#hendrick van loon

[nemfrog]

The factory. Hendrik Van Loon. The Survey. May 15, 1929. Prelinger Library. 

[uwmspeccoll]

Anniversary of the first John Newbery Medal

June 27th is the anniversary of the first Newbery Medal presentation ceremony. It was held in Detroit during the meeting of the Children’s Librarians’ Section at the 1922 American Library Association conference. The section is now the Association for Library Service to Children and has more than 4,000 members.

The John Newbery Medal is awarded for distinguished writing in a book for children—it grew out of the desire to encourage writers and artists to contribute to the field of children’s books.

Hendrick Willem van Loon’s book The Story of Mankind was the first Newbery Medal winner after receiving 163 of 212 votes. Van Loon, a controversial figure, brought to children’s books a bold and animated narrative style that hadn’t been seen before. Our copy of The Story of Mankind published in 1921 by Boni & Liveright, Inc. is signed by the author.

(Elleman, B. (2007). The John Newbery Medal: The first decade, The Newbery and Caldecott Awards, 2007 ed. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.)

[mediaexposed]

Any formal attack on ignorance is bound to fail because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession – their ignorance.

Hendrick Van Loon