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A Very Short History Of The World

Geoffrey Blainey

3.86 · Rating details · 355 ratings · 41 reviews

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. ...more

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492 pages

Published (first published 2004)

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Feb 26, 2015 Zarish Fatima rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-issues-and-borrowed

Now this book was a pure and complete disappointment.
As far a history books are concerned this did not even came close to a good read. Of course it was informative but it was more biased then informative. For someone who has some prior knowledge would be completely enraged like i was the reason i even finished this book was to see how far would the writer take this or would he try to d some justice he did not.
The book has 3 parts. This book starts from the theory of Darwinism. Understandable b Now this book was a pure and complete disappointment.
As far a history books are concerned this did not even came close to a good read. Of course it was informative but it was more biased then informative. For someone who has some prior knowledge would be completely enraged like i was the reason i even finished this book was to see how far would the writer take this or would he try to d some justice he did not.
The book has 3 parts. This book starts from the theory of Darwinism. Understandable by the revolutionary point of view. the book describes what most geologists and biologists assume how continents came to separate and how the frozen seas began to melt. the rising of seas. The spreading of different clans across the plains. He describes the first people to be nomads hunters without permanent settlements also probably true. Than the rise of Greeks is and their gods, temples, sculptures comes. Than there is the age of thinkers and Romans. After that the Judaism comes, after that the advent of Christ. Of course then the discussion of spread of Christianity takes place. Of course the believers like myself and others would highly disagree. Then again the book can not be judged upon it negligence of believers' belief. After that there is mention of Constantine who embraced Christianity and then the city of Constantinople. Of course there is mention of Asoka and rise of Buddhism which however did not take much roots in the region it was born; India. But in later years it spread eastwards quiet rapidly and surprisingly. Then comes the time of Islam. I would not discuss or judge in how the writer choose to describe the our Prophet(P.B.U.H) but then again he is not a Believer so the comments or descriptions could be understood.
But after the end o f the first part, the writer takes an unexpected leap and kind off fast forwards to late 1400s. He completely and utterly ignores the rise and fall of Islamic Civilization which penetrated Europe and east to the borders of sub-continent. In the prologue writer mentions that this book s more dependent upon scientific revolutions and wars. But he completely ignores all the great cities of Islamic empire, Cordoba, Baghdad the the most significant as far the universities and libraries were concerned. where Islamic world ended Chinese civilization starts which was also going through some major economic revolutions which the writer mentions he went as far to as describing the Chinese meals. However the writer does mention the rush of knowledge which took upon masses in in 19th century and role of England and its institutions. But he ignores the fever of knowledge which took place in middle ages, in which Hews, Christians and irreligious, traveled away from their homelands to acquire.
Then comes the 1400s the rise of Ottomans, and starting of Renaissance and end of Dark ages of Europe. This book could be better describes if we called it history of Europe. The writer at places pretends that Europeans were in long slumber after the fall of Roman empire, there was black death, and famine and everything was described but it was like they were in trance and all of the sudden the trance started to break and the ideas and knowledge came to them fro their own brilliance. He fails to mention that like knowledge was acquired by Muslims from Assyrians, Hellenistic Empire and the Greeks the same way Europeans borrowed from the Islamic Civilization next door to them. But the facts are not so important in this book if it concerns the Islamic Civilization.
Then there is discovery of Americas and a whole new world is opened up. Of course then comes the trades, the exploration of southern hemisphere, the colonization. The slave trade from Africa starts a booming business in Americas because of the abundance of land and Plantations colonies were nurturing to make material which was to be exports mainly back to Europe. In slave trade the writer chooses to mention the Muslims as the protagonists of slavery especially of women, a highly biased remark to make considering the number of slaves being exported from Africa was nearly 100000 per year during those centuries despite their gender and their occupation were not exactly defines only as farmers in the lands they were to be taken. Another very off remark is that in Americas the slaves had cabins to live in, which was a better condition then in other part of Europe. One might wonder does having cabin but no freedom makes slavery less cruel? Also very few plantations extended that luxury and who did was mainly because there was both abundance of space and wood in Americas.
Then comes the major revolutions over throw of colonies in north Americas, the revolution of France and over throw of the Louis, then comes the civil War in USA and end of official slavery in the part of the world.
Then comes the First World War and in its repercussions the Second World War. Like many historian the writer cars to mention the detail of Holocaust and but by giving the numbers of People who dies in China just like in Holocaust of Germany without distinction of age and gender and also four times the number and with same cruelty. But west tends to forget the what does not happens in west.
Two quotes from the book, maybe the most truthful things writer said
"Islam is often a puzzle. The west tends to clouds its origins in mystery.

