P. V. N. (Philip Van Ness) Myers

Born in 1846, Philip Van Ness Myers became an American historian best known for writing popular history textbooks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He taught economics and history at the University of Cincinnati and built a reputation for explaining large stretches of world history in a readable, organized way.

Myers wrote on a wide range of subjects, including ancient history, Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, and general history. Many of his books were designed for students, and they reflect the educational style of their time: ambitious in scope, strongly narrative, and aimed at giving readers a broad view of civilizations across centuries.

He died in 1937, leaving behind a body of work that remained familiar to teachers and students for years afterward. For listeners interested in older historical writing, his books offer a window not only into the past he described, but also into how history itself was taught in an earlier era.