Book excerpt: This is a study of rural life and struggle in the Transvaal during the watershed period of the 1890s and 1900s. Though much has been written about the South African War, this is the first scholarly and comprehensive analysis of its impact on agrarian relations and agrarian production. Krikler examines Afrikaner farming methods and tenantry systems, traces the wartime "peasants' revolt", and explores the agricultural modernization attempted by the British after the war. It is an original, thoroughly researched and lucidly written account, which illuminates our understanding of the South African War and its aftermath, and offers new insights into peasant societies during the colonial period.