Customer Reviews

Xenophon's Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War

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The author/editor of the book takes a few liberties.

1) The book is abridged.
2) He re-writes the book in first person from Cyrus' point-of-view.

Even so, it is well worth reading, although I would suggest the Loeb translations.

The author of this book Mr. Larry HEDRICK have done great research in order to bring into light King of kings Cyrus the Great humanitrian achievements to readers attention. Truly, King Cyrus the Great was father of Persia/Iran, and liberator of Babylonians, law giver to Greek and messiah for Jews.

I hope in today's world, a leader same as Cyrus would emerge in political world and save us from this path of destruction.

Thank you Mr. Larry HEDRICK for reflecting light on Iran's heritage and enlighten Iranians and others of this great man's virtue.

As the editor of "Xenophon's Cyrus the Great," I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you a little more about my version of this amazing ancient classic. The foremost management guru of recent times, Peter F. Drucker, read my manuscript before it was published, and he wrote this endorsement for use on its dust jacket: "'Xenophon's Cyrus,' the first book on the subject, is still the best book on leadership." Here's just a touch of background: Cyrus, the founder of the Persian empire, was an enlightened monarch who flourished 2,500 years ago. A century later, Xenophon of Athens so admired Cyrus' methods that he preserved them in history's first full-fledged treatment of wise and heroic leadership. This book presents its leadership lessons in the context of an epic story--the story of a vast power struggle. In narrating the events of Cyrus' life, Xenophon shows you, the reader, how to conduct meetings, become an expert negotiator, deal efficiently with allies, communicate by appealing to the self-interest of your followers, encourage the highest standards of performance, insure that your organization has the benefit of specialists, and prove that your words will be backed by your deeds. In recounting the achievements of Cyrus the Great, Xenophon wanted above all to provide lessons in ethical leadership, for he was convinced that honest, moral leaders succeed far more often than corrupt and evasive types. The result was a captivating leadership classic with unique qualities--a classic that's distinguished both by its suspenseful story line and the priceless advice that it offers to today's business professionals and leaders in all walks of life.

A very readable version of one of the most remarkable books ever written. Hats off to Mr. Hedrick for making this ancient text seem so contemporary, without undermining the historical integrity of the work. I am a big fan of making the classics accessible to the average reader and Mr. Hedrick has done that. This would be a great gift for the recent high school or college grad. We can only hope that he is working on something similar for Xenophon's Persian Expedition, another ancient text that is rich in contemporary lessons.

The book is based on 1906 translation by Henry Graham Dakyns and the Book of Ezra in the Old Testament which describes the liberation of Hebrews from their Babylonian captivity.
Xenophon describes the unique character of Cyrus the Great in details and his vision to bring a new order to the world and to replace injustice with justice and balance.
He formed a government that can still serve as a model for all those who thirst for justice and the virtue that lived in him will live on in everyone who cherishes his achievements.
His faith was deep and genuine and he believed in kindness, freedom, dignity .A true hero, a champion of human right.

Xenophon's account of Cyrus's expedition and conquests is great. He portrays a man inspired by God (though Xenophon has him worshipping other gods too, some historians have pointed out that Cyrus actually believed in one God from a young age, after converting to Judaism). Further weight is given to this by the fact that some Islamic scholars believe God is referring to Cyrus in Sura Al-Kahf of the Quran, when God mentions a conquest undertaken by a believer called Dhul-Qurnain (The Two Horned - as translated in English).

The book may weigh down the interest of those who are not interested in military strategy, as some sections lean quite heavily towards that direction. However the last few chapters are just gold, leaving you with that warm, happy feeling as Cyrus leaves this world. The advice on principles of life imparted by Cyrus in the last few chapters are very insightful and speak to humans of all ages. He was truly a very insightful and ambitious man. As a previous reviewer has pointed out, the book portrays Cyrus as being an elitist whereas he had read in a history book of Cyrus being raised up by shepherds and being a man of the people. Im not sure which is correct, but Xenophons account is not a literal historical account of the man I believe, but more so a recount of the lasting legacy and impact he had as a leader to a land as far away as Greece, where Xenophon lived.

All in all it is a great account by Xenophon, with many insightful and inspirational one liners and principles, which really can be applied in all situations of life.

I became interested in Cyrus the Great after reading my daughter her history lesson from Susan Wise Bauer's "Story of the World, book 1". In Bauer's version Cyrus's grandfather was told his grandson would grow up to take the throne from him, so he sent him off to be killed as an infant. Instead he was raised in the country by a shepherd who had a barren wife. He converted to Judiasim at an early age and his future was shaped by his belief in one God.

In this version (and I don't know who is to blame - Xenophon or Hendrick) he often refers to the lessons he learned from his father, the King, and his youth hunting with the "peers" - i.e. people of the highest social class. Which is it? Raised by a shepherd as a commoner or in a life of privelege? Because it makes a huge difference on the rest of the story. He was a hero of the common man, saving peasants from becoming involved in the battles, etc. This book puts a very elitist spin on the entire story - he does these things because he is the best of the best and has such great virtue that he learned from his father the king.

Other than that, and the fact the vocabulary seems suited to a Junior High reader rather than an adult, it is a pretty good book. I usually don't like reading war strategy type things but it had me hooked. I think it is definately a much better choice for High School/college than Machiavelli's "The Prince" which is somehow supposed to be styled after this.

I enjoyed reading this book for many reasons. The two primary reasons I recommend it highly are:
1) It is a great leadership/management book. It shows you how you can have great power through respect and understanding of the human nature.
2) It provides many people who are not familiar with the history and culture of Persians and Iran an eye opening vista of the contributions of this civilization. I believe it is important for Persians and non-Persians to know more about this heritage and how far away form this the country has come today in the hopes of learning from the past leaders.

I ordered a used paperback. I was surprised when it appeared so new. I bought it because I know the editor's parents.

I would like to recommend this book to anyone from the business industry up to historians with interest in Persia. Specially in the time we are living this book is strongly recommended. It represents goodness over badness....humanity vs. inhumnanity.