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A Short History of the World
A superb history of the world's people during the last four million years, beginning before the human race moved out of Africa to explore and settle the other continents. Mr. Blainey explores the development of technology and skills, the rise of major religions, and the role of geography, considering both the larger patterns and the individual nature of history. A delightful read, gracefully written, and full of odd and interesting pieces of information as well as thoughtful comparisons that span both time and space. ―William L. O'Neill
480 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2000
150 people are currently reading
1025 people want to read
About the author
Geoffrey Blainey
78 books80 followersGeoffrey 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
June 26, 2019
It's good.
It's definitely a book I would suggest and an enjoyable reading.
As a history enthusiast, I would suggest it to introduce someone into the topic. However, there are some significant issues, that someone has to take into account while reading it.
- Western thinking/focused: There is a huge part of the book, mostly after the Antiquity, that the book is Europe, Western focused, in a way that it can be misleading, even more now, that Europe is in a sensitive "turn". For example, there are particular parts in Medieval Europe, I would avoid to talk, so I would describe briefly I) The Golden Age of Islam and great cities of Baghdad, Damascus, Istanbul II) pre-Columbian civilisations of Aztecs, Incans which were populous and massive III) African culture, Mansa Musa, Haile Salassie, Ethiopia and Rastafarianism. IV) talking of more of China, which is practically ignored during its best period.
I do not know, if I am overreacting, but after a while the book would be easily renamed "A Short Story of the Western World".
- Story-telling narrative: Do not keep to what exactly you read. The narration of the book is unique, yet again, that removes some quality of the information that is being expressed. Some events have been popularized in a way, that the use of language affects the way information is received by the reader
-Old Information: Some information of the book is old and needs a new edition to be fixed. For instance: Hammurabi set of laws, while being considered an ancient well-preserved set of laws, is not consider the oldest one anymore, from scientific community. Without being certain, in that point myself, right now the set of laws of Ur-Nammu, of the Summerian lineage, has the leads, 300 years before Hammurabi's.
I apologize for the crude use of English language, which is not my mother tongue.
That was my first review on Goodreads
It's definitely a book I would suggest and an enjoyable reading.
As a history enthusiast, I would suggest it to introduce someone into the topic. However, there are some significant issues, that someone has to take into account while reading it.
- Western thinking/focused: There is a huge part of the book, mostly after the Antiquity, that the book is Europe, Western focused, in a way that it can be misleading, even more now, that Europe is in a sensitive "turn". For example, there are particular parts in Medieval Europe, I would avoid to talk, so I would describe briefly I) The Golden Age of Islam and great cities of Baghdad, Damascus, Istanbul II) pre-Columbian civilisations of Aztecs, Incans which were populous and massive III) African culture, Mansa Musa, Haile Salassie, Ethiopia and Rastafarianism. IV) talking of more of China, which is practically ignored during its best period.
I do not know, if I am overreacting, but after a while the book would be easily renamed "A Short Story of the Western World".
- Story-telling narrative: Do not keep to what exactly you read. The narration of the book is unique, yet again, that removes some quality of the information that is being expressed. Some events have been popularized in a way, that the use of language affects the way information is received by the reader
-Old Information: Some information of the book is old and needs a new edition to be fixed. For instance: Hammurabi set of laws, while being considered an ancient well-preserved set of laws, is not consider the oldest one anymore, from scientific community. Without being certain, in that point myself, right now the set of laws of Ur-Nammu, of the Summerian lineage, has the leads, 300 years before Hammurabi's.
I apologize for the crude use of English language, which is not my mother tongue.
That was my first review on Goodreads
February 26, 2017
Excelente! É uma espécie de resumo sim, não se aprofundando em cansativas análises de cada evento ou império, mas se preocupando com as conexões entre os vários agrupamentos humanos e o contínuo movimento rumo a globalização (em todos os sentidos). Leitura obrigatória para estudantes e para quem simplesmente gosta de aprender sobre história.
August 28, 2011
Blainey seeks to cover the history of the human species, including its prehistory, in the space of little more than 400 pages. Necessarily, this is not a history in the conventional sense—persons and places and dates, the actions of great men (and a few great women;). No, this is more a broad-brush cultural history: Where people lived, where they moved to (and from), the religions they followed, their view of the world (constrained, most of the time), the technologies (broadly speaking) they used to grow their food and make their homes and clothes (and very little more than that for the great majority of humans the great majority of time). He does address those few personages who had profound effects on human history—mostly the founders of the great religions. But most of the time, this is about how people lived—and died. For someone like me, who has not read a history book in a long time, this is an eye-opener, and largely new material—usually where the details are concerned, but often also from Blainey’s bird’s-eye view.
