Throughout its turbulent history, South Africa has frequently been the focus of worldwide attention – usually hostile. Yet prejudice and ignorance about the country are widespread. The evolution of the present-day 'Rainbow Nation' has taken place under conditions of sometimes extreme pressure. Since long before the arrival of the first European settlers in the seventeenth century, the country has been home to a complex and uneasily co-existing blend of races and cultures, and successive waves of immigrants have added to the already volatile mixture. Despite the optimism and euphoria which greeted the final dismantling of the apartheid system and the election as President of Nelson Mandela in April 1994, South Africa's history, racial mix and recent political upheavals suggest it will not easily free itself from the legacy of its tumultuous past.

Newly revised and updated to include the retirement of Mandela, Frank Welsh's vividly written, even-handed and authoritative history casts new light on many of South Africa's most cherished myths. Like his 'A History of Hong Kong', it will surely come to be regarded as definitive.

'Sweeping, exhaustive and masterly'
SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY

'Excellent … a balanced account of a very complex story'
STEPHEN FLEMING, 'Irish Independent'

'Vital to an understanding of modern South Africa
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

'His assessments are judicious, his opinions fair … Welsh maintains a clear narrative thread through this hugely complex story'
STEPHEN TAYLOR, 'New York Times Book Review'

By comparison with the United States, the history of the United Kingdom as an undivided entity has been quite short. This book describes the history of each constituent part, their interaction, and the effect of external events. As soon as British history is seen as an integral part of world (especially European) history, the perspective alters drastically.
Until 1803 France was optimistically assumed to be part of the realm. Less than a century elapsed between 1829, when the grant of a very restricted franchise to Catholics made the inclusion of Ireland more than a political fiction, to 1922, when the Irish Free State emerged. Scotland, with England the main constituent of the UK since 1707, has retained its own legal system, administration and established church (the Queen changes her religion each time she passes Berwick). Wales retains a distinctive culture and language, albeit one on an expensive life-support machine.

"Not long from now, archaeologists traversing China's Pearl River delta will stumble onto the ruins of what was once one of man's most glorious civilizations. 'How could this have been allowed to happen?' one will certainly ask. Frank Welsh's 'History of Hong Kong' is the complete answer to that question in our time."
FRED C. SHAPIRO

"Masterly"
THE ECONOMIST

"There is no account of the colony as comprehensive, detailed and up-to-date as this. It will be an excellent guide for those who wish to follow events up to the British withdrawal in 1997 and afterwards… This is the best survey I have read of the gradual transformation of British rule as its inevitable end came into sight."
MICHAEL FRY, 'Scotland on Sunday'

"Authoritative and absorbing"
NEW STATESMAN & SOCIETY

"Mr Welsh writes with affection, insight and verve … narrative history in the best sense… He has written a book from which I have learned a great deal."
RICHARD TAMES, 'Times Educational Supplement'

"Richly detailed, informative and entertaining."
ASIAWEEK

"The ideal reading matter for anyone embarking upon the long flight to Hong Kong … impressive clarity and a sharp sense of ironic humour… Welsh's book is not merely a history of the tiny island of Hong Kong; it is a vast tapestry that traces the trajectory of the Western colonial adventure in Asia."
JONATHAN KIRSCH, 'Los Angeles Times'

"Anyone who reads it will be the better for this vigorous and convincing account of a unique creation."
GLASGOW HERALD

Even by comparison to the United States, the United Kingdom has had a brief and fractious history. Its existence as an undivided entity lasted only for a disputatious 125 years, and its future remains precarious.In The Four Nations, Frank Welsh offers a lively narrative history of the four component parts of the British Isles-England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Moving from the Roman period, which first defined many of the current internal boundaries, through the present day, Welsh describes the history of each nation, their interactions, and the impacts of crises ranging from the Norman Invasion to the Protestant Reformation to the two world wars of the twentieth century. Along the way, Welsh questions many cherished illusions and poses some awkward questions: To what extent were Scotland, Ireland, and Wales victims of predatory English aggression? How serious is the frequently invoked specter of national fragmentation?Filled with illuminating vignettes and provocative insights, The Four Nations is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the troubled histories of the British Isles.