An examination of the written and other sources and the problems of working with them discussion of archaeological and. The kindle version has been updated from the hardback book, i wanted to read the book again on my travels, in places where i might have been in the. He trips over the skateboard on the way to wash gum out of his hair only to get his nice sweater all wet before breakfast. The only contemporaneous records for him are in the babylonian astrological tablets. Keenly intelligent and brilliantly rendered, the golden mean is a bold reimagining of one of historys most intriguing relationshipsthat between the legendary. Jan 04, 2011 in the first authoritative biography of alexander the great written for a general audience in a generation, classicist and historian philip freeman tells the remarkable life of the great conqueror. Personal relationships of alexander the great wikipedia. Alexander the great is one of many biographies aimed at young people written by.
Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad. He was a general of such skill and renown that for two thousand. Alexander the great or alexander iii, 356323 bc, king of macedon, conqueror of much of asia. What is a good first book to read about alexander the great. The anabasis of alexander or, the history of the wars and conquests of alexander the great language. Yet the reader is not limited to aristotles discussions with alexander.
Alexander the great alexander iii of macedon was one of historys great generals, a man studied by caesar and napoleon, among hundreds of others. The five main surviving accounts are by arrian, plutarch, diodorus siculus, quintus curtius rufus, and justin. Tutored as a boy by aristotle, alexander had an inquisitive mind that would. The death of a god by paul doherty 256pp, constable. Fire from heaven by mary renault, alexander the great by robin lane fox, the persian boy by mary renault, the campa. The good dust jacket is bright, but shows much wear with tears, now in protective jacket. Through alexander, aristotles works were spread throughout the known world of the time.
This is the story of alexander the great, his campaign against the king of persia, and his expedition to india. Sep 26, 2010 annabel lyon is the author of a collection of stories, oxygen, and a book of novellas, the best thing for you. When he was a boy, and a man, alexander had the same favorite book. No conqueror ever captured more people or property in so short a lifetime than alexander the great in the late fourth century bc. Some say he was the greatest warrior in history, building an empire that extended from europe to africa and on to india and central asia. The source and significance of the jew and the pagan. Alexander the great is one of the latest, most updated, and contemporary books on the life of the ancient, macedonian king, who would extend his empire from a little slide of land in greece through persia, egypt, all the way to india, forming the greatest empire the ancient world had ever seen. Jacob abbott 18031879 tutored by aristotle, compelled to ascend the throne at the age of 20 when his illustrious father was assassinated, driven by a passion for expanding the borders of his tiny kingdom, alexander of macedon was one. In a stirring narrative, famed historian john gunther tells the story of alexander the great who, at only age 21, became king of macedonia and set off on a 12year journey to conquer the known world and extend the boundaries of greek civilization. Oct 27, 2011 alexander the great alexander iii of macedon was one of historys great generals, a man studied by caesar and napoleon, among hundreds of others. This is written in a more novel style, very much like freemans later work. A short introduction, and the landmark arrian, edited by james romm and robert.
Alexander the bloody brutal history books the guardian. Jacob abbott 18031879 tutored by aristotle, compelled to ascend the throne at the age of 20 when his illustrious father was assassinated, driven by a passion for expanding the borders of his tiny kingdom, alexander of macedon was one of the most towering figures of ancient history. Behind the scenes with aristotle and pupil alexander the. This is the landmark edition w2 of john gunthers biography of alexander the great. The war for alexander the greats empire by robin waterfield. Youth and kingship the son of philip ii of macedon and olympias, he had aristotle as his tutor and was given a classical education. Books about alexander the great, he was a prince, a conquer, a commander and a king score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
List of books and articles about alexander the great. An amazingly young, amazingly brilliant warrior king conquers. In the first authoritative biography of alexander the great written for a general. After alexander died he had no heir and it created a vacuum that was filled with an historical version of the game of thrones. He was active, athletic, and full of ardor and enthusiasm in all that he did. It was aristotle who inspired alexanders great love for literature. In fact, as aristotle narrates the story, many of the ideas and insights come from his interactions with others and his memories. As the ultimate payment, philip also restored aristotles native city of stagira, which he had himself conquered years before. There are numerous surviving ancient greek and latin sources on alexander the great, king of macedon, as well as some asian texts. The author of several previous books including alexander the great. Anson proves that it is still possible to write an original book about so seemingly hackneyed a topic as alexander the great.
