South Africa's rich history -- a story of exploration and conquest, of racial oppression and, ultimately, liberation -- deserves to be told in the raw. Here, then, are the words not so much of historians, biographers and journalists but of settlers, explorers, hunters, travellers, missionaries, soldiers and politicians as well as of novelists, playwrights and poets. This selection of original writing about South Africa, from the most illuminating, entertaining and significant works written. about the country and its diverse people, covers almost five centuries -- from the earliest encounters between colonists and the original inhabitants to the discovery of unimaginable wealth on the diamond and gold fields, from the Boer War and its bitter legacy to the greater tragedy of apartheid and its eventual demise. Here are the eye-witnesses to South Africa's long journey to freedom.