Customer Reviews

Alexander the Great: Volume 2, Sources and Studies (Vol 2)

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Tarn is among the great scholars who have studied extensively the life of Alexandros III of Macedon. This is a book for scholars who are comfortable with Old Greek. Honestly, even if I am not a scholar myself I still know how to translate Old Greek, and am able to recognize (distinguish) the nuances of the Greek spoken in the Hellenistic period.

However, this book is authoritative; yes, certainly it is. The problem is that Amazon is selling only Volume II. Volume II serves as complement of Volume I, the biography and essay written by Tarn. Volume II backs up Tarn's exegesis, and is the place where to find the fragments that led Tarn to support his hypotheses. Volume II without volume I is kind of a pen without ink -- the pen will write again once that you have refilled it.

Last, but not least, I live and study Alexander often in a very subjective way. It is my fervent passion that leads me sometimes not to be objective. I belong to the current of the so-to-speak Apologetics, and am inclined to inflate Alexander's greatness and forget some of his biggest mistakes (or let's say, his non virtuous actions that characterize the last years of his short life). Generals as Alexander can be counted on the finger of one hand. He slept with the Ilias under his pillow - I sleep in a bedroom where there are hundred of books speaking about him. After all, we all have our weaknesses.........and please DO NOT buy this book (volume II) if you are not able to get ahold of Volume I. Thanks for reading!!