author
R. (Robert) Van Bergen
One of the early American writers to interpret Japan for English-speaking readers, he combined first-hand experience with a storyteller’s touch. His books introduced young readers to Japanese and Russian history at a time when both subjects felt distant and unfamiliar to many in the West.
2 Audiobooks
The Story of Russia
by R. (Robert) Van Bergen
A Boy of Old Japan
by R. (Robert) Van Bergen
About the author
Robert Van Bergen is remembered for historical books such as The Story of Japan and The Story of Russia. Records from Project Gutenberg and the Library of Congress confirm those works under the name R. (Robert) Van Bergen, with The Story of Japan first published in 1897 and a later edition cataloged in 1922.
Accounts connected with editions and recordings of The Story of Japan describe him as one of the first Americans to enter Japan after the country opened to foreign visitors following centuries of isolation. Those same sources say he taught English to Japanese aristocrats and became principal of the Nobles' School in Tokyo, giving his writing an unusually direct perspective on the country he was describing.
His work was written for general and younger readers, aiming to make history lively, clear, and approachable. That practical, narrative style helps explain why his books have continued to circulate in reprints, archives, and audiobook editions long after their original publication.