The Story of Mankind (The Bestsellers of 1922)

Rating:
Summary: My Childhood Love
Review: All of us have that book which we remember fondly from childhood, that one book we saw in the school library which we wish were ours so we could keep it in our own private place and read over and over again. Van Loon's Story of Mankind is that book for me. Van Loon does a tremendous service to the study of history. Even though this is a childrens book Van Loon does not ignore or alter the facts of history so that he can comfort instead of educate the child who may be reading the book. And even though the book reads like one big bedtime story, Van Loon always tries to remain objective and never force his opinion on the reader. When he talks about Napolean he makes it very obvious that he does not like the man or what he stood for, but he also tells the reader that his grandfather fought alongside the man and that he(Van Loon) would have probably fought alongside him as well, that's just the kind of man Napolean was. At an age where you will believe almost anything told to you, especially by a man who has written a book, Van Loon tries to give the child both an appreciation for history and a sense of objectivity about events. This was one of the first books, if not the first book, that showed me that everything is not always black and white, good and evil, but shades and gradations of good and evil. I read this to all my nephews, and when they don't know what to read I hand them this book, hoping it will make them a wiser person for listening to Van Loon's lessons.

Rating:
Summary: the story of mankind
Review: As a history minor and professional journalist I've read my share of history books but by far this book is the best I've ever read. Sure there are more scholarly volumes written on the rise of humanity but the author takes our collective tale and puts it in a form in which children can understand and adults can draw joy from. By all means this is a kids book but when you consider how many of us have been pushed away and unknowingly punished by history professors who thought it more important to tell us dates and not the story of the people making the dates significant, this book can be a valuable asset to adults. In a world which is being dumbed down this story, written on a childs level, may even be more apperciated. However to say this text is "DUMB" or lacking intelligence and well crafted words would be an injustice.. It's an incredible book. I have the hard back volume and it will stay in my family for the rest of time. I look forward to the day when my youngest son returns it to me after reading it and says, "Thanks dad". Yes this book is that good.. God Bless.. Ross Guidotti..

Rating:
Summary: The greatest history book and first Newberry prize winner
Review: As you can see from the rating that I gave this book I think The Story of Mankind is an excellent piece of literature. So far I haven't encountered such a well-written book that is dedicated to teaching children about history. The schoolbooks may have fancy pictures, text, and so on, but they always drone on and on using whole pages for one simple thought or idea. The Story of Mankind is different, in a simple but extraordinary way. The book reaches out to all parts of history yet does not run around important details to get to a slightly larger event. In my eyes, The Story of Mankind is more interesting and teaches more than the typical schoolbook. I can't understand why schools don't include this book in their history program. If this book were a part of the curriculum I would be very content knowing that a great Newberry book is being read in every school and possibly by every person in the world. I have never seen or read a book so full of knowledge, poetic, or flowing as The Story of Mankind.

Rating:
Summary: An absolute must for any well educated child.
Review: Every child should read this book. The narrative reads as though your own grandfather was telling you the wonderful stories of history. All children who read The Story of Mankind will began to understand why the world operates the way it does. This book provides the young mind with the frame work for any good historical education.

Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this book for your kids! You may like it too.
Review: I borrowed this book (written in 1920's) from the library and really enjoyed reading it. Beginning with probable cavemen's cultural dawn, Van Loon describes Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek, Roman, and European civilizaitons and histories (except one chapter for Indian and Chinese). This book must be especialy good for teens to start with human history. It is written in easy way but doesn't miss the major historical episodes and how the history flows and transits. The book also makes me smile often because it has plenty of jokes. And I like also van Loon's way of expressing and metaphores. It is too bad I could not find his other books from the stores.

Rating:
Summary: Clear, easy to read, no previous knowledge required
Review: I came across this book several years ago. I've not found any other author who could so clearly relate events of different places in such an interesting way. It would be great to have other of his books reprinted.

Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: I first read this book in 1960 as a paperback (Pocket Library, 50 cents!) and was fascinated. Now I'm reading it to my 14-year-old son, and we're both fascinated. What we like is that it gives a broad sweep of history, explaining why things happened and why they're important. The author doesn't place a lot of emphasis on dates and battles and such, just the grand sweep. If your young adults are tired of all those reading lists that recommend only fiction, here's just the non-fiction book for them.

Rating:
Summary: Should be required reading for young adults.
Review: I first read this book in High School. It sparked an interest in history in me that has burned bright ever since. It, by itself, almost caused me to become a history major in college. Van Loon's style and presentation was the key. Instead of a dry recitation of dates and people, Van Loon puts you on the scene, you can smell the campfires, the thoughts the common folk might have had as they participated in the events, great and not so great, of our roots. As a sublime introduction to history for the young adult, a perfect follow-up for the adult reader is the "Outline of History" by H.G. Wells. I would put both books as required reading at some point in a humans life.

BK

Rating:
Summary: A book full of poor science, history and morality.
Review: I really like the selections that get the Newbery awards so it was a real dissapointment when I tried to read this book. The style of writing did not grab hold of me and I found the author's opinions annoying. Althogether a waste of money.

Rating:
Summary: Newbery got it wrong
Review: I really like the selections that get the Newbery awards so it was a real dissapointment when I tried to read this book. The style of writing did not grab hold of me and I found the author's opinions annoying. Althogether a waste of money.