Winner of the first John Newberry Medal, Hendrik Willem van Loon s The Story of Mankind, originally written for the author s grandchildren, has charmed generations with its warmth and wisdom. Beginning with the origins of human life and sweeping forward to illuminate all of history, van Loon s incomparable prose and illustrations presented a lively rendering of the people and events that have shaped world history. This new edition, updated by best-selling historian Robert Sullivan, continues van Loon s personable style and incorporates the most important developments of the early twenty-first century, including the war on terrorism, global warming, and the explosion of social media. The result remains extremely valid in broad outline if not detail and, as ever, a grand and thought-provoking read (Kirkus Reviews).