And this one is how history flows:
"A history of Modern world could be so written that it was almost dominated by the wars between clans, tribes, nations and empires. Certainly, peace is more normal condition than war but war and peace are linked in their conditions. thus a memorable period of peace can depend on those outcomes of previous war and the enforcement of outcome."

This books along with many nearly snide remarks clearly shows that education does not always means acceptance and ability to acknowledge those who do not have the same set of beliefs instead it can give you voice to transmit ones own racism and biasedness to those who may not have the knowledge and understanding of the world yet. ...more

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Apr 13, 2009 C. rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, history-politics-economics, own-or-access, started-and-put-aside

I'm going to be meeting Geoffrey Blainey in a few weeks, supposedly to discuss this book. I don't know how well known he is outside Australia (if at all), but for better or for worse, he's pretty much the foremost historian in this country.

To the general public, he's mainly well known for writing A Short History of the World (of which this is, I think, an abridged version) and A Short History of the Twenty-First Century, both of which I have read and enjoyed.

So anyway, all this begs the questi I'm going to be meeting Geoffrey Blainey in a few weeks, supposedly to discuss this book. I don't know how well known he is outside Australia (if at all), but for better or for worse, he's pretty much the foremost historian in this country.

To the general public, he's mainly well known for writing A Short History of the World (of which this is, I think, an abridged version) and A Short History of the Twenty-First Century, both of which I have read and enjoyed.

So anyway, all this begs the question What does one ask about a book like this? beyond the obvious sort of thing about how he chose which events to include and which to not, what does one say? I'm not sure that historiography and all that really comes into it that much, though I should probably, you know, read the book before I say that. But I suspect it's not terrifically difficult to write a short, general history of the world without saying anything too controversial.

SO: if anyone would like to suggest something I could ask him, that would be good and fun! I plan to do some research, beginning with actually reading the book, and can summarise it here if anyone's interested. (I don't hold high hopes.)

Some interesting points in the preface:

Major themes include technology/skills, rise of major religions and geographical factors because of their role in shaping the world. Also "what people ate and how hard they worked in order to earn their daily bread", the power of the moon, stars and night sky on human experience. Furthermore, empires.

In order to not make the book seem too compressed, he tries to vary "periods of fast bowling - or tight writing - with intervals of slow bowling." So he spends a disproportionately large amount of time on stuff like "the influence of the Indian indigo plant on the colour blue." Um, this seems kind of crazy. Will have to be looking out for how that works.

Of course, the dilemma of how much space to allot to the last 150 years. This is absolutely fascinating to me. Blainey says "My relatively cramped treatment of the 20th century stems from a reluctance to permit that century to be as significant, indeed as self-important, as every century seems to those who live in it." A fair point. But from what perspective is he writing? I guess he's trying to be an objective observer, but how useful is that really? Because there's no doubt that a damn sight more has happened to shape our world in the past 150 years than in all the many millions before that.

He's good. He's damn good. He writes beautifully. But I already have questions.

1. Why the title? This isn't a history of the world, this is clearly a history of the human race. Arrogance? If so, whose?

2. He begins with hominids in Africa. Why start here? Is this history, or prehistory? But if one doesn't start here, where else does one start and why? ...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Noodles rated it liked it

