The Story of Mankind
by . New York: Boni and Liveright. 1921. 8vo, xxviii+479 pp. $5.00.
THIS is a book primarily for children, but even grown-ups will find it interesting. It begins with the beginnings of the earth, describes the rise of mankind to supremacy over all other living creatures, traces the general sequence of human progress, and touches the high spots of history down to the present day. All this is done in a series of sixty-three narrative chapters, each chapter forming a short story which is complete in itself. No attempt is made, of course, to cover all the events in every land: the author has confined his narration to those things which, in his judgment, have left a permanent impression upon the course of history. Even at that there is an abundance of material with which to fill his galloping chapters, most of which fairly swirl with action and romance.
It is unfortunate that Mr. Van Loon comes so closely on the heels of Mr. H. G Wells. Many will imagine, no doubt, that the Story of Mankind is merely a child’s edition of the Outline of History, which is far from being the case. There is no resemblance between the two books, whether in plan, purpose, workmanship, style, or illustrations. Mr. Van Loon has set himself to the less pretentious task and has performed it with more originality. He travels down the ages at a much more rapid pace, passing by those personalities who happen to have no direct, connection with his story and spending none of his precious space in pointing morals. He is not trying to revamp history; he is concerned only with the outstanding facts and forces. His aim has been to weave these into a succession of short stories, which, by their wealth of action, can be trusted to catch the interest of young readers. In the realization of this aim he has succeeded remarkably well.
But with all due respect to Mr. Van Loon’s facility in story-telling, the pictures are the best feature of his book. The author makes for them no claim to artistic excellence, but their usefulness no one will deny. They are intelligible to the average child — which most of the illustrations in historical textbooks are not. This is because they are home-made drawings, which seek to convey ideas or impressions rather than to portray events. Some of them look a bit primitive, to be sure, but so do the products of a child’s own pencil. They are the sort of pictures that a child would draw if his hand were cunning enough. Mr. Van Loon is right in believing that few children ever forget what they have drawn, while most of them easily forget what they have read. Setting youngsters to express their ideas in pictures, no matter how crude, is one of the most useful things in the whole educational process. Mr. Van Loon has done a real service by demonstrating the great possibilities that lie in this direction. Taking text and illustrations together, it would be difficult to imagine a better book from which to give children their first lessons in history.
WILLIAM BENNETT MUNRO.