“A true portrayal of a lovable, forceful character against an interesting background of South African diamond fields. Valuable to the student of colonial history and enjoyable to the general reader. ” — A. L. A. Catalog 1926 “The author, writing from acquaintance not only with Rhodes himself, but with almost all the personalities who figure in the biography, gives a contemporary portrait of the man and a connected narrative of his work. While to some extent the book is an apology for Rhodes, Mr Williams does not defend all his acts. ” “The plans and achievements of the empire builder are narrated fully and vividly so that the volume is not only the biography of a great imperial figure but a chronicle of South African history during well-nigh a quarter of a century. ” – The Book Review Digest