Geoffrey Norman Blainey (born 11 March 1930) is an Australian historian, academic, philanthropist and commentator. Blainey is known for having written texts on the economic and social history of Australia, including "" (1966). He has published over 35 books, including histories of the world and of Christianity. Other well known works include "The Peaks of Lyell" (1954) and "A Short History of the World" (2000).