The Council's databases, developed since 1986, survey key states and large school districts annually to determine what are the nation's most widely adopted textbooks in history and social studies. Based on major adoptions in Texas (2003) and California (2005) as well as in Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, and New York, the American Textbook Council has identified the nation's most widely adopted United States and world history textbooks used in elementary and secondary schools, or new textbooks that are being introduced nationwide by the four major publishers.

The Council is often asked to award grades or make blanket recommendations about history textbooks, a practice that we try to avoid. Too many variables enter into the textbook selection process. The premier problem in history and social studies textbooks is the lack of real choice that teachers have. Almost every textbook varies internally by lesson and unit, making assessments of overall quality difficult.

To give some guidance to educators who need quick assistance and a place to begin, the history textbooks listed below that have been adjudged in content and design satisfactory or superior to their competition in previous Council bulletins and studies are marked with a plus (+). Textbooks that have been adjudged grossly deficient or inaccurate in reviews are marked with a minus (-). Unmarked textbooks are of mixed quality. Each of the following textbooks is identified alphabetically by publisher, first designated author, and abridged title. BL indicates a book that has been backlisted, i.e., is no longer being promoted and is either being retired or turned into a niche seller.

1. Elementary social studies (multi-grade programs)
   

   	Harcourt/Holt	Social Studies (+)
   	Houghton Mifflin	Social Studies
   	Houghton Mifflin	We the People (-)
   	McGraw-Hill	Adventures in Time and Place (-)
   	Pearson/Core Knowledge	History and Geography (+)
   	Pearson/Scott Foresman	Social Studies

   Of the new social studies programs introduced into California in 2005, the newly produced Holt and Prentice Hall sixth and seventh grade world history textbooks are the strongest, best organized instructional materials available for these grade levels. Of special distinction is the ten-volume Oxford University Press series called "A History of US," a panoramic narrative of American history. These highly regarded trade books, originally published in 1991 and adopted by several states as history textbooks, are aimed at fifth and eighth graders. They may be used in classrooms as alternatives to standard textbooks or as supplemental texts.
   

2. Secondary social studies textbooks
   

   The following books have major adoptions that, combined, hold an estimated 80 percent of the national market in United States and world history, grades eight to twelve.

   1. United States history
      

      This first group of textbooks is aimed at the eighth-grade level, even though some are widely adopted for use in high school classrooms as easy readers.
      

      McGraw-Hill/Glencoe	Appleby	American Journey
      Pearson/Prentice Hall	Davidson	The American Nation (-)
      Harcourt/Holt	Deverell	United States History (new)
      Houghton Mifflin/McDougal	Garcia	Creating America (new)
      BL Harcourt/Holt	Stuckey	Call to Freedom

      
      This group of textbooks is aimed at the eleventh grade:
      

      Harcourt/Holt	Ayers	American Anthem (new)
      Pearson/Prentice Hall	Boorstin	A History of the United States (+)
      Pearson/Prentice Hall	Cayton	America: Pathways to the Present (+)
      Houghton Mifflin/McDougal	Danzer	The Americans
      McGraw-Hill/Glencoe	Nash	American Odyssey (-)
      BL Harcourt/Holt	Boyer	Boyer's The American Nation (-)

   2. World history
      

      This group of textbooks is aimed at grades seven and eight:
      

      Pearson/Prentice Hall	Ahmad	World Cultures
      Harcourt/Holt	Helgren	People, Places, and Change (-)
      Houghton Mifflin	Nash	To See a World (-)
      McGraw-Hill/Glencoe	Spielvogel	Journey Across Time
      McGraw-Hill/Glencoe	Greenblatt	Human Heritage (+)

      This group of textbooks is aimed at grades nine and above:
      

      Pearson/Prentice Hall	Ellis	Connections to Today (-)
      Houghton Mifflin/McDougal	Garcia	Patterns of Interaction
      Harcourt/Holt	n.a.	The Human Journey
      McGraw-Hill/Glencoe	Spielvogel	World History (+)
      BL McGraw-Hill/Glencoe	Farah	The Human Experience (+)