Martin Meredith

From the prison, to the presidency, Meredith paints a vivid portrait of Mandela's inspiring life and times, providing fresh insight into the history of the anti-apartheid movement and new revelations about its most compelling figure.

A look at the recent history of South Africa covers the development of the apartheid system and the methods used by the government to deal with anti-apartheid activists

For thousands of years, the majestic elephant has roamed the African continent, as beloved by man as it has been preyed upon. But centuries of exploitation and ivory hunting have taken their now, as wars and poachers continue to ravage its habitat, as disease and political strife deflect attention from its plight, the African elephant faces imminent extinction.What will become of these

Robert Mugabe came to power in 1980 after a long civil war in Rhodesia. The white minority government had become an international outcast in refusing to give in to the inevitability of black majority rule. Finally the defiant white prime minister Ian Smith was forced to step down and Mugabe was elected president of a country now called Zimbabwe. Initially hopes were high that he had the intelligen

Robert Mugabe came to power in Zimbabwe in 1980 after a long civil war in Rhodesia. The white minority government had become an international outcast in refusing to give in to the inevitability of black majority rule. Finally the defiant white prime minister Ian Smith was forced to step down and Mugabe was elected president. Initially he promised reconciliation between white and blacks, encouraged

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 then prospectors chanced first upon the world's richest deposits of diamonds, and then upon its richest deposits of gold. What followed was a titanic struggle between the British and the Boers for control of the land,

Recounts the decolonization of Africa, looks at the problems of instability, corruption, and mismanagement each nation faced, and considers the good and bad leaders who have shaped Africa's history

"Coming to Terms" is a groundbreaking consideration of a country's attempts to put a troubled history behind it and reach a new stage of development. Martin Meredith takes an unprecedented look into the key cases presented to the commission - both those involving well-known figures such as Stephen Biko and Winnie Mandela, and those that deal with the routine violence and torture that shaped the li

"The fortunes of Africa have changed dramatically in the fifty years since the independence era began. As Europe's colonial powers withdrew, dozens of new states were launched amid much jubilation and to the world's applause. African leaders stepped forward with energy and enthusiasm to tackle the problems of development and nation-building, boldly proclaiming their hopes of establishing new socie

Martin Meredith has written the political obituary of UDI. The Past is Another Country is a meticulous and authoritative account of 15 years of blunderingly tortuous efforts to bring Rhodesia to legal independence. It is a genuinely tragic story chronicled with the critical detachment of a historian and the readability of a journalist. Meredith shows the skilful manoeuvring by which Ian Smith reta

Africa does not give up its secrets easily. Buried there lie answers about the origins of humankind. After a century of investigation, scientists have transformed our understanding about the beginnings of human life. But vital clues still remain hidden. In Born in Africa, Martin Meredith follows the trail of discoveries about human origins made by scientists over the last hundred years, rec

A sweeping history the fortune seekers, adventurers, despots, and thieves who have ruthlessly endeavored to extract gold, diamonds, and other treasures from Africa and its people.Africa has been coveted for its rich natural resources ever since the era of the Pharaohs. In past centuries, it was the lure of gold, ivory, and slaves that drew merchant-adventurers and conquerors from afar.

Bram Fischer was born into an aristocratic Afrikaans family but became one of South Africa's leading revolutionaries. Regarded in his youth as having a brilliant career ahead of him, he rebelled not only against the apartheid system but also against his own Afrikaner people. As a defense lawyer, Fischer managed to save Mandela from the death penalty demanded by state prosecutors for his sabotage a

The odyssey of the Reitz family passes like a thread through the tapestry of South African history in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Originally Dutch-Afrikaner gentry from the Cape, the family moved to the frontier settlement of Bloemfontein and played a key role in the building of the Orange Free State. At the heart of this tale is the extraordinary career of Deneys Reitz, whose ac

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 then prospectors chanced upon the world's richest deposits of diamonds and gold, setting off a titanic struggle between the British and the Boers for control of the region. It culminated in the costliest, bloodiest, an

In recent years, under the despotic rule of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe became a byword for chaos, corruption and cruelty, but when a German geologist discovered gold there in the 1860s it was touted as the home of the biblical King Solomon's mines or the domain of the Queen of Sheba. So what really is the true nature of the country? In Martin Meredith's important and definitive<