The Story of the World, Volume 3 2020 revision includes the following upgrades and new features.  

Updates to the Text (the book with the stories)

• 48 new illustrations (of higher quality than the illustrations in the Original!)

• Easier to read, prettier typesetting

• Pronunciation guide included

• Revised text (this affects about 1 percent of the text: fixing typos, etc)

• Timeline with associated chapters

• Recorded by beloved story-teller Jim Weiss, the same reader who read the Original edition

• Updated to match the Revised text

• 45 new coloring pages

• Brand new, beautiful boards for board games

• Improved art and easier-to-read directions for craft templates (including new paper dolls)

• Updated book lists that combine the best selections from the Original edition with the best of the books published in the past 10 years about the related topics

• New review cards for every chapter

• Better typesetting, easier to read and navigate

• Answer key for the map work

The Test and Answer Key did not need to be updated, so we didn’t create a new book. If you have the Original edition's Test and Answer Key, you need not buy a new copy. We changed the front cover to match the other Revised Edition covers because we like things to be matchy-matchy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an upgrade path to transition from the Original edition to the Revised Edition?  

No “upgrade path” is required. We carefully revised the content in such a way that the Revised Edition can be used in conjunction with the Original edition and vice versa. 

Can I use my Original edition text/Activity Book with the Revised Edition text/Activity Book? What about the Student Pages?

You can use Revised Edition Activity Book with the text of the Original edition, and vice-versa.  We changed the wording of the text in two places, so a couple of Review Questions will have a different answer.  

You can use the Revised Student Pages with the Original Activity Book. Most of the activities didn't change.

Many of the revised Coloring Pages have different content than those in the Original edition. For instance, in Chapter 9, the Original Activity Book says that the student will be coloring King Gustavus of Sweden but in the Revised Student Pages, the student will color Swedish infantrymen from King Gustavus' army. There are other similar discrepancies.

Some of the page numbering is different. For example, the directions in the Original Activity Book will say, “For this activity, tear out Student Page 32,” but in the Revised Student Pages, the content will be on page 35. The numbering isn’t off by much - you can find the assignment - but it's something to be aware of.

Can I listen to the new audio with the old book/ vice versa?  

99% yes, there are just a couple of corrections in the new audio/book and those are listed on our Corrections page. When you go to the Corrections page, click on the History and Geography tab at the bottom of the window, and then scroll down until you see a dark green bar--that’s where The Story of the World, Volume 3 corrections begin.

When was the Revised Edition published? 

The Story of the World, Volume 3, Revised Edition was available for purchase from Amazon and other resellers on February 25, 2020. The books were available from our website on February 6, 2020. PDF and MP3 formats are available only from our online store. eBooks are available from the respective eBook vendors.

How do I know which edition I’m buying? 

The front cover of the revised edition says “Revised Edition,” and the cover illustration is a Native American woman looking away from you. The Original edition has an illustration of a Native American man.  

Can I buy the Original edition at a discount? 

Sometimes you can find Original editions at deep discount by ordering Scratch and Dent from the order page. Scratch and Dent is not always an option, but keep checking back; it changes from time to time.

Did the prices go up with the revision? 

Yes. When we created the 2020 Revised Edition of the SOTW 3 text and Activity Book, we added more than 100 pages to each and significantly improved the content within each book. As a result, our production costs increased, which is reflected in the purchase price. This is part of the reason we are selling Student Pages as a bound book instead of reprinting loose leaf.

Can I still order the PDF of the Original edition? 

No. The differences are so small that a classroom using both the Original and the Revised Editions can easily follow along with the reading.

Yes. Paperbacks (and hardbacks of the text) are available from our online store and from many resellers.

PDF and MP3 files are available only from our online store.

eBooks are available from the eBook vendors: Amazon has the Kindle edition, and Apple and Google sell their eBooks from their stores. Well-Trained Mind Press does not sell the eBooks from our website.   

Can I listen to the new audio with the old book/vice versa?  

99% yes, there are just a few changes in the revised audio/book and those are listed on our Corrections page. When you go to the Corrections page, click on the History and Geography tab at the bottom of the page, and then scroll down until you see a dark green bar; that’s where The Story of the World, Volume 3 corrections begin.

The audiobook for The Story of the World, Volume 3 is taking a long time to download. 

The revised edition audiobook for The Story of the World, Volume 3 is nearly a GB, which can take a few minutes to download. If your internet speed is much slower than average, and the audiobook isn't downloading for you, email us at support@welltrainedmind.com and we'll send you a version that is split into 4 smaller pieces for simpler downloading.

Be sure to download to an audiobook app: more information on that here.  

If you are downloading directly to an iPhone or iPad, read this FAQ first.  

Is there a video that describes the updates? 

Why, yes there is. Thank you for asking: click here to go to the video on our YouTube channel. 

Questions about the Activity Book 

For which editions of the history encyclopedias do you provide cross references?  

We updated the page references to reflect the most recent editions of these books, though in 90% of cases, the page numbers didn’t change (in other words, you should be fine no matter which edition of these encyclopedias you use).

Is an alphabetical version of the booklist available? 

No. In the Revised Edition, the books are listed in chronological order in each chapter of the Activity Book. 

Where can I get the whole booklist? 

We do not sell a separate booklist at this time, but we keep it under consideration. Let us know how you would use it--would you want it in alphabetical order? chapter order? Would want to carry it with you? Would you want it in a format you can modify or is a printed list adequate? The more we know about what you want, the better we can design any offering. Send your suggestions to helpdesk@welltrainedmind.com.  

I have the new Test & Answer Key but an old Text & Activity Book (or v.v.).  

You can use the old/new with the new/old editions. The content is identical. The only change for the Test and Answer Key is the cover.