This book traces Robben Island’s extraordinary metamorphosis from exile island to international icon,best known as a maximum-security prison for apartheid-era political prisoners from 1961-1991. The books are replete with striking images, both historic and contemporary, eye-witness accounts and evocative detail unearthed by the author’s extensive research through the Robben Island Museum, the Mayibuye Archives at the University of the Western Cape, the Western Cape Provincial Archives and the National Library of South Africa. The book offers a fascinating insight into the many-layered story of Robben Island and its inhabitants – both famous and long-forgotten.