The author has known Mandela since the 1950s, and has been given complete access to all his personal papers, to Mandela himself, and to his friends and political associates, to write the full story of Mandela's life. In addition to covering his years before, during and after his incarceration, the author assesses Mandela's impact as President on South Africa and the world. He also reveals many features of the apartheid system that have hitherto been hidden, and describes the changing attitudes of big business to the ANC and to Mandela himself. The result is an authoritative biography of one of the greatest men of the 20th century.