Davidson has eschewed the dry, academic style normally associated with works of history and in his endeavor to penetrate to the heart of Rhodes age, to explain why this man, so ordinary in many ways, should have become the object of a veneration almost unparalleled in British history so that not only streets and towns but entire countries bore his name.REVIEWS 'A major study which uses a multitude of archive and other little-known materials to recreate the tumultuous atmosphere of the time, and to highlight key philosophical and moral issues.'Novy Mir, Moscow'To the palate accustomed to the dry, astringent wine served up by British historians, Davidson s brew may seem a little heady, but to the ordinary reader it will make refreshing change and the scholarly value of the book is in no way diminished by his method.'The Sunday Mail, Harare"Appollon, a historian, presents a biography of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes within historical context and in relation to how he represented the age of increased colonialism in the late nineteenth century. He details Rhodes' childhood, his gold and diamond mining in South Africa, his political activity, and his efforts to expand the British Empire to South Africa, including his experiences with various African tribes and rival European states, the creation of the British South Africa Chartered Company, his military campaigns and wars against the Ndebele and Afrikaners, and the creation of Rhodesia, followed by uprisings against him by the Shona and Ndebele, the Anglo-Boer War, and ending with his death. The book was first published in 1984 for Russian readers and was translated by Christopher English in 2003; it is available in the US for the first time. "Reference and Research Book News, 2012/06"