“A true portrayal of a lovable, forceful character against an interesting background of South African diamond fields. Valuable to the student of colonial history and enjoyable to the general reader.”
— A.L.A. Catalog 1926
“The author, writing from acquaintance not only with Rhodes himself, but with almost all the personalities who figure in the biography, gives a contemporary portrait of the man and a connected narrative of his work. While to some extent the book is an apology for Rhodes, Mr Williams does not defend all his acts.”
“The plans and achievements of the empire builder are narrated fully and vividly so that the volume is not only the biography of a great imperial figure but a chronicle of South African history during well-nigh a quarter of a century.”
– The Book Review Digest