Shelves: history

This book is very nicely written. It seems an almost impossible task - to condense the entire history of the world into one small book of less than 450 pages (not including the references and index). It is a good attempt, but didn't quite work for me. It focusses very much on general concepts and trying to give a picture of how life was for people at different stages of human history. I had the feeling of a real expert, who was telling me what he thought I (as a relative history novice) need to This book is very nicely written. It seems an almost impossible task - to condense the entire history of the world into one small book of less than 450 pages (not including the references and index). It is a good attempt, but didn't quite work for me. It focusses very much on general concepts and trying to give a picture of how life was for people at different stages of human history. I had the feeling of a real expert, who was telling me what he thought I (as a relative history novice) need to know to understand why things have happened over time. A bit like a good lecturer, making the subject interesting instead of just spewing out dates and facts and figures. In that respect this book is excellent.
Where it really falls down is that I found it very hard to get a clear idea in my head of what actually happened - the real historical facts. Which is a shame, as that's why I bought it! Because chapters tend to focus on one continent, or the development of religion, farming, science etc, there is a lot of going back and forth with the dates that are being covered. It's crying out for a few nice, simple, timelines or other diagrams to tie it all together. Then it would be so much more informative, as well as entertaining to read. As it is, I feel that to understand what was happening overall I would have to memorise huge chunks of the book, then compare in my head when things have happened in different places. To put it another way - you already need to know the history being covered to get the benefit of the author's considerable insight.
Another huge failing was the lack of maps, and very poor quality of the ones that are there. It means that there are large sections of text describing things that are almost impossible to visualise. Things like 'this empire by the end of that century stretched from this place in the east to that other place in the west'. I don't know enough geography to get my head round things like that! The tiny, black and white maps with sometimes incomprehensible shading just didn't help.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. It's so true in this case. Just a few, nicely coloured, maps, timelines or even tables of dates and happenings would have presented the core facts to look back to. This would mean that the description in the text would always be in context for the whole world. The same figures could be page referenced throughout the text. I'm not sure if this was omitted to cut printing costs, or just because it seems uncool and old-school-textbook-y.
Sorry to whine on about it. It was just frustrating that an otherwise 5 star book didn't present the facts in a simple and comprehensible way! I do like the way this guy writes, though, and plan to get his book about the Aussie Aborigines (Triumph of the Nomads). I might even borrow the uncondensed version of this book from the library some time, to see how much better it is. The history of the world is a lot to get your head round in one reading! ...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Kristine Morris added it · review of another edition

Every high school student should have to read this. Gives a great understanding of the history of the different cultures and gives you a good foundation to explore in more detail some of the topics he covers.

Because this is an abridgement I did find some references to things that he had not explained (obviously those section were cut out), but that was rare.

Enjoyed reading the book very much!

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Jun 19, 2016 Adam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history, non-fiction, church-history

I found this to be engaging and readable. And it definitely helped me piece together the complex puzzle that is human history. As a Christian, I loved the chapter on Jesus. Even when a secular historian (I think?) writes about him, he is utterly compelling.

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Nov 02, 2007 Gemma rated it it was ok

It skips the vast majority of geological time.

But a good few chapters dedicated to the emergence of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths and how they've become what they are today.

Given up on this. Will try reading it again some time soon! ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 Rehan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Like most history books, this book does a wonderful job of weaving a consistent and logical narrative around the past events, but that acute observation and understanding disappears in the last few chapters during the discussion of of contemporary geo-political and technological trends, where the author sounds a little out of touch (like most historians).

I really appreciated the effort to abridge the content. Due to that condensation of material, the book has ended up with extremely rich content ...more

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May 11, 2020 Jed Richardson added it

Glad I took my time with this book.

For those looking for an overview of history, who aren't exactly sure what era they'd like to dive deeper into, this is perfect. It was very interesting seeing the entirety of human history progressing in such a storied way.
Could have done without the chapters on imports and exports/trade being back to back. It was interesting stuff, but a lot of it became monotonous when listed back to back.

I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone though. ...more

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Apr 07, 2020 Nadja added it

Shelves: books-i-own, 2020

Gifted by granddad after I found it in his book shelf. This book has given me several new perspectives when studying for history class.

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Sep 05, 2020 Ashutosh Mehndiratta rated it it was amazing

One of the best attempts at narrating world history. Blainey's writing is engaging and witty at the same time. ...more

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Apr 13, 2019 Cathal Aherne rated it it was amazing

Excellent book. Covers a vast swathe of civilisations through out time.

