Well-Trained Mind Press

Well-Trained Mind Press is an American educational publishing company focused on books and curriculum materials for homeschooling, classical education, and family-directed learning. The company was founded by author and educator Susan Wise Bauer and was formerly known as Peace Hill Press. Its publishing identity is closely connected to Bauer's influential book The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, first published by W. W. Norton in 1999. That book presented a structured classical-education model organized around stages of learning commonly associated with the trivium: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. It became an important reference for families seeking to organize home education around history, literature, language, science, and the Great Books tradition. The press's catalog centers on practical resources rather than general trade publishing. Its best-known line is The Story of the World, a multi-volume history program written by Bauer for children and their families. The series presents world history in narrative form and is accompanied by activity books, tests, and other resources intended for classroom or homeschool use. The press has also issued or distributed related curriculum products, including materials for writing, history, and classical education. Some works connected with Bauer's broader bibliography, including books published by W. W. Norton or other commercial publishers, are not necessarily Well-Trained Mind Press imprints. The business serves a primarily English-speaking homeschooling audience, particularly families interested in a planned, literature-rich, historically sequenced curriculum. Its products are designed for use by parents, co-ops, tutors, and small educational settings as well as individual students. The company’s website functions as both a publishing outlet and a direct-to-consumer resource for curriculum information and purchasing. Well-Trained Mind Press is associated with Bauer's experience as a homeschooled student, parent, author, and university English faculty member. Her educational writing helped establish the intellectual and practical framework around which the press's brand developed. The press's catalog has expanded beyond the original guide to classical education, but its identity remains tied to organized home instruction and the adaptation of classical methods for contemporary families. The available reference material does not establish a precise incorporation year, ownership structure, headquarters, revenue, employee count, or public-company status. It does establish that the company previously operated under the name Peace Hill Press and that Bauer is its founder. The brand remains active through its official website and continuing curriculum publications, including revised editions of The Story of the World series.

Well-Trained Mind Press developed from Susan Wise Bauer's work on classical education and homeschooling. Bauer was homeschooled as a child and later became an author, university English faculty member, and homeschooling parent. Her most important early educational publication was The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, published by W. W. Norton in 1999. The book offered families a systematic approach to home education based on classical learning stages and the sustained study of history, literature, language, science, and primary texts. Its reception helped make Bauer a prominent writer within the modern homeschooling movement. Bauer followed the original guide with The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had in 2003. Although these early books were published by outside trade publishers, they established the concepts and audience that later defined the Well-Trained Mind Press brand. The company's earlier name was Peace Hill Press, and it subsequently became known as Well-Trained Mind Press, aligning the publishing identity more directly with Bauer's best-known educational work. The press's major publishing focus has been curriculum for children and families. The Story of the World series provides a chronological narrative of world history across four volumes, moving from ancient history through the modern period. The program is designed to be used with supplementary activities and assessment materials, making it suitable for homeschooling families and cooperative learning groups. Revised editions of later volumes were published by Well-Trained Mind Press, including volumes covering early modern times and the modern age. The company's catalog exists within a wider body of work by Bauer. She has written historical surveys, children's books, educational guides, and works on literature, religion, and public culture. Several of those books were published by W. W. Norton, Princeton University Press, or other publishers and should not automatically be treated as Well-Trained Mind Press titles. Conversely, the press's identity is strongly shaped by Bauer's authorship and by the practical use of its materials in home-education settings. The press operates in a specialized segment of educational publishing. Rather than presenting itself as a general-interest house, it emphasizes parent-directed instruction, classical methodology, and integrated history and humanities study. Its website provides information about the company's curriculum and serves as a direct channel for its educational products. Bauer's books have also been translated or published in several foreign markets, although the available material does not establish which of those editions were issued directly by Well-Trained Mind Press. The reference material does not provide a confirmed founding date, corporate ownership details, financial information, headquarters address, or a complete list of staff and executives. The documented history nevertheless shows a clear progression from Bauer's influential educational writing to a dedicated publishing operation serving the homeschooling and classical-education communities. The company remains active, with revised curriculum editions forming an important part of its continuing catalog.

• 2021

  Publication of the revised Modern Age volume

  [2]Susan Wise Baueren.wikipedia.org

  The fourth volume of The Story of the World, covering the modern period, was issued in a revised edition by Well-Trained Mind Press.

• 2020

  Publication of the revised Early Modern Times volume

  [2]Susan Wise Baueren.wikipedia.org

  The third volume of The Story of the World, covering early modern history, was issued in a revised edition by Well-Trained Mind Press.

• 2007

  The Story of the World expands to the Middle Ages

  [2]Susan Wise Baueren.wikipedia.org

  The second volume of The Story of the World, covering the Middle Ages, was published under the Well-Trained Mind Press name.

• 2006

  Publication of The Story of the World: Ancient Times revised edition

  [2]Susan Wise Baueren.wikipedia.org

  A revised edition of the first volume of The Story of the World series was published, establishing the historical narrative curriculum as a significant part of Bauer's educational catalog.

• 2003

  Publication of The Well-Educated Mind

  [2]Susan Wise Baueren.wikipedia.org

  Bauer published The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, extending the classical-education approach to adult self-education and reinforcing her reputation as an educational author.

• 1999

  Publication of The Well-Trained Mind

  [2]Susan Wise Baueren.wikipedia.org

  Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise published The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home through W. W. Norton. The book provided the intellectual framework associated with the later Well-Trained Mind Press brand.

A specialist educational publisher for families and educators seeking structured, classical, literature-centered homeschooling resources.

• History curriculum · 2006

  The Story of the World

  The Story of the World is a four-volume narrative history program for children and families. It organizes world history chronologically, beginning with ancient societies and continuing through the modern era. The program is designed for read-aloud use and is supported by activity books, tests, and other instructional materials, allowing families to combine historical storytelling with hands-on work, review, and assessment. It is one of the central product lines associated with Well-Trained Mind Press.

• Classical education guides · 1999

  The Well-Trained Mind curriculum resources

  This group of resources presents methods for organizing a classical education at home. The approach commonly divides learning into stages associated with grammar, logic, and rhetoric and integrates history, literature, language, science, and composition. The original guide was published by W. W. Norton, while the broader educational framework became the foundation for the Well-Trained Mind Press identity and its related curriculum catalog.

• Educational supplements

  History and humanities supplements

  Well-Trained Mind Press's educational offering includes supporting materials intended to help parents and teachers use its core history and classical-education programs. These resources may include activity materials, assessments, teaching guidance, and related humanities content. The available references confirm the existence of supplementary materials associated with The Story of the World, but do not provide a complete catalog.

1. 1Well-Trained Mind Press official websitewelltrainedmind.com
2. 2Susan Wise Baueren.wikipedia.org