# Is "The Story of Mankind" by Hendrik Willem van Loon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon (Boni & Liveright, 1921) is identified by: First printing of 1921 with no printing or edition notice on the copyright page beyond the initial copyright; later printings add a 'Second printing' (and so on) notice. The US Boni & Liveright edition of 1921 is the true first (American author, US publisher).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of 1921 with no printing or edition notice on the copyright page beyond the initial copyright; later printings add a 'Second printing' (and so on) notice
- Written and profusely illustrated by van Loon himself with pen-and-ink drawings, maps, and color plates
- Issued in publisher's pictorial cloth with a paste-on cover illustration
- Publisher imprint reads Boni & Liveright
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Hendrik Willem van Loon |
| Publisher | Boni & Liveright |
| Year | 1921 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing of 1921 with no printing or edition notice on the copyright page beyond the initial copyright; later printings add a 'Second… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing of 1921 with no printing or edition notice on the copyright page beyond the initial copyright; later printings add a 'Second printing' (and so on) notice. Written and profusely illustrated by van Loon himself with pen-and-ink drawings, maps, and color plates. Issued in publisher's pictorial cloth with a paste-on cover illustration. Octavo.

## Is this the true first?
The US Boni & Liveright edition of 1921 is the true first (American author, US publisher). It was the first book awarded the Newbery Medal (1922).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Liveright reprinted and revised the book repeatedly over the following decades; revised and updated editions carry later title-page dates and additional chapters. Any copy with a printing notice later than the first, or a post-1921 title-page date, is not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Story of Mankind* by Hendrik Willem van Loon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-story-of-mankind
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.