Geoffrey Blainey

The story of the astonishing voyage of Captain James Cook and the Endeavour, to mark the 250th anniversary of that voyage, and Cook's claim to sovereignty. In 1768, Captain James Cook and his crew set sail on a small British naval vessel, the boldly named Endeavour, bound for the Pacific Ocean. He was ordered to establish an observatory at Tahiti...

A broad, concise and inclusive vision of Australia and Australians by one of our most renowned historians. After a lifetime of research and debate on Australian and international history, Geoffrey Blainey is well-placed to introduce us to the people who have played a part and to guide us through the events that have created the Australian identity - the mania...

Following the success of his A Short History of the World, eminent historian Geoffrey Blainey abridged his account of the grand adventure of human history to create an even more accessible version of his absorbing work. A Short History of the World traces the story of the world's people during the last four million years, beginning before the human race...

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...

The much-anticipated second instalment of Geoffrey Blainey's history of Australia's people—his most ambitious work to date—completes Australia's story from the Gold Rush to the present day. Australia is indeed made up of many peoples, and together their story is one of high drama, courage, and resilience. When the first Europeans crossed the world to settle the vast southern continent that...

Before I Forget is the long-awaited memoir from Professor Geoffrey Blainey, Australia's most significant and popular historian, that tells the story of the first forty years of his life, from his childhood to his career as historian and writer. At home, encircled by books, I assumed that my writing career, so precarious, would flourish... For close to seventy years, Professor...

Australia’s most famous historian on a freshly essential subject; a classic work updated for our times. The Causes of War is one of Geoffrey Blainey’s most influential books, carried in corridors of power around the world. Covering international wars from 1700 – and now updated to include Ukraine and Gaza – Blainey demolishes many widely-held theories of why nations fight,...

Two ships set out in search of a missing continent: the St Jean-Baptiste, a French merchant ship commanded by Jean de Surville, and The Endeavour, a small British naval vessel captained by James Cook. Distinguished historian Geoffrey Blainey tells the story of these rival ships and the men who sailed in them. Just before Christmas 1769, the two captains were...