Hendrik Wilhelm Van Loon, Dutch-American. Writer and illustrator of popular historical books. Fang Long's works mostly narrate and comment on historical events and characters in the form of prose. His vivid and humorous writing style allows readers to understand the general context of history in a relaxed way in a short time, and is accompanied by many vivid illustrations drawn by himself. , improve the interest of reading, so it is very popular with general readers. His books are very popular in the United States and have amazing sales. However, in terms of historical research, Fang Long has not achieved corresponding academic status and achievements, and is basically positioned as an "excellent popular history writer". Life

Fanglong was born in 1882 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, into a wealthy family. He has been interested in history, geography, ships, painting and music since childhood. In 1902, he went to the United States alone and entered Cornell University. He received a bachelor's degree in 1905 and a doctorate from the University of Munich in 1911.

Fanglong's early life was not smooth. Although his first book "The Fall of the Dutch Republic" received certain recognition, its sales were not ideal. In 1920, he wrote "Ancient Man" at the invitation of a bookseller, and achieved a certain sales volume, but it was not enough to reverse his financial situation. Before becoming a best-selling author, Van Loon held teaching positions at Cornell University (1915-1917) and Antioch College in Ohio (1921-1922). The school considered his classes very lively and very attractive to students; but relatively Because his history tends to be more popular and free in interpretation and does not conform to the strict and rigorous research methods of the historians, he has been criticized several times by some disapproving or jealous colleagues who considered his teaching to be inconsistent with academic standards and criticized his teaching. It is not helpful to students in rigorous historical research, so Fang Long has resigned due to pressure many times.

Later, with the encouragement of his second wife, he wrote "The Story of Man", which became an instant success in the American publishing industry and became a best-selling author. Since then, Fang Long has written many works that are best-selling in the American market. Among his works, "The Story of Humanity", "Tolerance" and "The Story of the Bible" are the most famous. By the late 1920s, he had accumulated a certain amount of wealth and purchased properties in the United States and Europe. He was no longer restricted by financial problems and could freely engage in creative and social activities.

Fang Long covered the 1905 Russian Revolution and World War I as a reporter for the Associated Press.

Fang Long often uses his own hand-drawn cartoons as illustrations for his works, which have also become the registered trademarks of his works.

Vancouver was married three times: In 1906, he married Eliza Ingersoll Bowditch (a descendant of mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch) from an upper-class family in Massachusetts, and they had two children. In 1920, he married his second wife, Eliza Helen Criswell (nicknamed "Jimmy"). After the end of his third marriage, Van Loon lived with Jimmy until his death. Gerard William Van Loon, the author of "The Biography of Van Loon" and the second son of Van Loon, believed that Van Loon did not love Jimmy, but only regarded her as his work and life secretary.

Fangsaurus was 2.08 meters tall and quite obese. It was nicknamed "Elephant". His physical condition was not ideal and he eventually died of a heart attack. In addition, because of his long-term writing career, Van Loon suffered from neurasthenia for a long time.