rome is the only complete set but Famous Men of Greece and Famous Men of the Middle Ages story books are available with their companion student and teacher guides in the works.

There are (or eventually will be) three components for each study: the Famous Men book of stories that serves as your core book, a student guide and a teacher guide.

The story books are nicely formatted in double columns for easier reading. Plenty of detailed illustrations make the books visually interesting. The latest printing of Famous Men of Rome now features full-color illustrations, a feature we'll also see in the other volumes with future printings. A helpful glossary and maps are in the back of each book.

The text of the stories was written for children but there are a number of words and terms with which children are unlikely to be familiar. The study guides list these unfamiliar terms and words, providing information about people, places, and particular events, but requiring students to look up definitions of words like "resolute" and "conspirators."

Study guides also have a section of comprehension questions for each story followed by suggested activities. Activities include suggestions for map work (maps are included in both the study guide and the story book), timeline entries (timeline page in study guide), drawing, discussion questions, writing assignments, poetry memorization assignments, and more--but not all of these for each lesson.

If you, like me, have no idea how to pronounce names such as "Chaeronea," you will appreciate the pronunciation guide in the back of the study guide. There you will also find 100 "drill" questions on Roman history.

The teacher guide is identical to the student guide but with answers included, although for some reason there are no answers for the drill questions.

The study guide for Rome includes discussion of Christianity but does not seem to promote a Christian worldview. It will be up to parents to add that dimension if they so desire.

These books are very helpful for those who want to provide a thorough foundation on ancient Rome and Greece and the Middle Ages, especially those trying to implement a classical education. Students will come to know the key people, understand major events such as the transitions of Roman government from monarchy to republic to empire. Children will become familiar with famous ideas, writings, and even quotations from the periods. All this serves as a foundation for cultural literacy.

One thing I especially like about these books is that they are not specifically Protestant or Catholic in outlook, but they include sympathetic treatment of religious events and people in history.