Alexander the Great (Hardcover)

by Paul Cartledge (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Alexander the Great's brilliant military campaigns in the fourth century B.C. spread not only his reputation as a heroic and ingenious leader but also the culture of ancient Greece throughout the known world. With his usual riveting storytelling, Cartledge (The Spartans), chair of Cambridge University's classics faculty, narrates Alexander's life and rise to power. Cartledge takes issue with those who contend that Alexander's greatest contribution was to spread Hellenism. He argues instead that Alexander, while sincerely attached to Hellenism, was more concerned with the glory his conquests brought him. Cartledge provides detailed chronicles of Alexander's battles with the Persians, the Tyrians and the Babylonians as he demonstrates the young king's military genius and hunger for success in war. According to Cartledge, Alexander's love of hunting game offers the key to his life and reign. It led him, for example, to successfully adapt for military battles many hunting strategies, such as the surprise attack, a uniquely Alexandrine contribution. A number of appendixes, including a glossary and an extensive bibliography, enhance the book. Cartledge's knack for bringing history to life makes for an absorbing new biography of the legendary Greek leader. 37 b&w illus., 4 maps, 6 battle plans.
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Review
“May be the most accessible introduction in print.... An amazingly solid, balanced, and evocative view of the man.”
–The Washington Post Book World

“Readable and engrossing.... Immediate, discursive, insightful, and highly engaging.” –Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

“Incisive and judicious.... What Cartledge does so well is explain the ancient world of Greeks and Persians.”
–The Sunday Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585675652
• ISBN-13: 978-1585675654
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #168,743 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't read this book first, October 29, 2004

By	Bob Estes "Bob" (Little Rock, AR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a well written and seemingly well researched book.

I am no scholar of Alexander though. This is where my frustration begins. This biography is not written in a linier or chronological style. It is more of a thematic presentation.

If, like me, you are not already familiar with the characters and events of Alexander's life, you will be frustrated as the book jumps from event to event as the author explores the persona of Alexander.

I will put this book back on the shelf for a while and revert back to a more conventional chronological biography.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What do we know of Alexander?, September 19, 2005

By	Smallchief - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Despite some reservations, I'll give this book a top rating based on the quality of the scholarship. The author defines his aims in the preface: to "do full justice" to Alexander's achievements -- but "respecting the limits of the evidence and of the historian's craft." Many of the popular biographers of Alexander have made of him what they wished him to be. Cartledge reminds the reader over and over of the paucity of solid information about Alexander's nature and character.

This is not the book to read first if you don't know much about Alexander the Great. The author presumes you are familiar with the outlines of his life and jumps into thematic descriptions. Chapter titles include: Alexander and the Greeks, The Divinity of Alexander, and The Generalship of Alexander. He is conservative with his sources and what emerges is a bare-bones outline of Alexander's life. Speculation is clearly labeled. We have few flights of fancy about Alexander's love life or his supposed aims to create an empire of universal peace and brotherhood.

In taking a narrow view of Alexander, what emerges is not overly favorable. That's fine. Alexander is also one of the enigmatic persons of history and he will be seen as a monster by some and as an enlightened idealist by others -- although all those massacres are hard to explain away. Cartledge is probably more reliable than most in writing of Alexander and he attempts to enliven the story with an occasional attempt at humor or frivolity. The maps of Alexander's five great battles are outstanding.

Smallchief

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read This First, October 26, 2006

By	Michael A. Mercurio II "Mad Mike" (US Army) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Alexander the Great (Paperback)

Being a history addict and a Soldier has led me to read everything printed in english on Alexander the Great (nuministic and logistical books included). Some biographers depict him as a shining idealized soldier-king, while others as a drunken despot on a self delusional path to deification. Cartledge balances the historical record with fresh interpretations of events and a common sense test of putting the reader in Alexander's shoes at the moment of each event. This leads to a connection with the man and an understanding of his actions that lacks in most biographies of Alexander. The answer, it seems, is that Alexander was a man like any other before and since; brilliant and flawed, just like the rest of us. If you are going to read your first book on Alexander, or only one book ever, this is the one to pick up.