The Story of Mankind
- First published
- 1921
- Reading level
- Plain English
- Price
- Free
About the book
"The Story of Mankind" by Hendrik Willem Van Loon is a history book published in 1921. Written for Van Loon's children, it traces Western civilization from primitive humans through the development of writing, art, and religion to the modern nation-state. Van Loon included only events he deemed essential to understanding civilization's trajectory. The book won the first-ever Newbery Medal in 1922, recognizing its outstanding contribution to children's literature.
- World history
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #754. The Story of Mankind on Wikipedia.