I often wished there was more conventional history, but then it probably wouldn’t have been short. I also found Blainey’s rhetorical flourishes to be at times too much of a concession to story-telling, and his devoting a page to chat about some marginal character a little trying. My main regret, though, is that I wish I had the comprehension to remember even a tenth of what’s in this book.
I often wished there was more conventional history, but then it probably wouldn’t have been short. I also found Blainey’s rhetorical flourishes to be at times too much of a concession to story-telling, and his devoting a page to chat about some marginal character a little trying. My main regret, though, is that I wish I had the comprehension to remember even a tenth of what’s in this book.
April 13, 2021
If you are interested in History and want a general scope of everything over the course of the dawn of mankind, A Short History of the World is a great book to start with. I particularly loved the religious history. In parts of history I never held a strong interest of, Blainey writes in a concise and informative manner that made me always want to keep reading.
July 3, 2018
The kind of book that makes you wonder.
January 17, 2019
Um pouco pesado no começo, mas depois flui bem. Interessante para melhorar a minha visão de tempo como um todo, mas os relatos em geral são mais superficiais. Bom para ler todo, mas não encanta como material de consulta.
January 3, 2014
Interesting and readable. Blainey follows social, cultural, religious and technological themes rather than the political or military. He attempts to tell the story of human experience rather than to recount a sequence of significant historical events, Thus, political and military developments are often unexpectedly relegated to supporting evidence for whichever larger theme he is developing. This approach enables him to move through large swathes of history quite quickly while still developing a coherent storyline. He manages to maintain a global approach by constantly linking and comparing human experience in different areas of the world. Overall, informative and refreshingly different. Blainey, an Australian, does a great job of locating his own nation (and my own) in the sweep of world history, often referencing the pre-European settlement period as a point of comparison with contemporary events elsewhere.
June 26, 2020
This book could be an okay short history of the world if you ignore the undertones of colonialism, racism, Islamophobia, anti semitism, etc. An example of this is when he said so many Africans were slaves even before western colonisers made them slaves so it wasn't really that different for them.
Some parts are embarrassingly overdefined for a Short history of the world like next time maybe consider not including the life of Demosthenes, the ancient Greek who was good at speeches. I get the feel that the author knows a lot of random fun facts and felt like he had to include every single one of them despite their irrelevance to all history because otherwise he would never have had the opportunity to tell anyone in his life.
Some parts are embarrassingly overdefined for a Short history of the world like next time maybe consider not including the life of Demosthenes, the ancient Greek who was good at speeches. I get the feel that the author knows a lot of random fun facts and felt like he had to include every single one of them despite their irrelevance to all history because otherwise he would never have had the opportunity to tell anyone in his life.
September 21, 2019
Highly readable, uncomplicated and thought-provoking. I like Blainey's writing style as it appeals to the historical layperson who doesn't want to get bogged down in a labyrinth of detail. Also offers some Asian/African history as well as Indigenius Australian which is often neglected in grand historical overviews.
June 4, 2008
Not very well-written, but interesting nevertheless. Good progression through the ages, covers many of the factors that have shaped human existence.
February 6, 2011
Nice book but there are others with the same subject and more interesting.
January 29, 2012
A great and very readable introduction to the big picture of world history - a good starting point that will help make sense of more focused books of history.
September 19, 2017
Ótimo resumo!
Sua fama não é injusta e não foi à toa que que se tornou um best seller no mundo!
Além de contar a história do mundo, pelo que se sabe através dos registros históricos, porém de maneira resumida que coubesse em um livro não muito grande, faz isso com seu maior mérito: clareza. O autor, professor de história, escreveu para que qualquer um pudesse ler e compreender a história da humanidade, conforme suas fontes. Começa muito instigante depois amorna um pouco, mas é tudo realmente INCRÍVEL!
Abre nossos olhos, ainda mais para os curiosos, sobre diversas questões de como surgiram as primeiras civilizações, como foi a vida no passado em diversos momentos da história e como chegamos até aqui. Tudo contado com uma aparente isenção. Até acho que ele poderia ter sido mais critico em alguns pontos.
Sou advogado, mas sempre adorei história e planejo cursar essa ciência um dia. Não tenho motivos para desconfiar do autor ou do relato que fez. Acredito que ele usou as melhores fontes históricas. Posso até mudar de ideia no futuro, mas a escrita me pareceu bem sincera e, novamente, isenta dentro do possível.
