THE STORY OF MANKIND, THE ARTS by Hendrik Willem Van Loon

"The Story of Mankind by Hendrik van Loon is the perfect companion to get you started on and interested in world history. Written almost one hundred years ago (in 1921), it still provides a good introduction for anyone wanting to take their first steps into learning about many of the events that shaped the world that we live in today. The level of writing suggests the book was initially written with the young adult in mind. But I have read that the book became popular among parents who had initially bought the book for their children. What makes The Story of Mankind worth reading is van Loon's approach to the subject and choice of topics the covered. After reading the short but inspiring introduction on how, as a child, van Loon became interested in history, you are taken in a series of short chapters (each taking approximately 15 minutes to read) through a history of the world in a truly engaging manner..." "She is 13 and expressed new-found interest in History. Old fashioned textbooks are bore for her and she found the Story of Mankind well written and interesting for an 8th grader. The pictures are clear and the book is well put together to last a while maybe her kids will enjoy it when their time comes..."

언제 읽었는지 기억은 잘나지 않지만 'The story of Mankind'를 읽고 이 저자의 팬이 되었다. 이 책의 주요 독자층이 학생들이기 때문인지 읽기에 쉽고 사실을 다루지만 내용이 딱딱하지 않다. 저자의 역사에 대한 지식이 깊다는 것을 알 수 있을 뿐만 아니라 읽고 나면 왠지 인류사에 대한 저자 나름의 따뜻한 이해를 느낄 수 있었다. 사실 이 책은 제1회 뉴베리상을 수상했다. 두 번째로 읽은 그의 책은 'THE ARTS'이다. 책의 무시무시한 페이지는 좀 부담스러웠지만 정말 잘 읽히는 책이다. 다만 서구를 중심으로 한다는 점과 출판 시기가 좀 되었다는 점은 이 책의 단점인 거 같다. 이 저자의 책들은 역사적 사실에 대한 이해만을 얻기 위해서 읽는 것은 아닌 거 같다.