The Story of Mankind

The Story of Mankind

by Henrik Willem van Loon

The Story of Mankind (1921) was the first book to win the Newbery Medal for its contribution to children's literature in 1922. It is a summary of western civilization especially for children (though adults will also appreciate the history refresher; a few paragraphs summarize each major event). It is dedicated to his children, Hansje and Willem. We feature it in our collection of Books for Young Readers.

"HIGH Up in the North in the land called Svithjod, there stands a rock. It is a hundred miles high and a hundred miles wide. Once every thousand years a little bird comes to this rock to sharpen its beak. When the rock has thus been worn away, then a single day of eternity will have gone by.'

Table of Contents

Preface
The Setting of the Stage
Our Earliest Ancestors
Prehistoric Man Begins to Make Things for Himself
Hieroglyphics - The Egyptians Invent the Art of Write and the Record of History Begins
The Beginning of Civilisation in the Valley of the Nile
The Rise and Fall of Egypt
Mesopotamia - The Second Centre of Eastern Civilisation
The Sumerians
The Story of Moses, the Leader of the Jewish People
The Phoenicians Who Gave Us Our Alphabet
The Indo-European Persians Conquer the Semitic and the Egyptian World
The Aegean Sea
The Greeks
The Greek Cities That Were Really States
Greek Self-Government
How the Greeks Lived
The Greek Theatre, The First Form of Public Amusement
The Persian Wars
Athens vs. Sparta
Alexander the Great
Rome and Carthage
The Rise of Rome: How Rome Happened
The Roman Empire
The Story of Joshua of Nazarath, Whom the Greeks Called Jesus
The Fall of Rome
Rise of the Church
Mohammed
Charlemagne
The Norsemen
Feudalism
Chivalry
Pope vs. Emperor
The Crusades
The Mediaeval City
Mediaeval Self-Government
The Mediaeval World
Mediaeval Trade
The Renaissance
The Age of Expression
The Great Discoveries
Buddha and Confucius
The Reformation
Religious Warfare
The English Revolution
The Balance of Power
The Rise of Russia
Russia vs. Sweden
The Rise of Prussia
The Mercantile System
The American Revolution
The French Revolution
Napoleon
The Holy Alliance
The Great Reaction
National Independence
The Age of the Engine
The Social Revolution
Emancipation
The Age of Science
A Chapter of Art
Colonial Expansion and War
A New World: The Great War
As It Ever Shall Be
An Historical Reading List for Children