The Shortest History of Australia by Mark McKenna

The history of Australia has been written before – but not like this.

In The Shortest History of Australia, Mark McKenna offers a compelling new version of our national story. This is a modern Australia permeated by First Nations history; a multicultural society with an island mindset; a continent of epic beauty and extreme natural events; a country obsessed by war abroad but blind to its founding war at home; and a thriving nation-state still to realise its political independence.

McKenna’s wise and humane history reveals the surprising in the familiar, and reframes the past so we can see the present more clearly.

‘Remarkable … a deeply humane account of who we are and how we came to be’ -Larissa Behrendt

‘A deeply imaginative, beautifully written and individual book’ –Robert Manne

‘Original, eloquent and moving – a revelatory journey into the past we thought we knew’ –Tom Griffiths

About the Author: Mark McKennais one of Australia’s leading historians, based at the University of Sydney. He is the author of several prize-winning books, including From the Edge- Australia’s Lost Histories, Looking for Blackfellas’ Point, Return to Uluru and An Eye for Eternity- The Life of Manning Clark, which won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for nonfiction and the Victorian, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australian premiers’ awards.

04 Nov 2025
 

The Shortest History of Australia by Mark McKenna ISBN 9781760643591