Hendrik Willem van Loon was a Dutch-American historian and writer who received the first Newbery Medal in 1922. In this book, van Loon provides a lively and engaging account of early expeditions to the New World, from the Vikings to Columbus. The book is aimed at a general audience and includes illustrations and maps. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.