亨德里克·威廉·房龙(Hendrik Willem Van Loon 1882--1944),荷裔美国人,著名学者。1882年出生在荷兰,他是出色的通俗作家,在历史、文化、文明、科学等方面都有著作,而且读者众多,他是伟大的文化普及者,大师级的人物。作家,历史地理学家。
【目录】
Chapter 1 AND THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE WORLD WE LIVE INChapter 2 A DEFINITION OF THE WORD GEOGRAPHY AND HOW I SHALL APPLY IT IN THE PRESENT VOLUMEChapter 3 OUR PLANET: ITS HABITS, CUSTOMS AND MANNERSChapter 4 MAPS. A VERY BRIEF CHAPTER UPON A VERY BIG AND FASCINATING SUBJECT. TOGETHER WITH A FEW OBSERVATIONS ON THE WAY PEOPLE SLOWLY LEARNED HOW TO FIND THEIR WAY ON THIS PLANET OF OURSChapter 5 THE SEASONS AND HOW THEY HAPPENChapter 6 CONCERNING THE LITTLE SPOTS OF DRY LAND ON THIS PLANET AND WHY SOME OF THEM ARE CALLED CONTINENTS WHILE OTHERS ARE NOTChapter 7 OF THE DISCOVERY OF EUROPE AND THE SORT OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT PART OF THE WORLDINTFRLUDE JUST A MOMENT BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER WHILE I TELL YOU HOW TO USE THIS BOOKChapter 8 GREECE, THE ROCKY PROMONTORY OF THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN WHICH ACTED AS THE CONNECTING LINK BETWEEN THE OLD ASIA AND THE NEW EUROPEChapter 9 ITALY, THE COUNTRY WHICH DUE TO ITS GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION COULD PLAY THE ROLE OF A SEA-POWER OR A LAND POWER, AS THE OCCASION DEMANDEDChapter 10 SPAIN, WHERE AFRICA AND EUROPE CLASHEDChapter 11 FRANCE, THE COUNTRY THAT HAS EVERYTHING IT WANTSChapter 12 BELGIUM, A COUNTRY CREATED BY SCRAPS OF PAPER AND RICH IN EVERYTHING EXCEPT INTERNAL HARMONYChapter 13 LUXEMBURG, THE HISTORICAL CURIOSITYChapter 14 SWITZERLAND, THE COUNTRY OF HIGH MOUNTAINS, EXCELLENT SCHOOLS AND A UNIFIED PEOPLE WHO SPEAK FOUR DIFFERENT LANGUAGESChapter 15 GERMANY, THE NATION THAT WAS FOUNDED TOO LATEChapter 16 AUSTRIA, THE COUNTRY THAT NOBODY APPRECIATED UNTIL IT NO LONGER EXISTEDChapter 17 DENMARK, AN OBJECT LESSON IN CERTAIN ADVANTAGES OF SMALL COUNTRIES OVER LARGE ONESChapter 18 ICELAND, AN INTERESTING POLITICAL LABORATORY IN THE ARCTIC OCEANChapter 19 THE SCANDINAVIAN PENINSULA, THE TERRTORY OCCUPIED BY THE KINGDOMS OF SWEDEN AND NORWAYChapter 20 THE NETHERLANDS, THE SWAMP ON THE BANKS OF THE NORTH SEA THAT BECAME AN EMPIREChapter 21 GREAT BRITAIN, AN ISLAND OFF THE DUTCH COAST WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HAPPINESS OF FULLY ONE-QUARTER OF THE HUMAN RACEChapter 22 RUSSIA, THE COUNTRY WHICH WAS PREVENTED BY ITS GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION FROM EVER FINDING OUT WHETHER IT WAS PART OF EUROPE OR OF ASIAChapter 23 POLAND, THE COUNTRY THAT HAD ALWAYS SUFFERED FROM BEING A CORRIDOR AND THEREFORE NOW HAS A CORRIDOR OF ITS OWNChapter 24 CZECHOSLOVAKIA, A PRODUCT OF THE TREATY OF VERSAILLESChapter 25 YUGOSLAVIA, ANOTHER PRODUCT OF THE TREATY OF VERSAILLESChapter 26 BULGARIA, THE SOUNDEST OF ALL BALKAN COUNTRIES, WHOSE BUTTERFLY COLLECTING KING BET ON THE WRONG HORSE DURING THE GREAT WAR AND SUFFERED THE CONSEQUENCESChapter 27 ROUMANIA, A COUNTRY WHICH HAS OIL AND A ROYAL FAMILYChapter 28 HUNGARY, OR WHAT REMAINS OF ITChapter 29 FINLAND, ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHAT HARD WORK AND INTELLIGENCE CAN ACHIEVE AMID HOSTILE NATURAL SURROUNDINGSChapter 30 THE DISCOVERY OF ASIAChapter 31 WHAT ASIA HAS MEANT TO THE REST OF THE WORLDChapter 32 THE CENTRAL ASIATIC HIGHLANDSChapter 33 THE GREAT WESTERN PLATEAU OF ASIAChapter 34 ARABIA OR WHEN IS A PART OF ASIA NOT A PART OF ASIA?Chapter 35 INDIA, WHERE NATURE AND MAN ARE ENGAGED IN MASS PRODUCTIONChapter 36 BURMA, SIAM, ANAM AND MALACCA, WHICH OCCUPY THE OTHER GREAT SOUTHERN PENINSULA OF ASIAChapter 37 THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA, THE GREAT PENINSULA OF EASTERN ASIAChapter 38 KOREA, MONGOLIA AND MANCHURIA, IF THE LATTER STILL EXISTS WHEN THIS BOOK IS PUBLISHEDChapter 39 THE JAPANESE EMPIREChapter 40 THE PHILIPPINS, AN OLD ADMINISTRATIVE PART OF MEXICOChapter 41 THE DUTCH EAST IND IES, THE TAIL THAT WAGS THE DOGChapter 42 AUSTRALIA, THE STEP CHILD OF NATUREChapter 43 NEW ZEALANDChapter 44 THE ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC WHERE PEOPLE NEITHER TOILED NOR SPUN BUT LIVED JUST THE SAMEChapter 45 AFRICA, THE CONTINENT OF CONTRADICTIONS AND CONTRASTSChapter 46 AMERICA, THE MOST FORTUNATE OF ALLChapter 47 A NEW WORLD
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