Chapter House

We made books built to outlast us. Cloth bound with smyth-sewn bindings, printed in the United States. Twelve children's classics across four box sets, Æsop to Shakespeare. Chapter House is open for pre-order. Our first limited print run will ship in June. chapter.house

If you’ve been educated in the West, you should have read and have a basic understanding of Homer, The Bible, and Shakespeare. I don’t know why this is controversial 🙄

Chapter House is proud to be a sponsor of this week’s @thsc convention! We hope to see you there in the Woodlands! events.thsc.org/2026TexasHomeS…

On this Memorial Day, a tale of courage and duty from James Baldwin’s Fifty Famous Stories Retold: Once there was a war between the Roman people and the Etruscans who lived in the towns on the other side of the Tiber River. Porsena, the King of the Etruscans, raised a great army, and marched toward Rome. The city had never been in so great danger. The Romans did not have very many fighting men at that time, and they knew that they were not strong enough to meet the Etruscans in open battle. So they kept themselves inside of their walls, and set guards to watch the roads. One morning the army of Porsena was seen coming over the hills from the north. There were thousands of horsemen and footmen, and they were marching straight toward the wooden bridge which spanned the river at Rome. "What shall we do?" said the white-haired Fathers who made the laws for the Roman people. "If they once gain the bridge, we cannot hinder them from crossing; and then what hope will there be for the town?" Now, among the guards at the bridge, there was a brave man named Horatius. He was on the farther side of the river, and when he saw that the Etruscans were so near, he called out to the Romans who were behind him. "Hew down the bridge with all the speed that you can!" he cried. "I, with the two men who stand by me, will keep the foe at bay." Then, with their shields before them, and their long spears in their hands, the three brave men stood in the road, and kept back the horsemen whom Porsena had sent to take the bridge. On the bridge the Romans hewed away at the beams and posts. Their axes rang, the chips flew fast; and soon it trembled, and was ready to fall. "Come back! come back, and save your lives!" they cried to Horatius and the two who were with him. But just then Porsena's horsemen dashed toward them again. "Run for your lives!" said Horatius to his friends. "I will keep the road." They turned, and ran back across the bridge. They had hardly reached the other side when there was a crashing of beams and timbers. The bridge toppled over to one side, and then fell with a great splash into the water. When Horatius heard the sound, he knew that the city was safe. With his face still toward Porsena's men, he moved slowly back-ward till he stood on the river's bank. A dart thrown by one of Porsena's soldiers put out his left eye; but he did not falter. He cast his spear at the foremost horseman, and then he turned quickly around. He saw the white porch of his own home among the trees on the other side of the stream; "And he spake to the noble river That rolls by the walls of Rome: 'O Tiber! father Tiber! To whom the Romans pray, A Roman's life, a Roman's arms, Take thou in charge today.'" He leaped into the deep, swift stream. He still had his heavy armor on; and when he sank out of sight, no one thought that he would ever be seen again. But he was a strong man, and the best swimmer in Rome. The next minute he rose. He was half-way across the river, and safe from the spears and darts which Porsena's soldiers hurled after him. Soon he reached the farther side, where his friends stood ready to help him. Shout after shout greeted him as he climbed upon the bank. Then Porsena's men shouted also, for they had never seen a man so brave and strong as Horatius. He had kept them out of Rome, but he had done a deed which they could not help but praise. As for the Romans, they were very grateful to Horatius for having saved their city. They called him Horatius Co´cles, which meant the "one-eyed Horatius," because he had lost an eye in defending the bridge; they caused a fine statue of brass to be made in his honor; and they gave him as much land as he could plow around in a day. And for hundreds of years afterwards— "With weeping and with laugh-ter, Still was the story told, How well Horatius kept the bridge In the brave days of old."

@EvieSolheim This is why we started Chapter House. chapter.house

IT’S TIME FOR CONSERVATIVES TO PROMOTE EXCELLENCE IN CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING (THREAD) The New York Times just published a story about popular children’s author Mac Barnett’s quasi-cancellation after he wrote that “94.7% of children’s books are crud.” Barnett isn’t just a random author; he’s the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a post that comes with an office in the Library of Congress.

@dimitripilled Yes, but that is for another time.

Do people realize that Star Wars is also slop

@DanielleBFranz This is why we set out to make beautiful books.

Sometimes I don’t buy a book because the cover would make my shelf look bad. Publishers need to do better, I refuse to feel bad about it! Design matters, stop printing ugly books!

@balajis @thewagonbox That is the bet we made two years ago when we started Chapter House.

The digital divide has reversed. Digital is cheap, ubiquitous, often fake. Physical is the premium product now.

@MuseZack They drank from deeper waters.

How did the Looney Tunes writers assume their audience would get Of Mice and Men references? Was a movie adaptation really popular, or was Steinbeck a lot more widely read back then?

@DeanDeeann51268 @Rux_Dacoromana Hmm, we should see about getting that in the store.

@ChHouseBooks When I was looking for illustrators, it was imperative my characters be realistic, and the book overflow with truth, wisdom, goodness and beauty. I was fortunate to meet @Rux_Dacoromana who far exceeded what I could have imagined.

Is Eric Carle’s artwork beautiful or horrendous? This is a hot topic of debate inside Chapter House.

@bob_noss Exactly

@ChHouseBooks 1977: George Lucas creates Star Wars out of a cunning blend of high and low popular culture. 2026: Disney creates Star Wars out of previous Star Wars.

The best pop culture was always downstream of high culture. Meyer, George Lucas, and the original writers of The Simpsons drank from deeper waters. Now, pop culture writers are exclusively consumers of pop culture and the water has become much thinner.

Beauty is not "high class" or "low class". Beauty, like goodness and truth, is the birth right of and accessible to every human being on earth should they choose to aspire to their noblest natures.

Really cool project from @MTMehan. Great reading for kids. Just in time for America 250. Please support people who are bringing these stories to life.

Western culture is worth fighting for.

"It’s good. It’s clean. It’s fun. It might even be the one that gets you back into reading, if you haven’t picked something up in a while." --The Federalist's Graham Bradley on The Hunt for Confederate Gold, book 1 in the American Treasures Hunters series. thefederalist.com/2026/05/20/new… @FDRLST @TempusMalleo

You do not outgrow the best stories. You grow into them. We make our editions so a child can hear Stories of Beowulf for the dragon and return years later for the courage it takes to face one. The book does not change. The reader does. That is why they are bound to outlast childhood itself.

@TarynA83 If he likes Percy Jackson, he should love the work of Margaret Evans Price, who created illustrated versions of the Greek myths.

Good summer reading list for a 13 yo reluctant reader, boy?? He likes Wings of Fire and Percy Jackson. Want some reading to challenge him.

@writriverdale You should look into Margaret Evans Price.

So these are the best sources for Greek mythology from what I have been hearing around the internet?

A textbook gives you the date. A living book gives you the weight. Most of what is marketed to children does neither. virtueandwonder.com/p/the-90-secon…