Thomas Walter Wallbank (July 27, 1901 - May 16, 1992) was an American historian and one of the original authors of the best-selling textbook Civilization Past & Present.
Wallbank taught history at the University of Southern California from 1933 to 1964. He collaborated with Alastair M. Taylor to write Civilization Past and Present, the first world-history textbook published in the United States. Since its initial publication in 1942, the book has enjoyed great success in sales.[1] Other authors eventually joined the writing team for later editions. Wallbank's areas of specialization were South Asia and Africa. He received the American Historical Association award in 1950 for his work, India in the New Era. He was Fullbright professor at Fuad University in Cairo from 1951 to 1952. From 1955 to 1956 after receiving a Rockefeller Grant he undertook field work in Africa, Pakistan and India.[2]