Daqueles livros que compensa comprar e reler diversas vezes, até para assimilar tanta informação sobre nossa espécie.
Nota: 8.
Sua fama não é injusta e não foi à toa que que se tornou um best seller no mundo!
Além de contar a história do mundo, pelo que se sabe através dos registros históricos, porém de maneira resumida que coubesse em um livro não muito grande, faz isso com seu maior mérito: clareza. O autor, professor de história, escreveu para que qualquer um pudesse ler e compreender a história da humanidade, conforme suas fontes. Começa muito instigante depois amorna um pouco, mas é tudo realmente INCRÍVEL!
Abre nossos olhos, ainda mais para os curiosos, sobre diversas questões de como surgiram as primeiras civilizações, como foi a vida no passado em diversos momentos da história e como chegamos até aqui. Tudo contado com uma aparente isenção. Até acho que ele poderia ter sido mais critico em alguns pontos.
Sou advogado, mas sempre adorei história e planejo cursar essa ciência um dia. Não tenho motivos para desconfiar do autor ou do relato que fez. Acredito que ele usou as melhores fontes históricas. Posso até mudar de ideia no futuro, mas a escrita me pareceu bem sincera e, novamente, isenta dentro do possível.
Daqueles livros que compensa comprar e reler diversas vezes, até para assimilar tanta informação sobre nossa espécie.
Nota: 8.
December 15, 2023
I’m dithering in terms of how harsh to be with this book. All histories are about truth, but because the truth is through a lens of human records read through an author’s eyes, there is intrinsically a tone that each historian takes. For something grand like this book, the lens through which Blainey habitually returns is religion. He spends a paragraph or two on money—something that fundamentally reshaped our lives—but feels content to go on for many pages about individual saints, let alone the chapter upon chapter of Christianity, Judaism, Islam. Then he revisits for the Reformation and Protestantism. It’s his jam, but it feels as if he’s the guy at a party that is fascinated by Bitcoin and steers all conversation towards it.
The other thing that is strange is how often Australia is mentioned. I am Australian, and I know Blainey is, but it’s no excuse to do it. It is one nation among many and his bias towards it is unjustified and uninteresting.
There are some interesting parts to the book, but it just isn’t well executed or proportional to balancing what mattered in history versus what Blainey wants to tell us.
The other thing that is strange is how often Australia is mentioned. I am Australian, and I know Blainey is, but it’s no excuse to do it. It is one nation among many and his bias towards it is unjustified and uninteresting.
There are some interesting parts to the book, but it just isn’t well executed or proportional to balancing what mattered in history versus what Blainey wants to tell us.
August 13, 2020
A evolução da humanidade desde os homens das cavernas até os dias atuais, com uma linguagem simples e acessível, voltada para o público comum.
Eu ganhei este livro há uns 10 anos e estou atualmente alternando entre livros do Kindle, livros da estante que quero muito ler e outros que apenas estão lá encalhados. Este Uma Breve História do Mundo se encaixava na última categoria. Comecei já com a certeza de ver muito eurocentrismo e ciente de que não era um livro denso, muito menos para historiadores. Mas resolvi conferir mesmo assim.
Foi uma leitura tranquila, didática. Alguns pontos foram interessantes e apresentaram informações que me eram desconhecidas, então acredito que já tenha valido a leitura. Mas especialmente do Século XX pra cá fica meio apressado e ineficaz. É compreensível, afinal cada década do Século XX renderia um novo livro, e hoje talvez cada ano, afinal as mudanças são cada vez mais rápidas.
Eu ganhei este livro há uns 10 anos e estou atualmente alternando entre livros do Kindle, livros da estante que quero muito ler e outros que apenas estão lá encalhados. Este Uma Breve História do Mundo se encaixava na última categoria. Comecei já com a certeza de ver muito eurocentrismo e ciente de que não era um livro denso, muito menos para historiadores. Mas resolvi conferir mesmo assim.
Foi uma leitura tranquila, didática. Alguns pontos foram interessantes e apresentaram informações que me eram desconhecidas, então acredito que já tenha valido a leitura. Mas especialmente do Século XX pra cá fica meio apressado e ineficaz. É compreensível, afinal cada década do Século XX renderia um novo livro, e hoje talvez cada ano, afinal as mudanças são cada vez mais rápidas.
October 1, 2020
Uma ótima obra que conta a história cronológica da humanidade da melhor maneira possível. Uma das melhores coisas é a correlação entre os acontecimentos ao redor do mundo em determinadas épocas. Durante o ensino nas escolas, aprendemos cada acontecimento de maneira separada e, aqui nesse livro, o autor tenta fugir do básico que sabemos e consegue contextualizar o que estava acontecendo em diferentes partes do globo durante um mesmo período. Outro fator positivo é que o livro traz informações de culturas com que temos menos contato ao longo dos nossos anos de estudo, como a asiática, a africana, povos da Oceania, da América do Norte antes da colonização e também os próprios impérios americanos pré-colombianos. Por fim, a escrita é simples e de fácil compreensão. O livro é ótimo para o que se propõe, só acho que esses livros de "breve história" mudam de assunto de maneira rápida e, muitas vezes, bruta.
August 30, 2017
Um bom resumo histórico com passagens bem interessantes e que despertam o interesse em se aprofundar mais no assunto. No entanto, não achei que a forma do autor escrever foi muito cativante, mas li uma traducão e isso com certeza faz diferenca. Deveria tê-lo lido na versão original em inglês. Não é um romance e portanto não é um livro para ser ler de uma só vez, pois são muitos fatos para absorver. Enquanto li este, tinha sempre algum outro livro na cabeceira para não sentir que estava estudando um curso de História.
August 17, 2019
Wonderfully interesting geographical points, dates and connections. Very relatable style without getting argumentative or cloudy. What I'll remember is the differing essence of European grains (wheat, barley) and Asian (rice) and their importance to developing civilizations. Also the fantastic rate of silt distribution in the Yellow River basin (China).
~ Milton, VT library, "for the win" again . . .
~ Milton, VT library, "for the win" again . . .
August 19, 2017
Geoffrey Blainey consegue em um livro que é praticamente um resumo de toda a história do mundo, uma grande e vasta informação sobre a história da humanidade ao longo do tempo. Rico em detalhes, e é um excelente livro para quem gosta de história. Trata os assuntos com muito cuidado e com muita imparcialidade. Ótimo livro.
May 28, 2018
Desde o lançamento de "Uma breve história do tempo" tem havido diversos livros que carregam "uma breve história" no título sem, infelizmente, merecerem a mais vaga comparação com o livro de Hawking. Este livro é uma feliz exceção. Ao lê-lo senti quase como se estivesse nas melhores aulas de história que tive na vida quando estudava na ETFPE (hoje, IFPE). Perfeito.
July 5, 2023
Bastante interessante e fluido, leitura rápida e ótimos tópicos em sua maioria. Perde a força no final quando força a narrativa hegemônica de "comunismo malvadão" e "vitória final do capitalismo", além de terminar em uma nota filosófica altamente duvidosa. Mas reconheço os méritos deste velhinho que ainda hoje está voltando de Woodstock, me entreteve.
January 22, 2024
Geoffrey Blainey oferece uma visão geral da história do mundo, desde os primórdios até os eventos mais recentes. O livro abrange grandes civilizações, eventos históricos e transformações culturais, proporcionando uma síntese acessível e informativa dos principais acontecimentos que moldaram a humanidade ao longo do tempo.
June 23, 2025
As a historical overview of the many millennia that this world has existed, I think this book did the job. It was quick and easy to read. I highlighted most of the book and learned a lot. Not sure about the respect other historians have for this author so now I’d like to delve deeper by reading more famous authors.
October 25, 2025
Este livro é muito especial pra mim. História, geopolítica, religiões, culturas, guerras, ciência, filosofia e por que dos porquês me fascinam. Está obra geralmente a cada 5 páginas, geralmente, me entregava tudo isso e muito mais. O primeiro de muitas desse momento que estou. Em busca e mais consciente e destemido. Chama!
August 8, 2017
Chato a princípio, porém vai se tornando interessante aos poucos. Recomendo para quem gosta MESMO de história. Levei quase dois anos para retomar a leitura e terminar. Embora a linguagem seja leve e de fácil entendimento, o conteúdo não é muito.
February 24, 2021
One of my favorite books on world history and I have read it several times over. The author has a witty style of writing and covers thousands of years of history in a breezy yet informative and entertaining manner. Highly recommended.
March 11, 2024
É um bom livro.Apesar da minha procrastinação ao longo de um tempo considerável,gostei dele.Creio que seja um excelente guia para quem tá querendo estudar história por conta própria,porque mesmo que o livro tenha no título "breve" acaba por aprofundar até mais do que se imagina.
July 13, 2018
An amazing journey through the history of the human kind!
February 24, 2019
Um dos melhores livros que li.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews