This FAQ focuses on The Story of the World, Volume 4, Revised Edition. You can find more FAQs about our flagship curriculum on our website and in the Customer Help Center-FAQ.  

What’s new in The Story of the World, Volume 4 Revised Edition? 

The Revised Edition Text

• 45 new illustrations, of higher quality than the illustrations in the original
• Easier to read, prettier typesetting
• Pronunciation guide included
• Revisions to improve readability and accuracy
• Timeline with associated chapters

The Revised Edition Audiobook

• Recorded by beloved story-teller Jim Weiss, the same reader as in the Original Edition
• Updated and corrected to match the Revised Edition text in every material way
• MP3 delivered online in a single zip file for simpler downloading

The Revised Edition Activity Book

• Coloring pages: 42 beautiful, new pages included in the Activity Book and in the Student Pages
• “Level-up” activities: Timeline Cards and Outline Pages, suitable for the older student
• Improved art and easier-to-read directions for craft templates
• Updated book lists: the best selections from the Original Edition plus new recommendations for wonderful books published in the past 10 years
• Better typesetting, easier to read and navigate

The Test and Answer Key

• The Test and Answer Key did not need to be updated...so we didn’t update it. If you have the Original Test and Answer Key, you need not buy a new copy. The content is the same.  
• We changed the front cover to match the other Revised Edition covers because we like things to be matchy-matchy.

Where can I buy Revised Edition titles? 

• The Revised Edition text is available from our online store in hardback, paperback and PDF formats. The Activity Book and Test and Answer Key is available from our store in paperback and PDF; other resellers sell the paperback.  
• The Revised Edition audiobook is available from our online store in CD and MP3 formats. Note on March 13, 2023: the audiobook will be available in coming months via Audible, Apple Books and Google Play.
• WTM Press and multiple resellers sell the physical (paper/CD) formats of the titles. 
• PDFs and MP3s  are available only from WTM Press' store. 
• eBooks are available from Amazon, Apple, Google.

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

No “upgrade path” is required. We revised the content carefully so the Revised Edition can be used in conjunction with the Original Edition and vice versa. You can use any Revised component with any Original component of The Story of the World, Volume 4 product set. The differences are small and immaterial. 

If you can buy only one book of the new set, we recommend the Activity Book because it includes the updated book list and the new Student Pages and Coloring Pages. 

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

Yes. The corrections in the new audio/book will be 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 red bar--that’s where The Story of the World, Volume 4 corrections begin.

How will I know which version I'm buying?

The front cover says “Revised Edition.” The cover has an illustration of an astronaut walking on the moon. The Original Edition has an illustration of a World War 1 soldier.  

If I bought the Original Edition, can I get a complimentary copy of the Revised Edition? 

Unfortunately, we cannot make that offer. We minimized any major changes to the text so you can use a combination of Revised Edition and Original Edition books without much fuss.

Can I buy the Original Edition products at a discount?

Yes - as it is occasionally available in Scratch and Dent. We have sold out of and will not reprint the paperback or re-press the CDs of the Original edition. We also offer our books at a deep discount during many sales during the year.  

Did the prices go up?  

Yes. We made significant improvements to the text, added illustrations, a pronunciation guide, and a chapter-based timeline. We added the Coloring Pages and upper-level assignments to the Activity Book. Increasing the content increased the length of the books, so the cost of production increased. We do our best to keep prices low, while improving the quality and usefulness of our publications. This is part of the reason we now sell Student Pages as a bound book instead of loose leaf; the bound book is less expensive to produce.  

Now that you sell the Revised Edition, can I still buy the PDF of the Original Edition?  

No. The differences are so small that students using both the Original and the Revised Editions will easily be able to follow along with the reading. 

Do you offer the Revised Edition in the same formats as the Original Edition?

Yes. If we offered the Original Edition in PDF, MP3 or paper format, we did the same for the Revised Edition.

Is there a video that describes the updates?  

Why, yes there is: Susan Wise Bauer introduces The Story of the World, Volume 4 Revised Edition. You can learn more about the new books recommended in the Activity Book in this video.  

Does the Revised Edition of the text add “years” to the content of the Original?

No. The early 21st Century isn’t really “history” yet. We are still living through the effects of events like September 11, 2001 and it is too soon to interpret them as history. When a few more years have passed, and we do a major revision, we will add more years to the content of the book.  

The audiobook is taking a long time to download. What do I do?  

The Story of the World, Volume 4, Revised Edition audiobook is about 999 MB (1GB), which the average internet connection can download in 15-20 seconds. If your internet speed is slower than average, or if it is interrupted, you might want to work with smaller files. If the audiobook doesn't download properly, email support@welltrainedmind.com and we'll send the content in four smaller zip files.  

If you are experiencing difficulty downloading the file from the email link, go to your WTM account and download the file from that location. Sometimes the email service gets in the way of efficient downloading; going directly to the account bypasses those issues.

If you are downloading MP3s directly to an iPhone or iPad, read this FAQ first.  

Which editions of the history encyclopedias do you cross-reference in the Activity Book?

We updated the page references to reflect the most recent editions of these books. For the most part (75% of the time), the page numbers didn’t change. Even with changes between our books and the encyclopedias, it is relatively easy to locate information presented in chronological order.

Before you purchase any of the history encyclopedias, give them a good look to see which best suits your family and your preference.

• Kingfisher History Encyclopedia: 3rd Revised Edition
• Usborne Internet-linked Encyclopedia of World History: 2009 Edition (The cover shows a knight in armor on holding a sword, with flames behind him.)
• Usborne Book of World History: 2008 Edition
• Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World: 1993 (It hasn’t changed.)

Are the Coloring Pages be included in the Activity Book?

Yes! The Coloring Pages are included in the Activity Book and in the Student Pages. The Revised Coloring Pages include 42 coloring pages - one for every chapter. These exciting, historically accurate pages are beautifully executed by artist Jeff West. Some pages come from the original set, but others are brand-new.  

The Student Pages (which include the Coloring Pages) and the Coloring Pages are included in the Activity Book, but will also be available as separate purchases, in the formats indicated in the orange checklist above.

Is there an alphabetical version of the booklist? 

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

Do you sell the booklist as a separate product?  

Not now - but from time to time, we think about doing this. Let us how you would use a booklist. Would you want it in alphabetical order? chapter order? Is this something you would want to carry 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 serve you.  Send your suggestions to helpdesk@welltrainedmind.com.