Scroll down to view Classics Lists for Family, Youth, Adults, Math, and more!

No one can deny the value of a great idea well-communicated. The inspiration, innovation and ingenuity inherent in great ideas elevate those who study them.

Great ideas are most effectively learned directly from the greatest thinkers, historians, artists, philosophers and prophets, and their original works.

Great works inspire greatness, just as mediocre or poor works usually inspire mediocre and poor achievement. The great accomplishments of humanity are the key to quality education.

A “classic” is a work — be it literature, music, art, etc. — that’s worth returning to over and over because you get more from it each time.

There are many popular lists of classics; and each person, as he or she logs time with the great works of history will hopefully develop his or her own personal classics list.

To edify your family culture of life-long learning, we especially recommend the following titles. Each of these exemplifies a family that is unified in their vision and application of the principles of Leadership Education. Plus, they’re fun to read together!

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Family Education Reading List:

  • Little Britches, Moody (this whole series is fabulous)
  • Understood Betsy (shows the journey of a child who has lost her love of learning, to becoming a confident love of learner)
  • Little Men (the principles of Leadership Education are in full display)
  • Little House in the Big Woods (a virtual textbook on Core Phase)
  • Farmer Boy, Wilder (again–the whole series has wonderful lessons to shape and heal families)
  • Laddie, Stratton-Porter (starts a little slow for some readers, but the treasures in this book are soooo worth it!)
  • Cheaper by the Dozen, Gilbreth (energetic and parent-inspired excellence!)


As you develop your Personal and Family Classics Reading Lists, you might want to review the following as a good starting place.

AdamsClassics for Young Children and Family Reading

For Support and Resources, click here.

There is treasure in the shared experience of family reading. Nothing can compare with the time we spend together–hands busy and mouths still–listening to a beloved story.

Here are some ideas for titles that can be read together as a family, or for very young readers. Some are more appropriate for Core Phase, some for Love of Learning, etc. You be the expert on your family!

Check out these titles at your library!
An Amazon.com link* is provided for your convenience so you can learn more about each title, read customer reviews, or purchase, if you want to buy your own copy.

*Affiliate links: While your price remains the same, any purchases made on Amazon.com that originate from these links result in tjed.org receiving a portion of the proceeds. So if you’re planning to shop Amazon, please start here! Thanks for supporting TJEd.

Click here to see Biblical Highlights for Young Children >>

Classics for Young Readers

For Support and Resources, click here.

Here is an introductory list of books that may be of interest to the Love of Learning, Transition to Scholar and Scholar children; please review and categorize according to your family’s criteria of appropriate literature.

Check out these titles at your library!
An Amazon.com link* is provided for your convenience so you can learn more about each title, read customer reviews, or purchase, if you want to buy your own copy.

*Affiliate links: While your price remains the same, any purchases made on Amazon.com that originate from these links result in tjed.org receiving a portion of the proceeds. So if you’re planning to shop Amazon, please start here! Thanks for supporting TJEd.

Classics for Adults

For Support and Resources, click here.

Here is an introductory list of books that you might want to include on your list of classics.

Check out these titles at your library!
An Amazon.com link* is provided for your convenience so you can learn more about each title, read customer reviews, or purchase, if you want to buy your own copy.

*Affiliate links: While your price remains the same, any purchases made on Amazon.com that originate from these links result in tjed.org receiving a portion of the proceeds. So if you’re planning to shop Amazon, please start here! Thanks for supporting TJEd.

Math Classics for Kids

Click here for adult math resources and a list of “Why to Study Math”

The Yahoo Group “Living Math Forum” is a great place to discuss and share TJEd-friendly math and math resources with others. Join by clicking here.

Check out these titles at your library!

An Amazon.com link is provided for your convenience so you can learn more about each title, read customer reviews, or purchase, if you want to buy your own copy.

Affiliate links: While your price remains the same, any purchases made on Amazon.com that originate from these links result in tjed.org receiving a portion of the proceeds. So if you’re planning to shop Amazon, please start here! Thanks for supporting TJEd.

Adult Math Classics

For Support and Resources, click here.

Math Teaching Helps:

In addition to his reasons to study math, Dr. Henke a list of recommended resources* for advanced study that he freely shared with his students and their parents:

*Affiliate links: While your price remains the same, any purchases made on Amazon.com that originate from these links result in tjed.org receiving a portion of the proceeds. So if you’re planning to shop Amazon, please start here! Thanks for supporting TJEd.

