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The Alexiad (Penguin Classics) Paperback – September 29, 2009

by Anna Komnene (Author), Peter Frankopan (Editor, Introduction), E. R. A. Sewter (Translator)
3.7 out of 5 stars 15 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Series: Penguin Classics
  • Paperback: 608 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; Revised edition (September 29, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140455272
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140455274
  • Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.1 x 7.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Excellent Translation
By Bryan Miller on March 17, 2006
Format: Paperback
An excellent translation of Comnena's work, remains true to the original Greek while providing good equivalents for the more difficult idiomatic expressions. Also includes a couple of very helpful maps and appendices. A wonderful read for anyone interested in Byzantine history.
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
A nice improvement on a good edition
By Kirialax on December 5, 2011
Format: Paperback
As usual, I am not reviewing Anna Komnene as an historian. I am reviewing this particular edition of her work.

This is a relatively recent edition of the 'Alexiad'. While the core of E.R.A. Sewter's 1969 translation remains in place, many changes have been made and they are all good. The first, and most visually obvious, is the jacket. The 2003 edition of the Alexiad featured a figure in mosaic, which the book identified as Alexios Komnenos, as depicted in a 12th c. mosaic in the Hagia Sophia. This isn't entirely wrong, in that the mosaic is of Alexios Komnenos, it's just the wrong one. The figure depicted was Alexios, son of John II Komnenos and heir-apparent until his early death. His mosaic is attached but is rotated 90 degrees from the famous mosaic panel of his parents, making the mis-identification understandable for a badly-informed tourist guide, but not a serious publication. Thankfully, Penguin has fixed this issue and replaced the cover image with a high-quality picture (the coin it is a picture of is about the size of a thumbnail) of one of Alexios I Komnenos' hyperpyra (meaning: fire-refined) coins. The new editor, Oxford's Peter Frankopan has also adopted a more regular transliteration style based upon that used in the The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (3-Volume Set), in place of Sewter's original Latin-based transliteration style. These changes extend into the text as well, which generally seems to be mostly unchanged, although Frankopan's updates allow for more precision. Titles and important Greek terms are left transliterated.

The book's appendices are also much overhauled.Read more ›
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Putting the "Byzantine" in Byzantine Politics
By Alfred Jensen on January 30, 2006
Format: Paperback
In this history the Emperor Alexius comes across as a sort of medievil Lee Iacoca or Carlos Gohsn, who through very delicate wheeling and dealing manages to bring back a floundering empire from the brink. Since Anna was the emperor's daughter, we could expect a hagliography from her, but that would discredit her intensely perceptive analysis of the political situation as well as her own personal experiences with many of the major players or others who knew them. It would also ignore the fact that this book is in many ways a treatise by Anna on what it means to be a good ruler, as exemplified through the person of Alexius.

Excellent book for history buffs and people looking for examples of great leadership.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A heavy but fascinating read
By Filip Stuer on March 7, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
As 12-century Byzantine histories go, this is a heavy read with its repetitions and religious invocations. And yet it's also fascinating because this history written by Byzantine princess Anna Comnena (born in the purple, as she won't let you forget) provides a unique insight in the history of Byzantium seen from within. They felt they were the Roman Empire, and looked down on Western Europeans ('Franks') for their greed, duplicity and aggression, at best with 'noble savage' clichés that Europeans themselves have since been using for other groups. There are always wars going on, be it with the Turks, the Normans encroaching from Southern Italy or even the Crusaders. From this history, it transpires that many crusaders were just keen to conquer any territory, Byzantine or Saracene.
I came away from this book with a deeper understanding of the various nuances of the word 'Byzantine': religiosity bordering on fanaticism, cruel palace intrigues (I lost count keeping track of how many people got their eyes gouged out when they fell out of favour) and shrewd double-timing diplomacy in a turbulent world.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Great History, Tough Read
By Aaron Giddings on June 12, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I picked up this book after reading the Minimum Wage Historian's write-up of Anna Komnene in Fearless: Powerful Women of History.

I'm really not sure what I was expecting. If you're a scholar or hugely interested in Byzantine history around the 11th century, then this is a good choice, full of battle facts and city locations. Otherwise, it's pretty slow reading. There are some bits that are interesting insights into the character and views of the author herself (which is rare and interesting, considering when she wrote her history) but unfortunately, most of the book is a very dry recitation of facts.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
The Life of Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus
By JH VINE VOICE on August 28, 2012
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Anna Comnena, the eldest daughter to the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, in her later years, wrote this biography of her father. She was continuing an effort started by her deceased husband Nicephorus Bryennius who was a general in the imperial army (among other things). Emperor Alexius was an extraordinary emperor. He ruled during a turbulent time where every neighbor wanted to conquer them. The condition of the empire had been severely weakened for many years and the frequent internal conflicts continued to leave the empire vulnerable. Anna succeeds in her goal of showing what an impressive leader her father was. She relates the continuous warfare and intrigues that Alexius had to endure. A lesser man would certainly have become overwhelmed, but Alexius was able to weather the storm and hold the empire together. What I found truly remarkable is that Alexius seemed to lose more battles than he won, but he was still able to win each war.

But Anna is a biased source. Her scorn of the enemies of Byzantium should be considered. Here are a couple examples of her selective testimony. The introduction of Robert Guiscard and Pope Gregory VII is a little too concise and filled with much prejudice. The story that she gives of Robert Guiscard's rise to power may or may not be true, but she certainly left out the more important acts of Robert. She also neglects to mention that Robert Guiscard had driven Byzantium out of Italy only 7 years earlier. This is what lead to Emperor Michael VII Ducas suing for peace with Robert with the marriage proposal. Late in the book, she professes the greatness of her mother Irene, saying that Alexius never let her leave his side.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

This book is not for everyone. It is a ...

This book is not for everyone. It is a history of a Byzantine emperor written by his daughter, Anna Commena, over a 1000 years ago originally in Greek and translated into English. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Henry
One Star

Very boring but interesting historical source

Published 12 months ago by Amazon Customer
slow reading, but hey, what can I say?

slow reading.... it was research.... gave me insights to the Crusades. Authors have to do the homework, so every bit helped. Read more

Published 18 months ago by MALISSA
Good reference book

I bought this as a reference book while writing my book "The First Crusades: The Untold Story". It provided me some information but was not exactly what I was looking for. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Astrovel
Freud explains ?

It is not unusual daughters speaking well about her fathers but , in the Alexiad, Anna add to the undoubt admiration for Alexius ! Read more

Published 23 months ago by JLuiz Alquéres
An Interesting perspective.

The Book gives an interesting look at another viewpoint of a contentious period of history and reminds one that there were many peoples and small nations that existed that most... Read more

Published on March 10, 2013 by Roland E Burgess
A remarkable book, recommended for a specialized interest

Without situating this documentation in its historical as well as its human context it will not be taken seriously. Read more

Published on February 3, 2013 by Carol Miller
Majestic History!

Great book written originally in Ancient Greek by Princess Anna Comnene.
Anna Comnene gives an account of the reign of her father, Alexios I, whom she compares with the great... Read more

Published on November 10, 2011 by George Alexander
agree with Gibbon

this book is interesting only that it is old, survived and was written by a women. if you want to read this to learn about her dad or the history of the crusade or Byzantine then... Read more

Published on December 10, 2009 by D. Norton

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