DIAMONDS, GOLD AND WAR, the making of South Africa

570 pp., maps, illus., paperback, Reprint, London, (2007) 2008

Covers the period from the discovery of diamonds in 1871 to the founding of the Union of South Africa in 1910.

"Providence decided to place most of the world's diamonds and gold beneath the bush and desert south of the Tropic of Capricorn. How this changed the whole course of South African - and to no small extent world - history is the enthralling story told by Martin Meredith" Geoffrey Wheatcroft, The Spectator

"The great strength of Martin Meredith's book is to tell southern African history as an epic of state-making and to provide an account of that era structured around the intersecting forces of economic and military power." David Goldblatt, Independent

Martin Meredith has written many books on Africa, including "The State of Africa: a history of fifty years of independence", "Coming To Terms: South Africa's search for truth", "Nelson Mandela: a biography", "Fischer's Choice: a biography of Braam Fischer", "South Africa's New Era: the 1994 election" and "In the Name of Apartheid: South Africa in the Postwar Era".