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Mar 28, 2018 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

interesting but too academic for me. I was lucky to get through more than a couple of pages without falling asleep. If that was the "Very Short" version I can't imagine the "Short" yet as I read in someone else's review, there were bits glossed over, bits I'll just have to go look up more, including more recent reading. (Geoffrey gives a great reading list but it's already a decade behind times) ...more

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Jan 10, 2018 Alec Ritchie rated it really liked it

This is a condensed version of a book called 'A Short History Of The World' by the same author; something I realised after googling Blainey half-way through reading. Blainey is a talented writer, the way he weaves history into a narrative is really something special, and although there is a lot missing (both world wars are handled in one chapter! can you imagine!?), it was a pleasure to read.

A lot has been made of the so-called 'history wars', with certain historians proclaiming the 'Black-armb ...more

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Sep 22, 2007 Neglectedbooks rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Anyone even slightly interested in history

Shelves: featuredbook

Condensed from his already brief Short History of the World, this is a terrific book, one of the most consistently interesting and entertaining I’ve read in years. Blainey does an amazing job of squeezing the history of human life on this planet into 450 small pages.

Faced with a task of condensation on this scale, Blainey tends to focus on trends instead of events, but he succeeded in keeping my interest where others (e.g., William McNeill) have failed. He manages to shift from the specific to t ...more

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Sep 30, 2013 Jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book does what it says it does: provides a very brief overview of the history of the human race and its most ardent endeavours. Of course, being so general, many topics are barely touched upon or not even mentioned, but that is to be expected considering the utter vastness of human history, and the limit of 500 pages.

This is an excellent and gripping text, and is a good starting point for novices to world history, and even those (like myself) who know tid bits but seek to join the dots. Alt ...more

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Aug 05, 2013 Eoin rated it it was ok

I can forgive the author his somewhat questionable prioritisation over the course of the book - squeezing the entirety of human history into less than 500 pages is a challenge. What I can't forgive are the regular factual inaccuracies. The dates of Augustus Caesar's reign, Constantine's father's name, Sputnik 3's payload - if I recognised these mistakes from my limited historical knowledge, how could I trust any other facts this book stated? ...more

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Jun 28, 2015 Rebecca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-book-challenge

This book does exactly as Blainey states it will: it gives a very broad overview of human history, told in a very engaging narrative. Of course it cannot touch on every event that has occurred, or even come close to that in 450 pages, but it is a very interesting read and provides a good stepping stone towards having a greater understanding of why the world is the way it is today, and to further reading on the topics that interest the reader the most.

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Oct 26, 2008 Tony Hollingsworth added it

This book is a great introduction to the history of the world - from prehistoric times through to the 21st century, Professor Blainey explains how we have evolved and made our way in the world. It provides a great starting point for further research, as most areas of world history are only briefly touched on, but well researched.

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Nov 16, 2011 Mindy rated it it was amazing

This is not a typical book I would read but it was really cool especially for someone like me who can't remember anything she learned in history class. Totally recommend it except for those who already know all their history (I'm thinking of you, Ann). Some of the facts blew me away and some just made me remember what I learned in third grade which are cooler to know now. ...more

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Mar 09, 2015 Sara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Loved this book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know a broad history. It moves geographically very well, taking you from one side of the world to another without huge jumps.

Minus one star because I feel like in some parts, there were things that were missing and the last chapter feels stuck on.

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Feb 01, 2016 Gus rated it really liked it

Great novel, I had put this off for a while but Blainey it all very interesting, a few personal

stories and with enough pace to cover most of the topics with out getting boring. Really

pieced together world history for me and now I can focus on particular instances that I

would like to learn more on.

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Jul 24, 2015 Treena Sengupta rated it it was amazing

A brief yet comprehensive shot to the entire mankind history. A difficult task. But author used few dimensions and lens which so aptly fits this story telling. If history interests u, this is certainly your book!

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Aug 02, 2016 Luca Ferrarini rated it really liked it

I surely am not an expert historian. Maybe if I was one I would have commented negatively as others have done. Instead, I have enjoyed this book very much. It guides through century of history without becoming heavy and allowing you to follow connections.

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Oct 08, 2007 Tony Goriainoff rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Anyone

Thought provoking and yet easy to read. A lot of concepts verbalised in a very straightforward way.

A joy to read if you like books which make you think a little bit.

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Mar 27, 2008 Tgibson02 rated it really liked it

Recommended to Tgibson02 by: Carly

I just love history, so I just loved reading this book...

