Salem Ridge Press is a publishing company that strives to bring quality historical literature into reproduction for future generations to use. Daniel Mills and his family strive to be a blessing to others by providing literature that fits Biblical qualifications. They do this through their work at Salem Ridge Press.
Salem Ridge Press provides reproductions of various works from past authors on many topics. You can find historical fictions in World History, Church History and American History. Adventures like George Alfred Henty: The Story of an Active Life and Yussef the Guide. There are also several young readers available from Salem Ridge Press.
You can search the website alphabetically, by time period and location, author or age range. Books are available covering from 1500 B.C. to 1793 A.D. sharing life stories from several countries and authors around the world. Each book is sure to bring History to life.
For this review, we were offered one of several books to choose from. I chose Sowing Beside All Waters: A Tale of the World in the Church by Emma Leslie. Emma Leslie is also known as Emma Dixon and is a well known author of Victorian children’s literature. She lived in Lewisham, Kent from 1837- 1909. Emma provided a strong Christian influence on her writing that is still profoundly relevant today. Her works covered many prevalent periods in church history.
Sowing Beside All Waters is set in the Roman Empire during 313 through 363 A.D. It covers the periods of Constantine, Athanasius, Augustine, and the Council of Nicea. Many other historical figures were also covered throughout the book such as Diocletian, Arius, Julian, and Saint Anthony the Great. This book begins with a brief synopsis of each of these plus many more in the section titled Historical Notes. A list of important dates as well as a map of the area at the time is also provided in the first pages of the book before beginning the actual story.
As you read through the book, the reader will find vocabulary provided complete with definitions at the bottom of each page. This allows the reader to learn the meaning of differing terms while reading through each chapter. Biblical verse reference is also provided as they are mentioned throughout the book at the bottom of the referenced page. Several images can be found throughout to help bring this story to life for the reader.
Sowing Beside All Waters tell the story of Quadratus and his family as they struggle to adjust to the changes brought forth after Emperor Constantine proclaims Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire. Each one chooses a differing path to follow but somehow they all prevail in remaining faithful to Christianity even through all the trials and challenges of the times.
I used this book personally as reading material for myself due to time constraints with my book not being shipped on time. I will use this as a read aloud for our future school year. The story is well written and easily understood, providing a great deal of knowledge throughout the book. I personally enjoy historical fictions and this one will top my list for future suggestions.
Sowing Beside All Waters was originally published in 1875. It was written for ages 12 through adult. It is available from Salem Ridge Press for $14.95 in softcover or $24.95 as a hardcover book.
For more reviews of Salem Ridge Press books, please visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog!
