Short History of Australia

by Manning Clark, C.M.H. Clark, Charles Manning Hope Clark, et al.

Book Overview

A Short History of Australia is a non-fiction book written by Ernest Scott, which provides a comprehensive overview of the history of Australia from its earliest known human settlement to modern... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140097228
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Penguin
• Weight: 1.76 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A reasonably good summary

Whilst having nothing of the sweeping grandeur or personal analysis of character of the original, thyis is a useful potted summary of Clark's view of history as the drama of a transfer of a civilisation into a silent land. Clark has been attacked and vilified by the John Howard "black armband" of history theorists who want history to be all about glorifying a jingoistic nationalism, and sweeping the difficulties under the carpet. Although vilified as being "left wing" Clark's history doesn't fit neatly into categories. It comes closer to Greek History or Gibbon's "Decline and Fall" category, than any other history of Australia yet written.

Still the best one volume history of Australia

If you can't afford the six volume original, this version is pretty good. Cut down by Clark himself, it is still an outstanding read, written before too much revisionist history has taken place.