An sweeping history of the making of South Africa by the bestselling and acclaimed author of THE STATE OF AFRICA. The prize was great - not just land, but the riches it held, in the form of diamonds and gold. What became a country called South Africa was, until 1910, a vast and untamed land where great fortunes could be made (and lost), where great battles were fought (and lost), and where great men had their reputations forged, or dashed, or sometimes both. Martin Meredith charts the making of South Africa whilst capturing the colours and textures of the land.