William James Durant (; November 5, 1885 – November 7, 1981) was an American writer, historian, and philosopher. He is best known for
The Story of Civilization, 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife
Ariel Durant and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for
The Story of Philosophy (1924), described as "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy".