What can anyone say about Geoffrey Blainey, the prominent Australian historian, that hasn't been said before - like Barry Jones and Phillip Adams, he is an Australian living legend.
I am sure we have all read The Tyranny of Distance at some stage or another - it used to be one of the standard school books for Australian History classes. I have a number of his books in my library
The Peaks of Lyell (1967 and 2000 Editions)
The Rise of Broken Hill (1968)
The Tyranny of Distance (1974 Illustrated Edition)
A Short History of the World (2001)
Black Kettle and Full Moon (2003 anthology)
A Short History of the 20th Century (2006)
A Shorter History of Australia - Geoffrey Blainey (2014)
First published in 1994, this 2014 edition goes right up to last few years. I borrowed it from Coburg Library in August 2017. Like his Short History of the World and his Short History of the 20th Century, this volume is well researched and very easy to read. The blurb says it all
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 for spectator sport; the suspicion of the tall poppy; the rivalries of Catholic and Protestant, Sydney and Melbourne, new and old homelands and new and old allies; the conflicts of war abroad and race at home; the importance of technology; defining the outback; the rise and rise of the mining industry; the recognition of our Aboriginal past and Native Title; and the successes and failures of the nation. For this enlarged edition Blainey has rewritten or expanded on various episodes and themes and updated relevant matter. He also describes significant events and trends of the early-20th century. A timeline of major events in Australian history is also included.
Recommended for all Australians.
A Short History of the 20th Century - Geoffrey Blainey (2006)
Picked this up at Dymocks in August 2015 and read it very quickly. The book from celebrated Australian historian Geoffrey Blainey takes us on a global journey through a tempestuous hundred years. His eye for detail and evocative style bring to vivid life many of the events that marked the 20th century: two world wars, the rise and fall of communist states, the worst economic slump in the world's history, the decline of European monarchies and empires, the ascent of the first female prime ministers, the resurgence of Asia, and the exploration of outer space.
Yes it is his eye for minutiae what make the book even more interesting - the rise of the super cities, the way sport has changed, the way languages have changed, etc.
It is interesting that the largest biographical sections are reserved for Stalin and Hitler - and with some justification. They are probably the two most influential figures of the twentieth century, like it or lump it.
But at the same time the book is frustrating in that its analysis of world changing affairs is so brief. Now I know that it has to be that way and hopefully it will prompt those who read it to delve into the significant moments of twentieth century history in greater details.
The Peaks of Lyell - Geoffrey Blainey (1967 and 2000)
I had lived in Queenstown, on the west coast of Tasmania, for a year as a child (1958) when my father was working in the Mt Lyell Copper Mine as a diamond driller. As a preparation for a trip back to Queenstown with my brother Terry in early 2013, I read the 1967 edition of The Peaks of Lyell which had been given to me by Bob Semmens the previous year. It was a fantastic read and really prepared me for my trip back to the Tasmanian west coast. When I was subsequently in Queenstown, I picked up the much glossier 2000 edition of this same book. Bonus!
To my mind, one of Blainey's best reads even though it was his very first book, based on his University of Melbourne MA thesis and originally published in 1954.
After I had read it, I passed it onto my two brothers, Mick and Terry, given that we had lived in Queenstown for a year during our childhood. interestingly, my oldest brother Mick returned to Queenstown as a young man and worked in the Mt Lyell Mine himself for a period of time. A good footballer, he also played for Queenstown FC on its famous gravel football ground.
The Rise of Broken Hill - Geoffrey Blainey (1968)
As preparation for a road trip with Lois in August 2014 which would include Broken Hill, I purchased a copy of The Rise of Broken Hill from an antiquarian bookshop in Hobart and similarly devoured it.
It was not as interesting a read as The Peaks of Lyell because the ore deposits at Broken Hill just kept on coming and the mines were never in doubt - unlike Lyell which looked likely to close at many stages of its long career but always managed to find new loads or new ways of processing and just kept on keeping on. Sadly, Mt Lyell finally shut down in mid 2014, perhaps spelling the final death knell for the mining town of Queenstown. This came the year after the tourist railway from Strahan to Queenstown was shut down. Sad times for this west coast Tasmanian community.
On a sadder note, my father Eric died in Broken Hill in 1968, while working on a drilling project. One hot day, he complained he was not feeling well and went to rest under the shade of a tree. When co-workers came to check up on him half an hour later, he was dead – the victim of a massive heart attack. The date was 30 October 1968 and dad was aged 58 years.
Well, our roadtrip went well and Broken Hill was all that I had hoped. We stayed for 2 nights, did a tour of the mines (which are still operational), checked out all the old heritage listed buildings in the main streets, did the tour of the Trades Hall, visited Silverton and checked out the Sculpture Park and Living Desert sanctuary.
And there is always more to read about Broken Hill. I have finally found my copy of Ion Idriess's classic book The Silver City. so it is now on my 'next to read' pile.
