Alexander the Great [Paperback]

Lewis V. Cummings (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 2004

Reissued to coincide with the release of Oliver Stone's epic movie on Alexander the Great (slated for fall 2004) and the Summer Olympics in Greece, Lewis Cummings's comprehensive and readable biography of Alexander the Great gives us the full portrait of this brilliant and tyrannical leader. A sagacious ruler and a volatile, often violent commander, a sensuous youth and a paradigm of chastity, Alexander the Great of Macedonia remains one of the most fascinating and contradictory figures in world history. Son of King Philip and the tempestuous Queen Olympia, educated by Aristotle himself, a swift succession of military victories gave him an empire that extended from Greece to India. From his first conquest in northern Greece at the age of sixteen, to a swift succession of victories over Macedonia, Egypt, Persia, and Asia, Alexander possessed almost inhuman energy and hubris that defied Zeus himself, until his death at the age of thirty-two. Alexander the Great is an epic history of a man who became one of the most heralded rulers and despised geniuses of all time.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lewis V. Cummings was a cartographer for the British Intelligence Service when he first traveled through the Middle East and Asia. His biography of Alexander the Great is based on exhaustive research and extensive collaboration with scholars at Columbia University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802141498
• ISBN-13: 978-0802141491
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,895,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, But Wordy Account of Alex, June 23, 2005

By 

Roger Kennedy (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alexander the Great (Paperback)

With all the recent interest in Alexander its not surprising that biographies new and old are popping up all over the place. Lewis Cummings 1940 bio of Alexander is certainly not one of the better known, nor is it the most distingished either. Though written in English his account is often less clear than Ulrich Wilken's German translated bio from a few years earlier.

Like most bios this one starts out a bit slow with all the heavy-duty background info. about the orgins of the Macedonians and the development of their monarchy over the centuries. Cumming's rather wordy explantions does not make this difficult historical background easy to comprehend either. Despite what is purported as a readable work, the first 50 pages are a real push!

Once we pass with background and get into Alexander himself the narrative start to pick up. Still, Cummings is fond of erodite expressions and typically English round-about explanations. These often cloud the narrative. One reviewer noted that since Cummings's was a cartographer how come there are not more maps in the book! This would certainly help as he is fond of discussing all sorts of obscure place names that Alexander allegedly trammped through. Most bios don't go into such detail on the locales because many of these places aren't around anymore. They certainly don't debate the topic as much as here. For all the descriptions about locales that the author may have seen in person, his actual discussions about Alexander are limited. There are a few good points made here and there, and when not mentioning obsure hill towns in detail the narrative can actually be good at times.

Its hard to figure where Cummings stands with Alex. One gets the impression he is firm admirer in the first half of his career up until the death of Darius III, but after that he believes his subject just becomes a brutal conqueror. Some good points here that could have been debated more. Overall this is an average bio at best. I would recommend Wilcken's from this period of research more as its concise, debates important points, and is a better read. This would not be a good first work to read on Alexander in my opinion. Having read other better works the reader might like to take a look at this one just to compare. Not one of the better older Alex bios out there for sure.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting and enjoyable read, November 12, 2007

By 

Brian Marley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alexander the Great (Paperback)

I received this book as a birthday present. The book gives an interesting, readable and evenly balanced biography of Alexander the Great's life. One wonders how much time must be required researching such a work as this! It wasn't until I was halfway through the book and had read the Amazon reviews that I realized the book's first copyright was in 1940. The account remains fresh decades later.

As others have mentioned, however, the book is slightly deficient map-wise. As I was reading the first chapter, "Philip of Macedon", I started looking at the various maps throughout the book to try and locate the place-names being discussed. The first chapter desperately needs a map! With regards to the remaining maps, they are difficult to read due to lack of shading to indicate the principal bodies of water. Improvement of the existing maps plus inclusion of one or two additional maps would add much to the enjoyment of this book. It would also be nice to have a portrature of Alexander and some of the other characters mentioned in the text. I'm sure the archaelogical findings of the last 70 years could be used to add photos and illustrations to make this already great book superb! Maybe this can be done in a future edition.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Alexander the Great by Cummings, May 4, 2005

By 

Mark Twain "Go Liverpool" (Atlanta, Rhode Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alexander the Great (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book. I found the text to be very readable. The main complaint I have for this book is that there are very few maps. If you are not thoroughly versed in the geography of Alexander, then you will either be confused or forced to have a world atlas at your side while you read. Cummings is supposed to have been a cartographer but he does not use many maps. Besides the lack of images or maps, the book is a fun book to read. If there were more maps and images, I would give the book a five.