Alexander [Paperback]

Theodore Ayrault Dodge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 1996

Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.) was incontestably one of the greatest military generals of all time. From the time he sacked Thebes and crossed the Hellespont to his death eleven years later, he conquered the entire Persian empire, including Tyre, Egypt, and Babylon, and moved on to present-day northern India and Afghanistan. He influenced the spread of Hellenism throughout the Near East and Asia, establishing many cities such as Alexandria that flourished long after his death.This classic study of Alexander, his predecessors, and his influence on the art of war remains fascinating and relevant over a hundred years after its initial publication. The classical works dealing with warfare in and before Alexander's time gave little more than bare facts of military matters; Dodge's contribution was to vividly reconstruct every major battle of Alexander's brilliant military career, to provide background material concerning the art of war before and during Alexander's reign, and to fully illustrate his narrative with invaluable maps and charts. The result is a masterpiece of military history—the book that inspired General J. F. C. Fuller to write his own classic study of Alexander, and one which will similarly inspire generations of future readers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Describes] Alexander's Faniastic Militaryachievements... with great skill and charm." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Ayrault Dodge (1842–1909) served in the New York volunteer infantry during the Civil War. His books include Alexander, Hannibal, The Campaign of Chancellorsville, A Bird's Eye View of Our Civil War, Gustavus Adolphus, Cesar,and Napoleon (in four volumes).

Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; First Da Capo Press Edition edition (March 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306806908
• ISBN-13: 978-0306806902
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,296,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First of the Great Captains, Unveiled, September 12, 2000

By 

Bryan Gibby (Madrid, Spain) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alexander (Paperback)

This book is not a biography -- it is a military history of the art of war during ancient times, with Alexander the Great prominently featured. This volume is the first of five (the next three also published by Da Capo Press) that the author uses to describe and prescribe the art of war. In this inaugural book, Dodge effectively defines his terms, principally the term strategy. This is important because this theme is progressed through the times and actions of Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus, and Napoleon.

Dodge's unique contribution to the subject comes from a few persepectives: first, Dodge was a soldier in the Union Army. His books were all published before the turn of the 20th century. He has often physically walked the terrain, studied the topography, and diligently compares the ancient accounts with common sense observation, with some surprising conclusions. Second, Dodge concentrates on what he is qualified to judge, military operations, tactics, leadership, and morale. He is not interesting in court politics, who loved whom, or how much it cost to outfit an elefant for battle. Many times these aspects are presented, but the author makes pains to state his inability to interpret such events. What he does do is to bring to life the man, his armies, battles, and campaigns. Most of all, the reader gets the sense of the Great Captain's position in the military story of man.

There are some weaknesses. There is a sense of "post holing" as Dodge attempts to cover 3000 years of military history and innovation. At times, the military aspects receives more attention than it should, and the books ends rather abruptly instead of leading into the next volume: Hannibal. With these weaknesses in mind the reader will have an enjoyable experience. Dodge's style is crisp, entertaining, humorous at times, and always provocative as he inevitably compares ancient military practices with those that he was familiar with, 19th century America.

The whole series is worth its weight.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A semenal work that should become a classic., September 23, 2002

By 

Nicholas Tatrallyay (Budapest, Hungary) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alexander (Paperback)

Alexander by Theodore Dodge is a beautifully written book that delves into all relevant areas relating to Alexander's fight to spread Hellenism. The book gives detailed and unequivoval accounts of his great battles. It also gives one a good understanding for what military technology was available to Alexander at the time. It also focuses on the enemies of Alexander and their military strengths and developments. Theodore Dodge is a military historian and thus he does not go into the culture of both greece and Persia as much as I would have like him to. It is amazing how his work can still remain an authority after 100 years since its first publication. This shows what a great book it is and what an objective writer Theodore Dodge truly is. I have also read Hannibal and Caesar by the same author, and I find them equally great.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spendid Classic, August 1, 2005

By 

Roger Kennedy (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alexander (Paperback)

Its good to see the works of Dodge in print again. His six volumes chronicling the history and development of warfare were classics of their kind. Written in the 1880s, these books still have a lot to say about this subject. Granted some of the information on the organiaztion and tactics of ancient armies may be somewhat dated. Also Dodge's somewhat jaundiced view toward Asian non-western armies may seem a bit out of date in these hyper-politically correct times, but his opinions are always insightful and interesting.

What makes this history of Alexander different is the background development of ancient warfare leading up to his time, as well as the purely military analysis. The reader gets a first-rate discussion of military development and innovation before his time which places the Macedonian army and Alexander in greater perspective. You won't find this kind of depth in many other histories on Alexander. Other than JFC Fuller's analysis on Alexander's generalship, there are precious few works that devote much time to this most important aspect of his life. Whatever else Alexander was, and he was, and remains many different things to different people, he was, first and foremost, a great military genius. This is what we should remember him most for. Many more recent works often forget this important aspect, and place too much emphasis on his character. Many biographers try to read too much into his actions, and have their own agendas to pursue in discussing Alexander's actions. This must have been so in Dodges day as well as he often comments on this tendency.

One of the great things about Dodge is his often candid and frank observations. His writing style is also smooth and elegant. Too bad more historians today don't have this style of elegance anymore. Dodge avoids most of the controversial aspects surrounding Alexander's life, although he will often mention them in passing and offer a brief opinion. The reader is constantly reminded that this is a military analysis of the great Macedonian, not a biographical one. While Dodge's view is decidely pro-Alexander, he does acknowledge some of the darker aspects of his character. The reader is left to make his own judgement about these matters. Like Arrian, Dodge tries to stick to the matter at hand, and throughout maintains a solid and consistent narrative. The maps and diagrams provided may seem inadequate by today's standards, but they are numerous and very helpful in trying to understand Alexander's battles and campaigns. More works on Alexander should have maps like this.

Dodge provides a fine military narrative of Alexander. You won't find any mention of the deviant sides of his character, which is so popular today. For those aspects the reader should turn to the fanciful works of Mary Renault who freely discusses such things. Dodge's work is an excellent companion to any modern day biography of Alexander. You won't find any better discussion of the military aspects of his life than in these pages. Highly recommended for all interested in ancient warfare and the development of military conflict in general.