Reaping the whirlwind: the Reader's Digest Illustrated History of South Africa and changing popular perceptions of history

In 1988 Reader's Digest pulled off what is probably the publishing coup of the decade in South Africa. Responding to the storm of popular opposition to traditional South African history that blew up in the 1980s, it produced a book that took up the challenge: The Illustrated History of South Africa: the real story. It sold over 85,000 copies within six months of publication and Reader's Digest has battled to keep up 'with the demand for the book (Sunday Times, 28 May 1989).