Cecil Rhodes was the dominant figure in 19th-century Southern Africa. It was his acquisition of diamond mines in South Africa that led to the formation of De Beer Ltd, the huge diamond corporation which he led, and he also dominated the gold mines of the region. With his wealth secured, he went on to dominate the political scene, first as premier of the Cape Colony and later as a visionary who saw Britain controlling and claiming all the African territory from Cairo to Capetown. He was a firm believer in white supremacy, ...
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Cecil Rhodes was the dominant figure in 19th-century Southern Africa. It was his acquisition of diamond mines in South Africa that led to the formation of De Beer Ltd, the huge diamond corporation which he led, and he also dominated the gold mines of the region. With his wealth secured, he went on to dominate the political scene, first as premier of the Cape Colony and later as a visionary who saw Britain controlling and claiming all the African territory from Cairo to Capetown. He was a firm believer in white supremacy, and his ideas and policies continue in Southern Africa today. Rotberg creates a portrait of a complicated and compelling personality - a latent homosexual who controlled everything and everyone who came near him; a selfish wealth-seeker whose greatest legacy has been the Rhodes scholarship.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have condition issues including wear and notes/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
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Fine in fine jacket. A fine first edition with complete number line, in a fine dust jacket. xxii, 800 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates: illustrations, maps. Octavo. "Cecil Rhodes was an imposing figure, tall, robust-looking, with a leonine head, a man so charismatic that one contemporary claimed that "belief in Rhodes was a substitute for religion." But he was certainly a man of contradictions. He was a dreamy idealist whose favorite book was The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and a ruthless businessman whose guiding principle was "every man has his price." He supported invidious racial laws in South Africa, and invented and sponsored the world-renowned Rhodes Scholarships. Though his own education and intellectual talents were unprepossessing, he dominated the British Empire and became one of the leading figures in the English-speaking world, the confidant of Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm, and a man of vast wealth and world-wide influence. Based on seventeen years of research, this monumental volume offers the definitive biography of one of the most controversial figures of the nineteenth century. Rhodes was truly larger than life, and this book captures that life in fascinating detail. It offers an astute portrait of Rhodes' childhood and adolescence, informed by insights from modern psychology; it vividly depicts life on a nineteenth-century African cotton farm (Rhodes' first venture) and in mining camps around Kimberley and the Witwatersrand; it traces the surreptitious stock buyouts and mergers that allowed Rhodes to gain control over 90% of the world's diamond production by age thirty-five; it describes his campaigns against African populations that allowed him to establish Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia); and it discusses the poorly planned, disastrous raid on the Transvaal that destroyed Rhodes' reputation. A conqueror and colonial monarch, Cecil Rhodes presided arrogantly over the fate of southern Africa. But he also built lasting economic institutions, furthered transportation and communication links, improved agriculture, and fervently believed that he used his wealth and power to advance the best interests of the British Empire and Africa. This biography illuminates a complex and fascinating life, a life both evil and good."--worldcat.
Best objective biography of Cecil John Rhodes with his abilities, grants, faults and mistakes presented in a readable and acceptable review.
steve g
Sep 23, 2010
Outstanding
The book was in much better condition than expected. It is my belief that the seller actually overstated how bad of shape the book was and that is a very good sign. I would definately buy from this dealer again. The book was great also.
