Adams' Map of History Book: Which One to Get
Adams' Map of History is a chart, not a book. This page explains the books that go with it, so you can choose the right one.
In short: Sebastian C. Adams' Map of History, also called the Adams Time Chart or the Synchronological Chart, is one long illustrated chart first registered in 1871. Printed reprints are sometimes bound as fold-out books. Here you will find digital PDF books that explain the chart panel by panel, a Printable Edition to print the chart yourself, and a family edition to read with children. Everything is digital: nothing is mailed to you.
The books at a glance
The Complete Study Edition: $39 (instead of $70 bought one by one)
All ten panels in one volume of 1,061 pages, also as ten separate books, plus the whole Printable Edition.
For: Teachers, study groups and anyone who wants the whole chart explained.
Study Edition, one panel at a time: $5 to $9 a book
One book per panel, from 50 to 187 pages, with the panel to print at home.
For: Readers who want to study one period.
The Printable Edition: $12
The whole chart as PDF files to print yourself: on 12 sheets in a quarter of an hour, or in large format on 96 sheets that join into one continuous chart, with a printing guide.
For: Anyone who wants the chart itself on paper.
Illustrated Family Edition: Panel 1: $7
The history told in plain, simple words, with a large color picture on every page. Panel 1 is available; panels 2 to 10 are coming soon.
For: Children and families reading together.
See the Complete Study Edition
What is inside a Study Edition book
- Every panel of Adams’ chart explained, detail by detail.
- Adams’ own words and pictures, the King James text and the books he relied on.
- The panel to print and assemble at home.
The ten Study Edition books
Each book covers one panel of the chart. Open a book to look inside before you buy.
- Panel 1: The First Generations, c. 4004–3500 BC · 50 pages · $5
- Panel 2: The Patriarchs, c. 3500–2900 BC · 70 pages · $5
- Panel 3: Noah and the Deluge, c. 2900–2300 BC · 65 pages · $5
- Panel 4: Abraham and the Early Empires, c. 2300–1700 BC · 70 pages · $5
- Panel 5: The Exodus, c. 1700–1100 BC · 108 pages · $7
- Panel 6: Kings, Prophets and Empires, c. 1100–500 BC · 123 pages · $7
- Panel 7: Greece and Rome, c. 500 BC–AD 100 · 146 pages · $9
- Panel 8: The Fall of Rome, c. AD 100–700 · 118 pages · $9
- Panel 9: Charlemagne and the Crusades, c. AD 700–1300 · 120 pages · $9
- Panel 10: Discovery and Revolution, c. AD 1300–1878 · 187 pages · $9
Bought one by one, the ten books cost $70. The Complete Study Edition is $39 and includes the whole Printable Edition.
Which one should I choose?
- I want the whole chart explained. Choose the Complete Study Edition: all ten books in one volume, and each as a separate file.
- I am studying one period. Choose the book of that panel, from $5. Each book page lets you look inside before you buy.
- I want the chart on paper. Choose the Printable Edition, then print it at home or at a print shop. Nothing is mailed to you.
- I want to read it with children. Choose the Illustrated Family Edition. It is sold separately: the Complete Study Edition does not include it.
- I only want to look first. The whole chart is free to explore, and a free Teacher’s Guide lesson comes by email.
Questions about the Adams Map of History book
Is there a book called “Adams Synchronological Chart or Map of History”?
That is the title of Adams’ chart itself. It was first published in 1871 as one long fold-out chart, and modern reprints are often bound as fold-out books, which is why it is listed as a book. You can explore the chart free on adamschart.org, and the Study Edition explains it in one book per panel.
Are these printed books?
No. They are digital PDF books: your download links appear on screen right after payment and are sent to your email address. Nothing is mailed to you. You may print pages for your own study, your family or your classroom.
Which book should I read first?
Start with the panel of the period you care about. Panel 1, The First Generations, covers c. 4004–3500 BC and costs $5.
Is the chart itself free?
Yes. The whole chart is free to explore on adamschart.org: you can zoom into every panel and search more than 13,000 transcribed entries.
What is the difference between the Study Edition and the Printable Edition?
The Study Edition explains the chart panel by panel, in books. The Printable Edition gives you the chart itself as PDF files to print. The Complete Study Edition includes the whole Printable Edition.
Is there a PDF of Adams’ Map of History?
Yes: the Printable Edition ($12) gives you the whole chart as PDF files to print at home, on 12 sheets or in large format on 96 sheets, or at a print shop. The Study Edition explains each panel in a PDF book.
Start with the chart itself.
Zoom into every panel and search more than 13,000 entries by name, date, nation or event. It's free, with nothing to download.
Text by Heritage Chronology Press. Chart by Sebastian C. Adams, 1881 edition (public domain). Digital PDF files; no printed chart or book is shipped. Spotted an error? Tell us at [email protected]. More about the chart: What is Adams' Map of History?