{"product_id":"chapter-iv","title":"Chapter IV: The Odyssey of Europe","description":"\u003ch2 class=\"ch-specs__heading\"\u003eCHAPTER IV BOX SET \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e(\u003cem\u003eThis is a pre-order and ships in the second half of June!\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ch-lede\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is the culmination of the Chapter House experience: the return home through history, literature, and the English language at its height.\u003c\/strong\u003e Chapter IV brings children to the Odyssey, Anglo history, and Shakespeare, completing the arc of the Western Canon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe recommend adding the Sixth Grade bundle to extend that work into daily practice through mathematics, grammar, history, and the great novels that mark the transition into mature reading.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"ch-specs__books\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ccite\u003eThe Story of the Odyssey\u003c\/cite\u003e \u003cspan class=\"author\"\u003eAlfred J. Church\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ccite\u003eOur Island Story\u003c\/cite\u003e \u003cspan class=\"author\"\u003eH. E. Marshall\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ccite\u003eTales from Shakespeare\u003c\/cite\u003e \u003cspan class=\"author\"\u003eCharles and Mary Lamb\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ccite\u003eCompanion Pamphlet\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ch-specs__meta\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAges:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9–12\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrades:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4th–6th grade\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e Linen over board, premium smyth sewn binding \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePaper:\u003c\/strong\u003e 60lb white paper, custom printed endpapers \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrations:\u003c\/strong\u003e Restored originals + new color artwork\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eABOUT THE BOOKS\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch4 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Story of the Odyssey\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIf \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Iliad\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a story about war, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a story about what comes after. After the fall of Troy, King Odysseus, the cleverest of the Greek heroes, sets sail for home and spends ten years not getting there. He blinds the cyclops Polyphemus and earns the wrath of Poseidon. He resists the song of the Sirens. He descends to the realm of the dead to consult the shade of a prophet. He spends years trapped on an island. And through it all, back in Ithaca, his wife Penelope holds off a hall full of suitors who have given him up for dead, and his son grows from a boy into a man without him.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlfred J. Church's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story of the Odyssey\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is the direct companion to his \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStory of the Iliad\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e from Chapter III, told in the same clear, slightly archaic prose that preserves the epic's tone without making it inaccessible. Children who have read \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Iliad\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e will find themselves in familiar hands, and in a very different story. Where the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIliad\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e accumulates deaths, the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is, beneath all its violence, a story of homecoming and perseverance. Odysseus does not survive because he is the strongest. He survives because he never quits.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChurch includes pronunciation guides throughout to help with the difficult Greek names, and his narrative brings the major episodes to life with enough vividness to hold even a reluctant reader. Children who have followed the Chapter House series from the beginning will recognize Odysseus here: They first met him as a character in the myths of Chapter I, then saw him at Troy in Chapter III. His homecoming closes the loop.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/chapter.house\/\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChapter House\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e edition features sixteen illustrations: New color art commissioned from Ruxandra Ionce alongside restored classic Flaxman-style line art.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAges 9–12 | 4th–6th grade\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOur Island Story\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eH. E. Marshall's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOur Island Story\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (1905) opens with the words \"Once upon a time.\" This is not an accident. Marshall wanted her history of Britain shelved next to Robinson Crusoe. She did not write it for scholars. She wrote it for children who love stories, and she trusted that the history of Britain, properly told, was as gripping as any adventure novel.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe was right. In 110 chapters, Marshall covers the entire sweep of British history from its mythological origins (Neptune gives the island to his son Albion, echoing Virgil's gift of Roman heritage to the Trojans) through the death of Queen Victoria. The Romans arrive and leave. The Saxons settle. The Danes invade. William the Conqueror takes the throne. The Plantagenets build and fight. Henry VIII marries (and marries). Elizabeth defeats the Armada. Cromwell and Charles. Nelson and Napoleon. Victoria and the Empire. Marshall finds the stories that stick, and she tells them with heroes and villains and no pretense of false objectivity.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor American families, this is not a foreign story. The founding fathers were British. The original colonies were British colonies. The de facto language of this country is English. Understanding Britain is understanding ourselves.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMarshall includes King Arthur and Robin Hood alongside Magna Carta and the Battle of Agincourt, because she understood that the tall tales of a civilization are as important as its verified facts. \"They are part of Our Island Story,\" she wrote, \"and ought not to be forgotten.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/chapter.house\/\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChapter House\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e edition restores all of A. S. Forrest's original color illustrations and includes an editorial note addressing Marshall's imperial-era perspectives on other peoples.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAges 9–12 | 4th–6th grade\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTales from Shakespeare\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShakespeare is the mountain. Every student of English literature must eventually climb it. Phrases we use without thinking (\"too much of a good thing,\" \"it's Greek to me,\" \"all that glitters,\" \"the lady doth protest too much,\" \"the world's my oyster\") come from his plays. He is not merely part of the English literary tradition. He is part of the English language itself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCharles and Mary Lamb's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTales from Shakespeare\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (1807) has been introducing children to the plays for over two centuries. Their method is elegant: Retell each play as a prose narrative, preserving Shakespeare's own language wherever the story will bear it. Twenty plays are included: The great tragedies, the comedies, the romances. