Mandela: An Illustrated Autobiography [Hardcover]

Nelson Mandela (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1996

Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the center of the most inspiring political drama in the world. Mandela: An Illustrated Autobiography tells the extraordinary story of Nelson Mandela's life, an epic of struggle, setback, renewed hope, and ultimate triumph. With nearly 200 stunning photographs - many of them published here for the first time - and with text adapted from his remarkable memoir Long Walk to Freedom, this moving book captures the indomitable spirit of a moral giant and dramatically portrays his struggle toward freedom. Mandela's journey is vividly and eloquently recounted: the development of his political consciousness, his pivotal role in the formation of the African National Congress Youth League, his years underground - which led to a sentence of life imprisonment in 1964 - and his twenty-seven years behind bars. He also movingly recounts the momentous events leading up to his victory in South Africa's first-ever multiracial elections in 1994.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This handsome 91/4" x 103/8" book abridges South African leader Mandela's acclaimed 1994 autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, and adds some 200 photographs. It also contains a substantial amount of text, making it a suitable introduction for those without the time to read the longer work. The photos, from a variety of archives and journalistic sources, ably illustrate Mandela and, even more so, the South Africa around him. While photos of protests and trials predominate, there are images of the rural areas of Mandela's youth, of the smoky segregated townships of his lawyer days in Johannesburg, and of Mandela's family and African National Congress comrades. The photos taken after Mandela's release from prison and South Africa's democratic election capture historic scenes. For most public libraries, especially where interest in Mandela has been high.?Norman Oder, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Adapted from the best-selling memoir, Long Walk to Freedom (1994), this handsomely designed, large-size volume with 200 photographs is sure to become most readers' first choice for reading about Mandela. The text has been cut, but not that much; there's still an extraordinary amount of detail about his personal life and the history and politics of the antiapartheid struggle, about his years underground, his 27 years in prison, and his triumphant election as president of South Africa's first democracy. In the original autobiography, there were some good photos, but they were small and clumped together. This book, with thick paper and lots of white space, has a high-quality photo on almost every page. The pictures don't just illustrate the historical account, they extend it. South Africa's great photographers, including Peter Magubane, Jurgen Schadeburg, and many more, document the events in their country. They capture the daily and the cataclysmic: what it has been like for those who live there, blacks and whites, separate and unequal for so long. The famous images are here (children carrying the body of Hector Peterson after the 1976 Soweto uprising; Mandela with his arm raised in triumph on his release from prison), but some pictures are new, published here for the first time. With its compelling cover portrait, full captions, and many sidebar quotes, this book will grab browsers, who will then find it hard to stop reading the amazing story. Hazel Rochman

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316550388
• ISBN-13: 978-0316550383
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 0.7 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Mandela, Nelson

More About the Author

Nelson Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa, on July 18, 1918. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948. He was incarcerated at Robben Island prison from 1964 to 1982 and then moved to Pollsmoor Prison, during which time his reputation as a potent symbol of resistance to apartheid grew steadily. Released from prison in 1990, Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was inaugurated as the first democratically elected president of South Africa in 1994. He is the author of the international bestseller LONG WALK TO FREEDOM.



Author photograph by Andrew Zuckerman © Nelson Mandela Foundation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandela: a portrait of integrity, April 10, 2008

By 

Joseph E. C. Rogers (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mandela: An Illustrated Autobiography (Hardcover)

This book recounts the life of Nelson Mandela beginning in childhood up to the present age. It is written by Mandela himself - it's honest, straightforward style seems to be an honest attempt by Mandela to portray himself objectively, avoiding the tendency to be self-serving.

A fascinating book. It begins with Mandela in his young childhood living in a pre-industrial society of native Africans in the countryside of South Africa where white settlers have dominated industrialized society. It is an engaging society, - perhaps more advanced than our own - as one must reconsider what it means to live in harmony and in cooperation; A true democracy, based on the ideals that all are equal.

Mandela undergoes culture shock when he runs away from his traditional homeland to seek his fortunes in the big city of Johannesberg. Here is encounters white society up close, and is mortified at the inequity that exists between the native blacks, and the immigrant whites that make every attempt to dominate their country and exploit its indigenous peoples.

Mandela encounters a small group of educated, free-thinking educated blacks, and joins the African National Congress. Here he encounters several other oppressed peoples: Indians, Communists, and liberal whites. He slowly makes his life's objective to be a freedom fighter. A fighter for civil rights for all people. A life of struggle, where one must be willing to pay the ultimate price. And he nearly does.

He becomes the inspiration for downtrodden average black citizen, nearly enslaved within their own country. He willingly faces grave danger, is tried several times for his political ideals, denounced as "treason" and is eventually sent to prison "for life."

Mandela's life in prison is austere. But he and his colleagues never yield in their commitment to freedom for all South Africans. His wife, Winnie is an example of true dedication - equally a woman of integrity and worthy of the highest praise. She undergoes severe hardships being married to a "freedom fighter."

Mandela avoids the tendency to give up in the face of severe conditions, showing true mettle as he remains dedicated to the rights for all people to live free in racist South Africa. 27 years later having risked his life and surviving harsh prison conditions, he emerges a national hero.

A must read for anyone - Mandela is history in the making.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, Excellent Seller!, June 24, 2010

By 

Romeo Quixote - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mandela: An Illustrated Autobiography (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my father as a gift, and he has literally NOT put it down since he received it! He loves the amazing narrative, as told by Mandela himself, and the outstanding pictures throughout the book bring the story to even more vivid life. I literally just had a two hour conversation with my Dad about everything he's read in this book about Mandela's life, and it was only one of many talks we've had since he received the book. I am so glad I got this for him. You will not be sorry purchasing one for the history/world events fan in your life. Item arrived in pristine condition in a timely way from this excellent seller.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandela Autobiography Excellent Blend of Facts and Photos, January 4, 2011

By 

A. Byrd - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mandela: An Illustrated Autobiography (Hardcover)

If you are interested in the history you weren't taught in school, as I wasn't, this book is not too full of details that you get bogged down. It is a very interesting account of Mandela's life. I always wondered exactly what happened that he got released from prison then elected to be President so quickly. Now I understand better the sequence of events. The photographs are excellent and the book itself is a beautiful addition to anyone's library.