Tuttle Twins America’s History
Three volumes, 1215 to 1849. What each one covers, every format available, and which bundle actually saves you money — because one of them doesn’t.
About this page
Descriptions of what each volume covers come from Tuttle Twins’ own materials, not from us having taught all three. The pricing analysis further down is ours, and we show the arithmetic so you can check it.
All three volumes. Bought together in print, they're $180 rather than $225.
Where Each One Starts and Stops
They run chronologically, but each stands on its own.
Volume 3 — the newest, covering 1791 to 1849.
It Starts in 1215, Not 1776
Most American history written for children opens with the Revolution. This one opens with Magna Carta, five and a half centuries earlier, and spends a whole volume getting to 1776.
That’s an argument, not just a scheduling decision. It treats the founding as the outcome of a long quarrel about what power may and may not do — a quarrel that was already old by the time anyone got to Philadelphia. Whether you agree or not, a child who reads it that way comes out with a different picture from one who starts at Lexington.
It also means Volume 1 is the least “American” of the three, which is worth knowing before you buy it first.
Four Ways to Buy It
- The books — $75 each. The hardback volumes. This is the core product.
- Curriculum PDFs — $49 each. What turns a book into a school year: the reason to buy these is if you want history taught rather than read.
- Audiobooks — $39 each. Car journeys and read-aloud time. Often the format that actually gets used.
- Bonus videos — $29. Available for Volumes 1 and 2 only at the time of writing; there is no Volume 3 set yet.
One Bundle Saves You Money. One Doesn’t.
The print bundle is a real discount. Three volumes bought separately come to $225. The Volumes 1–3 bundle is $180 — a saving of $45, about 20%. If you want all three in print, buy the bundle.
The digital downloads bundle is not. It’s listed at $322, and its components add up to exactly that:
- 3 curriculum PDFs at $49 — $147
- 3 audiobooks at $39 — $117
- 2 bonus video sets at $29 — $58
- Total: $322
To the dollar. So it’s a convenience bundle rather than a saving — useful if you genuinely want all eight digital items, and worth skipping if you only want, say, the audiobooks. Buying those three separately costs $117 and leaves you $205 better off.
We could be wrong about the intent here, and prices change. But the arithmetic is checkable, and it’s the sort of thing worth checking before spending $322.
Affiliate links — we earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Prices were correct when this page was written. See our full disclosure.
If You’re Only Buying One
Start with Volume 2. The Revolution, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is the stretch most families actually want covered, and it’s the most self-contained of the three.
Add Volume 1 if the question you keep getting is “but why did they think that?” — it’s the volume about where the ideas came from.
Volume 3 is the interesting one if your child is older. It covers the Trail of Tears and Jackson’s presidency, which means it takes on the parts of the story that don’t flatter anybody. Handled straight, that’s more valuable than another retelling of 1776.
Questions Parents Are Asking
What does each volume cover?
Volume 1 runs 1215–1776 and covers the ideas leading to the founding. Volume 2 covers 1776–1791: the Revolutionary War, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Volume 3 covers 1791–1849, including the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson, the Trail of Tears and the Gold Rush.
Why does Volume 1 start in 1215?
1215 is Magna Carta. Starting there treats the founding as the result of centuries of argument about power rather than as a beginning — a defensible choice, and an unusual one in children’s history.
How much does it cost?
$75 per print volume, so $225 for all three separately. The Volumes 1–3 print bundle is $180, saving $45 — about 20%.
Is the digital downloads bundle a discount?
It doesn’t appear to be. At $322 it matches the sum of its parts exactly: three curriculum PDFs ($147), three audiobooks ($117) and two bonus video sets ($58). Convenience rather than saving.
Do you need all three?
No. They’re chronological but each stands alone. Volume 2 is the usual starting point; Volume 1 is what you add if you want the ideas behind the founding.
What age is it for?
Older than the storybooks. With the curriculum PDFs it works as the spine of a homeschool history year for roughly upper primary through early secondary, and it reads aloud well below that.