And while I am at it, where is my old copy of Ion Idriess's classic volume Lassiter's Last Ride. A major book audit is required!
I am sure we have all read The Tyranny of Distance at some stage or another - it used to be one of the standard school books for Australian History classes. I have a number of his books in my library
The Peaks of Lyell (1967 and 2000 Editions)
The Rise of Broken Hill (1968)
The Tyranny of Distance (1974 Illustrated Edition)
A Short History of the World (2001)
Black Kettle and Full Moon (2003 anthology)
A Short History of the 20th Century (2006)
A Shorter History of Australia - Geoffrey Blainey (2014)
First published in 1994, this 2014 edition goes right up to last few years. I borrowed it from Coburg Library in August 2017. Like his Short History of the World and his Short History of the 20th Century, this volume is well researched and very easy to read. The blurb says it all
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 for spectator sport; the suspicion of the tall poppy; the rivalries of Catholic and Protestant, Sydney and Melbourne, new and old homelands and new and old allies; the conflicts of war abroad and race at home; the importance of technology; defining the outback; the rise and rise of the mining industry; the recognition of our Aboriginal past and Native Title; and the successes and failures of the nation. For this enlarged edition Blainey has rewritten or expanded on various episodes and themes and updated relevant matter. He also describes significant events and trends of the early-20th century. A timeline of major events in Australian history is also included.
Recommended for all Australians.
A Short History of the 20th Century - Geoffrey Blainey (2006)
Picked this up at Dymocks in August 2015 and read it very quickly. The book from celebrated Australian historian Geoffrey Blainey takes us on a global journey through a tempestuous hundred years. His eye for detail and evocative style bring to vivid life many of the events that marked the 20th century: two world wars, the rise and fall of communist states, the worst economic slump in the world's history, the decline of European monarchies and empires, the ascent of the first female prime ministers, the resurgence of Asia, and the exploration of outer space.
Yes it is his eye for minutiae what make the book even more interesting - the rise of the super cities, the way sport has changed, the way languages have changed, etc.
It is interesting that the largest biographical sections are reserved for Stalin and Hitler - and with some justification. They are probably the two most influential figures of the twentieth century, like it or lump it.
But at the same time the book is frustrating in that its analysis of world changing affairs is so brief. Now I know that it has to be that way and hopefully it will prompt those who read it to delve into the significant moments of twentieth century history in greater details.
The Peaks of Lyell - Geoffrey Blainey (1967 and 2000)
I had lived in Queenstown, on the west coast of Tasmania, for a year as a child (1958) when my father was working in the Mt Lyell Copper Mine as a diamond driller. As a preparation for a trip back to Queenstown with my brother Terry in early 2013, I read the 1967 edition of The Peaks of Lyell which had been given to me by Bob Semmens the previous year. It was a fantastic read and really prepared me for my trip back to the Tasmanian west coast. When I was subsequently in Queenstown, I picked up the much glossier 2000 edition of this same book. Bonus!
To my mind, one of Blainey's best reads even though it was his very first book, based on his University of Melbourne MA thesis and originally published in 1954.
After I had read it, I passed it onto my two brothers, Mick and Terry, given that we had lived in Queenstown for a year during our childhood. interestingly, my oldest brother Mick returned to Queenstown as a young man and worked in the Mt Lyell Mine himself for a period of time. A good footballer, he also played for Queenstown FC on its famous gravel football ground.
The Rise of Broken Hill - Geoffrey Blainey (1968)
As preparation for a road trip with Lois in August 2014 which would include Broken Hill, I purchased a copy of The Rise of Broken Hill from an antiquarian bookshop in Hobart and similarly devoured it.
It was not as interesting a read as The Peaks of Lyell because the ore deposits at Broken Hill just kept on coming and the mines were never in doubt - unlike Lyell which looked likely to close at many stages of its long career but always managed to find new loads or new ways of processing and just kept on keeping on. Sadly, Mt Lyell finally shut down in mid 2014, perhaps spelling the final death knell for the mining town of Queenstown. This came the year after the tourist railway from Strahan to Queenstown was shut down. Sad times for this west coast Tasmanian community.
On a sadder note, my father Eric died in Broken Hill in 1968, while working on a drilling project. One hot day, he complained he was not feeling well and went to rest under the shade of a tree. When co-workers came to check up on him half an hour later, he was dead – the victim of a massive heart attack. The date was 30 October 1968 and dad was aged 58 years.
Well, our roadtrip went well and Broken Hill was all that I had hoped. We stayed for 2 nights, did a tour of the mines (which are still operational), checked out all the old heritage listed buildings in the main streets, did the tour of the Trades Hall, visited Silverton and checked out the Sculpture Park and Living Desert sanctuary.
And there is always more to read about Broken Hill. I have finally found my copy of Ion Idriess's classic book The Silver City. so it is now on my 'next to read' pile.
And while I am at it, where is my old copy of Ion Idriess's classic volume Lassiter's Last Ride. A major book audit is required!
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