The prize was great not just land, but the riches it held. Southern Africa was once regarded as a worthless jumble of British colonies, Boer republics and African chiefdoms, a troublesome region of little interest to the outside world. But in 1871, everything changed. Prospectors exploring a remote stretch of sun-scorched scrubland chanced upon the world's richest deposits of diamonds. Fifteen years later, an itinerant digger stumbled across the rocky outcrop of a gold-bearing reef on a highveld ridge known as the ...
Read More
The prize was great not just land, but the riches it held. Southern Africa was once regarded as a worthless jumble of British colonies, Boer republics and African chiefdoms, a troublesome region of little interest to the outside world. But in 1871, everything changed. Prospectors exploring a remote stretch of sun-scorched scrubland chanced upon the world's richest deposits of diamonds. Fifteen years later, an itinerant digger stumbled across the rocky outcrop of a gold-bearing reef on a highveld ridge known as the Witwatersrand. Beneath lay the richest deposits of gold ever discovered. Suddenly, the region was a glittering prize. What followed was a titanic struggle fought by the British to gain supremacy throughout southern Africa and by the Boers to preserve the independence of their republics. It culminated in the costliest, bloodiest and most humiliating war that Britain had waged in nearly a century. Britain provoked the war expecting it to be over within a few months, but it turned into a gruelling campaign lasting two and a half years; required half a million imperial troops to finish it; and left the Boer republics devastated.In this superbly vivid and gripping history of the turbulent years leading up to the founding of the modern state of South Africa in 1910, Martin Meredith portrays the great wealth and raw power, the deceit and corruption that lay behind Britain's empire-building in southern Africa. Here too are some of the most iconic tales of British imperial history, including the Zulus at Rorke's Drift, the Jameson Raid and the siege and relief of Mafeking. It is a portrait of history red in tooth and claw, of a period when fortunes were made and lost; and when great men had their reputations forged, or dashed, and sometimes both. Among them were two men who came to personify the struggle between the British and the Boers: Cecil Rhodes, the son of an English country parson who used his huge fortune from diamonds and gold to promote the expansion of the British empire as well as his own business interests; and Paul Kruger, the Boer leader and landowner who defied Britain's prime ministers and generals for nearly a quarter of a century. the author concludes his magisterial account of the making of South Africa on a note of foreboding.Though the new state was launched on a tide of goodwill, the legacy of hatred and bitterness engendered by the Anglo-Boer war and its cruel aftermath gave rise to a virulent Afrikaner nationalism that eventually took hold of South Africa, with repercussions lasting nearly a century.
Read Less
Add this copy of Diamonds@@ Gold and War to cart. $6.39, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster).
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Diamonds, Gold and War the Making of South Africa to cart. $10.03, good condition, Sold by Books From California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Simi Valley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Simon & Schuster Ltd.
Add this copy of Diamonds, Gold and War: the Making of South Africa to cart. $10.08, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Jonathan Ball Publishers SA.
Add this copy of Diamonds, Gold and War: the Making of South Africa to cart. $10.08, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Jonathan Ball Publishers SA.
Add this copy of Diamonds, Gold and War: the Making of South Africa to cart. $11.52, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Jonathan Ball Publishers.
Add this copy of Diamonds, Gold and War: The Making of South Africa to cart. $14.94, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Simon & Schuster.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Contains: Unspecified. Includes unspecified. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Diamonds, Gold and War: the Making of South Africa to cart. $14.95, good condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2008 by Pocket Books.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Add this copy of Diamonds, Gold and War: the Making of South Africa to cart. $15.33, very good condition, Sold by Reuseabook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2007 by Simon & Schuster.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
