In his attempt to be personal and approachable, van Loon makes strong value statements that may sound prejudiced and insensitive. He calls the Tartars "totally deficient in constructive political ability"; he states that the early Hellenes "did not amount to very much . . . [T]hey lived like pigs"; and he describes the Phoenicians as a people who "were not troubled by a conscience."

The author makes short comments that stress personal values that may seem out of date to many. He insists that "good manners are the oil of sound machinery" and that no one should "pay attention to people who don't believe in progress."