Geoffrey Blainey stands as a preeminent Australian historian, celebrated for his rare grace and masterful storytelling. A courageous public intellectual, he challenged conventional understandings of European settlement, Aboriginal land rights, and Asian immigration. Blainey possessed a remarkable ability to interpret technological change through lucid narratives that appealed to both specialist and general audiences alike. His work significantly shaped public debate and scholarship, leaving an indelible mark on Australian history and intellectual discourse.
Recognized for its cultural significance, this work contributes to our understanding of civilization's knowledge base. It has been selected by scholars for its importance, highlighting its relevance in historical and intellectual contexts.
In his late-eighties, Geoffrey Blainey reflects on his formative years growing up in rural Victoria as the son of a Methodist minister. His childhood experiences, from climbing rooftops to gaze at the Great Dividing Range to his early fascination with history and current affairs during WWII, shaped his lifelong passion for learning. A scholarship to Wesley College and later studies at the University of Melbourne further developed his historical insights. This memoir not only chronicles his personal journey but also offers a rich social history of Australia.
Compelling, groundbreaking and brilliantly readable, The Story of Australia's People: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Australia is the first instalment of an ambitious two-part work, and the culmination of the lifework of Australia's most prolific and wide-ranging historian. The vast continent of Australia was settled in two main streams, far apart in time and origin. The first came ashore some 50,000 years ago when the islands of Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea were one. The second began to arrive from Europe at the end of the eighteenth century. Each had to come to terms with the land they found, and each had to make sense of the other. The long Aboriginal occupation of Australia witnessed spectacular changes. The rising of the seas isolated the continent and preserved a nomadic way of life, while agriculture was revolutionising other parts of the world. Over millennia, the Aboriginal people mastered the land's climates, seasons and resources. Traditional Aboriginal life came under threat the moment Europeans crossed the world to plant a new society in an unknown land. That land in turn rewarded, tricked, tantalised and often defeated the new arrivals. The meeting of the two cultures is one of the most difficult and complex meetings in recorded history. In this book Professor Geoffrey Blainey returns first to the subject of his celebrated works on Australian history, Triumph of the Nomads (1975) and A Land Half Won (1980), retelling the story of our history up until 1850 in light of the latest research. He has changed his view about vital aspects of the Indigenous and early British history of this land, and looked at other aspects for the first time. Compelling, groundbreaking and brilliantly readable, The Story of Australia's People: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Australia is the first instalment of an ambitious two-part work, and the culmination of the lifework of Australia's most prolific and wide-ranging historian
In Volume II of The Story of Australia's People, Geoffrey Blainey continues his account of the history of this country from the early Gold Rush to the present day, completing the story of our nation and its people. When Europeans crossed the world to plant a new society in an unknown land, traditional life for Australia's first inhabitants changed forever. For the new arrivals, Australia was a land that rewarded, tricked, tantalised and often defeated. From the Gold Rush to Land Rights and the Digital Age, Blainey brings to life the key events of more recent times that have shaped us into the nation and people we are today. Compelling, groundbreaking and brilliantly readable, The Story of Australia's People Volume II is the second instalment of an ambitious two-part work, and the culmination of the lifework of Australia's most prolific and wide-ranging historian.
The book explores the extensive influence of Christianity throughout history, highlighting its significant impact on global events and cultures. Geoffrey Blainey guides readers from the origins of the faith, delving into its development and evolution over time, up to contemporary issues. The narrative aims to illuminate lesser-known aspects of Christianity's story, beyond the familiar accounts of Jesus, providing a comprehensive understanding of its role in shaping the world.
The Origins of Australian Football (16pt Large Print Edition)
Exploring the origins of Australian Rules football, Geoffrey Blainey delves into its early characters and the formation of the VFL, challenging notions of Irish or Aboriginal influences. He highlights the game's evolution from its rudimentary beginnings in 1860 to its modern form, detailing the unique challenges faced by early umpires and players. Through a captivating social history, the book reveals how the sport transformed over time, making it essential reading for dedicated fans seeking to understand its rich heritage.
The narrative centers on the simultaneous voyages of two ships in 1769, the French St. Jean-Baptiste and the British Endeavour, both in search of a missing continent. Captains Jean de Surville and James Cook, unaware of each other's presence, nearly cross paths in New Zealand waters on Christmas. Geoffrey Blainey masterfully recounts this gripping tale, exploring the lives and rivalries of the men aboard these vessels, highlighting their adventures and the significance of their journeys in the context of exploration history.
The book offers a fresh perspective on the world's major religions, challenging preconceived notions and providing insightful analysis. Beyond religion, it weaves a rich narrative that encompasses the entirety of human experience, making it a valuable resource for readers seeking to deepen their understanding of diverse cultural and historical contexts.
Tells the story of the world's people. It begins before human beings moved out of Africa to explore and settle the other continents. It is a story of the inhabited world being pulled apart, and of it coming together again in centuries. It recreates human experience in varied forms, describing human life at both its grandest and domestic levels.
In the bestselling Black Kettle and Full Moon, master storyteller Geoffrey Blainey takes us on another absorbing journey – a guided tour of a vanished Australia. Covering the years from the first gold rush to World War I. Blainey paints a fascinating picture of how our forebears lived – in the outback, in towns and cities, at sea and on land. He looks at all aspects of daily life, from billycans to brass bands, from ice-making to etiquette, from pipes to pubs. The engaging text is further brought alive by an evocative selection of contemporary illustrations by artists such as Julian Ashton. This is Geoffrey Blainey doing what he does best bringing to life for the modern reader the sighs and sounds and smells of another time.