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHamlet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMacbeth\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRomeo and Juliet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOthello\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKing Lear\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Tempest\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Midsummer Night's Dream\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Merchant of Venice\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs You Like It\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTwelfth Night\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne of the gifts this book gives is recognition. A child who has read the Lambs' retelling of Hamlet and then watches \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Lion King\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e will suddenly understand what the film was doing: The uncle, the father's ghost, the young prince who hesitates. Stories that came after Shakespeare are full of him, and once a child knows the plays, those echoes are everywhere.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Lambs wrote for children who had not yet read the plays themselves. They do not rewrite Shakespeare in modern English. They use his words, embedded in their own prose, so that a child absorbs the rhythms and vocabulary of the plays without realizing it. When that child later encounters \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHamlet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e or \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Tempest\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e in its original form, the language will feel familiar. That is the gift.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt is worth knowing that the lives of Charles and Mary Lamb were worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy themselves. Mary, who suffered from severe mental illness, murdered their mother in 1796. Charles dedicated his life to her care. Despite this, they presided over a literary circle that included Coleridge and Wordsworth, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTales from Shakespeare\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e remains the finest introduction to the plays ever written.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/chapter.house\/\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChapter House\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e edition restores more than thirty illustrations by Louis Rhead, a feature no other edition currently in print provides.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAges 9–12 | 4th–6th grade\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Chapter IV Pamphlet\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli aria-level=\"1\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cp role=\"presentation\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Virtus et Miraculum\":\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e The founding essay of Chapter House. An argument for why virtue is the proper aim of education and why story is the best way to cultivate it, drawing on Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Confucius, and St. John Chrysostom.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli aria-level=\"1\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cp role=\"presentation\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIntroduction to Chapter IV: The Odyssey of Europe:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e An overview of all three books and how they fit together.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli aria-level=\"1\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cp role=\"presentation\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLiterary Essays:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Individual essays on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story of the Odyssey\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (including the contrast with the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIliad\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Odysseus as a prefigurement of Christ, and how to use Pope's translation alongside Church's prose), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOur Island Story\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (British heritage as American heritage, Marshall's method, the importance of tall tales in national memory), and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTales from Shakespeare\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (why Shakespeare matters, how the Lambs' method works, the biographical context of Charles and Mary Lamb, and Shakespeare's phrases embedded in modern English).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli aria-level=\"1\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cp role=\"presentation\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHow to Enjoy These Titles with Your Children:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Guidance for the upper-elementary years, including written narrations, pre-reading for parent discussion, and using maps alongside the history text.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli aria-level=\"1\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cp role=\"presentation\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Sample Day with Chapter IV:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e A full sample daily schedule showing how the Chapter House books fit alongside mathematics, handwriting, nature study, and other subjects.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli aria-level=\"1\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cp role=\"presentation\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn Introduction to Homeschooling:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e For families new to home education.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli aria-level=\"1\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cp role=\"presentation\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Survey of Educational Philosophies:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Charlotte Mason, Classical, Montessori, Waldorf, and Orton-Gillingham approaches.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli aria-level=\"1\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cp role=\"presentation\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhy You Should Read the Bible:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e A case for biblical literacy regardless of faith background, with a reading list.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli aria-level=\"1\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cp role=\"presentation\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Note to Christian Parents Apprehensive About Ancient Mythology:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e A thorough response to concerns about pagan mythology, drawing on St. Paul, St. Basil the Great, J. R. R. Tolkien, and C. S. Lewis.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli aria-level=\"1\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cp role=\"presentation\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGreek vs. Roman Names:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e A reference table for the gods and heroes who appear across the series.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Chapter House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43006711005232,"sku":"CH-IV","price":99.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/4398\/9040\/files\/CH_4_BoxSet.webp?v=1777948160","url":"https:\/\/passage.press\/products\/chapter-iv","provider":"Passage Publishing","version":"1.0","type":"link"}