A highly illustrated tribute to one of the world's most inspirational and admired personalities, fully updated to show how Nelson Mandela has taken his placed among the world's most revered statesmen Nelson Mandela is one of the world's most revered public figures, a man synonymous with the long, bitter struggle to rid South Africa of an apartheid regime and replace it with a multiracial democracy. Today he is seen as the face of world freedom, an ambassador for civil rights, and a heroic liberator whose influence and image of moral integrity extend way beyond his homeland. Fully illustrated, this book chronicles his remarkable life, from his days as a student activist and guerrilla leader to his position as iconic statesman. After spending 27 years in prison, his eventual release and election as South Africa's first black president were landmark events in 20th-century history. The incredible story recounted here encompasses seismic political change in South Africa as well as extraordinary personal struggle, trauma, and triumph.