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Jun 14, 2008 Kirstin rated it really liked it

um, yeah. anyone interested in history should pick this one up. very well written, "very" being the key word. ...more

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Mar 17, 2009 Thu Trang added it · review of another edition

With this book, the lengthy story of the earth seems much more enjoyable :) It feels like reading bed-time stories to me ^^

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Jun 06, 2009 Shamsh rated it liked it

Although facts and phases are developed awfully fast, this book brings some interesting historical information. People who don't know much about history should love this. ...more

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Aug 19, 2009 Portholio rated it it was ok

A little dry and very simple, but a nice overview of history and how the progress of different civilizations relate through time.

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Sep 29, 2010 Emily rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

Was not what I thought it would be. Its a bit fictionally written, but still interesting.

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About Geoffrey Blainey

Geoffrey Blainey

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Geoffrey Blainey, one of Australia's most eminent historians, was appointed the foundation Chancellor of the University of Ballarat (UB) in 1993 after an illustrious career at the University of Melbourne. He was installed as UB Chancellor in December 1994 and continued until 1998. The Blainey Auditorium at the Mt Helen Campus of UB is named in his honour. Blainey, always a keen exponent of librari Geoffrey Blainey, one of Australia's most eminent historians, was appointed the foundation Chancellor of the University of Ballarat (UB) in 1993 after an illustrious career at the University of Melbourne. He was installed as UB Chancellor in December 1994 and continued until 1998. The Blainey Auditorium at the Mt Helen Campus of UB is named in his honour. Blainey, always a keen exponent of libraries and the acquisition of books, has donated part of his extensive book collection to the UB library. In 2002 the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters was conferred on Blainey in recognition of his contribution to the University of Ballarat and to the community in general.

Educated at Ballarat High School, Blainey won a scholarship to Wesley College, before attending Melbourne University where he studied history. He worked as a freelance historical author writing mainly business histories such as The Peaks of Lyall; Gold and Paper; a History of the National Bank of Australasia; and Mines in the Spinifex. Blainey accepted a position at the University of Melbourne in 1962 in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce. He held the positions of Professor of Economic History (1968-77); Senior Lecturer 1962; and from 1977-1988 he occupied the Ernest Scott Chair of History at Melbourne University. Professor Blainey also held the chair of Australian studies at Harvard University.

As an economic historian, Blainey challenged the conventional view, questioning accepted contemporary understandings of European settlement of Australia as a convict nation, Aboriginal land rights, and Asian immigration. He is described as a 'courageous public intellectual, a writer with rare grace and a master storyteller'. In a reassessment of the life of Blainey, 'The Fuss that Never Ended' considers his ideas, his role in Australian history, politics and public life, and the controversies that surrounded him.

He was always popular with students. According to the Melbourne University home page 'When Geoffrey Blainey spoke to final-year students in the Friends of the Baillieu Library HSC Lectures in the 1970s, the Public Lecture Theatre was packed to capacity and his audience carried copies of his books to be signed, a tribute to what Geoffrey Bolton characterised as his "skills in interpreting technological change in admirably lucid narratives that appealed to both specialist and non-specialist audiences".

Among his most popular works are the 'The Rush that Never Ended: A History of Australian Mining'; 'The Tyranny of Distance'; 'A Shorter History of Australia'; 'A Short History of the World'; and 'The Origins of Australian Football'.

In 2000 Professor Blainey was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia for service to academia, research and scholarship, and as a leader of public debate at the forefront of fundamental social and economic issues confronting the wider community. At that time the University's Vice-Chancellor Professor Kerry Cox said 'Geoffrey Blainey guided the new and inexperienced university through its first four years with a benevolent but firm hand. This time was challenging as the university strove to make a place for itself in higher education, grappled with funding cuts and the eventual merger with neighbouring TAFE institutes. For those at the university fortunate enough to work with Geoffrey Blainey during his time as Chancellor, they witnessed first hand his humility, and we are proud of his role in our history.'

In 2002 the degree of Doctor of Letters was conferred on Professor Blainey in recognition of his contribution to the University of Ballarat and the community in general. The same year Blainey donated a collection of material to the University of Ballarat. Included in this collection are historical books, papers and other material relating to the early history of mining and the central Victorian goldfields. A second generous donation of material was received in 2005. 'The Geoffrey Blainey Mining Collection' is l ...more