  • Schneider, A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe
  • Dunham, The Mathematical Universe
  • Benjamin, Secrets of Mental Math
  • Penrose, The Road to Reality
  • Plato, Timaeus; First mathematical treatise of western thought
  • Aristotle, Analytica Priora et Posteriora; System of deductive logic and method
  • Euclid, The Elements (in three volumes); Exhaustive compliation of Greek geometry
  • Archimedes, The Sand Reckoner; Introduces base-ten system, principle of the logarithm
  • Archimedes, Method; Foundation of integral calculus
  • Apollonius, Conic Sections; Exhaustive work on the conic sections
  • Nicomachus, Introduction to Arithmetic; Compilation of arithmetic principles
  • Ptolemy, The Almagest; Greek trigonometry used to record star positions
  • al-Khowarizmi, al-jabr w’al-muqabalah; First treatise on algebra and Hindu-Arabic numerals
  • Fibonacci, Libro di bacci; Introduces Hindu-Arabic numerals to Europe
  • da Vinci, Linear Perspective; The mathematical elements of painting
  • Stevin, La Disme; Systematic treatment of decimal fractions
  • Cardano, Ars Magna; Solves cubic and bi-quadratic equations, imaginary numbers
  • Galileo, Two New Sciences; Challenges Aristotle’s law of falling bodies
  • Descartes, Geometry; Lays the foundation of analytical geometry
  • Fermat, On the Theory of Probabilities; Pascal lays the foundation of probability
  • Newton, The Principia; Invention of calculus and defines gravity
  • Bernoulli, Law of Large Numbers; Lays the foundation of statistics
  • Euler, Seven Bridges of Konigsberg; Lays the foundation of topology
  • La Place, Celestial Mechanics; Applies calculus to heavenly orbits
  • La Place (Sommerville translation), Celestial Mechanics [click here for online text]; Expansion of La Place’s work
  • Boole, Symbolic Logic; Discovery of symbolic and boolean logic
  • Abbott, Flatland; Fictional work about mathematical dimensions
  • Poincare, Chance; Probability and statistics [click here for online text]
  • Poincare, Mathematical Creation; How to create mathematics
  • Mendeleev, Periodic Law of the Chemical Elements; Lays the foundation for the periodic table
  • Whitehead, Principia Mathematica; Deepest study of the foundations of mathematics
  • Polya, How to Solve It; Problem solving
  • Jeans, Science and Music; Lays the foundation for the physics of music
  • von Neumann, Games and Economic Behavior; Lays the foundation of game theory

What’s Math Got To Do With It?

For Support and Resources, click here.

Love_math_1I’ve often said that the “Why” we teach something informs the “How.”

Years ago Oliver wrote an introduction to a math course. He articulated “Why” we learn and teach math, and I think having this vision is not only inspiring and motivating, but really helps us focus our approach and methods. He created a list of “values” that clearly articulates the meaning and purpose of math education, and (along with the introductory paragraphs written by the course instructor, Troy Henke) I share it here with you:

“Mathematics is an integral part of a statesman’s education . . . . Math teaches a person to think in a way that no other field does. As a person studies math, he learns to:

  1. Apples Additionseek and recognize patterns
  2. explore the relationship between things
  3. see similarities and also distinctions
  4. analyze logically but with a deep sense that there is a right answer and a set ideal worth detecting
  5. compare and contrast
  6. see things in black and white
  7. see infinite shades of grey and therefore avoid jumping to conclusions
  8. seek evidence for conclusions and check opinion with first-hand research
  9. put his own pen to paper before accepting what society tells him
  10. seek for absolutes
  11. remain open to surprising new information which makes past conclusions limited though perhaps still accurate

“Now, clearly, the practical art must also be mastered—we want you to be able to pass any standardized test with the highest marks. But more importantly, we want you to be able to think like an Archimedes, a Descartes, a Newton, a Sophie Germain, an Einstein.”

Our good friend Troy Henke, who taught math to the community youth (including our own kids) gives a list of recommended resources for advanced study that he freely shared with his students and their parents. Click here to view that list.

[click here for a list of math resources for kids]