I Am Prepared to Die.

MANDELA, Nelson.

$6,500.00

Item Number: 147121

Kent: A.G. Bishop & Sons, Ltd, c. 1965.

Rare first edition of Mandela’s Rivonia Speech. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Boldly signed and dated on the front panel, “Mandela 15.3.06.” In near fine condition. Uncommon signed.

Nelson Mandela's famous speech at the Rivonia Trial; now regarded as among the greatest speeches ever given. His closing statement is captured for the first time in this volume that states, "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against White domination and I have fought against Black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve, but if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." Nelson Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, the Order of Merit and Order of St. John by, Queen Elizabeth II and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush. "Mandela rightly occupies an untouched place in the South African imagination. He is the national liberator, the saviour, its Washington and Lincoln rolled into one" (Newsweek).