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Adventures and Escapes of Gustavus Vasa and How They Carried Him from His Rather Obscure Origin to the Throne of Sweden
Van Loon, Hendrik Willem, Adventures And Escapes Of Gustavus Vasa
136 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1945
3 people want to read
About the author
Hendrik Willem van Loon
290 books80 followersHendrik Willem van Loon (January 14, 1882 – March 11, 1944) was a Dutch-American historian and journalist.
Born in Rotterdam, he went to the United States in 1903 to study at Cornell University. He was a correspondent during the Russian Revolution of 1905 and in Belgium in 1914 at the start of World War I. He later became a professor of history at Cornell University (1915-17) and in 1919 became an American citizen.
From the 1910s until his death, Van Loon wrote many books. Most widely known among these is The Story of Mankind, a history of the world especially for children, which won the first Newbery Medal in 1922. The book was later updated by Van Loon and has continued to be updated, first by his son and later by other historians.
However, he also wrote many other very popular books aimed at young adults. As a writer he was known for emphasizing crucial historical events and giving a complete picture of individual characters, as well as the role of the arts in history. He also had an informal style which, particularly in The Story of Mankind, included personal anecdotes.
Born in Rotterdam, he went to the United States in 1903 to study at Cornell University. He was a correspondent during the Russian Revolution of 1905 and in Belgium in 1914 at the start of World War I. He later became a professor of history at Cornell University (1915-17) and in 1919 became an American citizen.
From the 1910s until his death, Van Loon wrote many books. Most widely known among these is The Story of Mankind, a history of the world especially for children, which won the first Newbery Medal in 1922. The book was later updated by Van Loon and has continued to be updated, first by his son and later by other historians.
However, he also wrote many other very popular books aimed at young adults. As a writer he was known for emphasizing crucial historical events and giving a complete picture of individual characters, as well as the role of the arts in history. He also had an informal style which, particularly in The Story of Mankind, included personal anecdotes.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 8, 2012
This book is totally on my list to buy! The author is funny, especially when he talks about Germans.
My first issue though is that the title indicates the book to be about Gustavus Vasa, really he is not even mentioned in the first 1/3. Instead, Van Loon is trying to convey to American children/young adults of the 1940s what Swedes and Sweden were like hundreds of years ago.
Then he only writes on approximately 5 years of Gustavus's life, and not particularly in depth. But it was fun to read and works as a quick intro on how Sweden became an independent and unified nation.
My first issue though is that the title indicates the book to be about Gustavus Vasa, really he is not even mentioned in the first 1/3. Instead, Van Loon is trying to convey to American children/young adults of the 1940s what Swedes and Sweden were like hundreds of years ago.
Then he only writes on approximately 5 years of Gustavus's life, and not particularly in depth. But it was fun to read and works as a quick intro on how Sweden became an independent and unified nation.
Displaying 1 of 1 review