Will Durant
American historian, philosopher and writer (1885-1981) · United States · On the map · Writers · Died at 96
William James Durant was an American historian and philosopher, best known for his eleven-volume work, The Story of Civilization, which contains and details the history of Eastern and Western civilizations. It was written in collaboration with his wife, Ariel Durant, and published between 1935 and 1975.
Will Durant is read about 420 times a day, in 46 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 400 days, one point a day.
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Photos 5
The Modern School in New York City, circa 1911-12. Will Durant stands with his pupils. This image was used on the cover of the first Modern School magazine.
Durant signing a copy of The Story of Philosophy in Michigan, 1929
The 11 volumes of The Story of Civilization
Ariel and Will Durant in the library of their home in Los Angeles, 1967Awards
About this person
He was earlier noted for The Story of Philosophy (1926), described as "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy".