Sep 27, 2014 the anabasis of alexander or, the history of the wars and conquests of alexander the great language. Alexander had no part in the murder of his father, although he may have resented him because he neglected olympias for another wife. In addition to these five main sources, there is the metz epitome, an anonymous late latin work that narrates alexanders campaigns from hyrcania to india. Written by leading experts in the field looks at a wide range of diverse topics including alexander s religious views, his entourage during his campaign east, his sexuality, the influence of his legacy, and his representations.
Diodorus quintus curtius justins trogus epitome also. By the time of his death, he had conquered most of the world known to the ancient greeks. Another book that looks at the complexities of alexander and the totality of his humanity, from warrior to deep thinker. Could someone recommend a good book about alexander the. After his father, philip ii, was assassinated, the 19yearold alexander succeeded to the. Jan 01, 2016 the only contemporaneous records for him are in the babylonian astrological tablets. The golden mean a novel of aristotle and alexander the great. The seminar schedule and reading list is at the bottom of this syllabus.
Canadian author annabel lyons historical novel the golden mean creates a deeply imagined image of aristotles life in the macedonian capital of pella, where. At the same time, he was calm, collected, and considerate in emergencies requiring caution, and thoughtful and. Hammond philip of macedon, the greatest living expert on ancient macedonian history, now offers a brilliant account of the life of alexander the great, the macedonian king who pacified greece, destr. The impact of alexander on the mediterranean world has always been a subject for debate, cantor notes, and proceeds to add provocatively to that debate. This book explains what made alexander great according to the people and. The treasures of alexander the great hardcover frank l. According to josephus, alexander was shown the book of daniel when he entered jerusalem, which described a. In addition to these five main sources, there is the metz epitome, an anonymous late latin work that narrates alexander s campaigns from hyrcania to india. May 22, 2019 he was hired by philip ii, king of macedon r. The greatest victory of the book, however, is freemans storytelling. Oct 18, 2011 in the first authoritative biography of alexander the great written for a general audience in a generation, classicist and historian philip freeman tells the remarkable life of the great conqueror. Kitab sirr alasrar the book of the secret of secrets. Bound in white cloth, this copy is in near fine condition bright and tight with no markings.
Alexanders mother was a very spiritual woman, and she taught her son the greatness of achilles and hercules. Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day summary. Alexander the great by jacob abbott free at loyal books. As his books subtitle, themes and issues, indicates, this is not a biography, but an analysis of alexanders reign through discussion of the principal topics in contemporary alexander scholarship. Invasions, sieges, massacres, annexations, and mass deportations all redistributed property with dramatic consequences for kings and commoners alike. A novel by mary renault, the persian boy, chronicles that story with bagoas. This image depicts an artists conception of aristotle teaching the young alexander. A century earlier, some of the persiancontrolled territory had been. The historical and literary tradition describes several of alexanders relations, some of which are the subject of question among modern historians. Alexander the great 2nd edition by richard stoneman. As well as tackling problems of interpretation, the author includes.
Did alexander read xenophon while being tutored by. Im gonna be a badass and bypass arrians bio of alexanders persan expedition and recommend stephen pressfields historical fiction novels the virtues of. To defeat the persian empire, he led his troops on a tenyear campaign from his native macedonia all the way to india. One of the best books on alexander, is peter green, alexander of macedon. Annabel lyon is the author of a collection of stories, oxygen, and a book of novellas, the best thing for you. And if you are interested in that, i recommend dividing the spoils. Great books program syllabi the information immediately following is applicable to all eight semesters i. The celebrated macedonian king has been one of the most enduring figures in history. Before alexander iii later called the great was born in pella, likely on or about july 20 in 356 b. Concise and elegantly written nonfiction books and audiobooks help you learn the core subject matter in 20% of the time that it takes to read a typical book. Written by leading experts in the field looks at a wide range of diverse topics including alexanders religious views, his entourage during his campaign east, his sexuality, the influence of his legacy, and his representations. Could someone recommend a good book about alexander the great. Alexander the great by richard stoneman is an introduction to the career and impact of the great macedonian conqueror and the main themes of his reign. In 340, at the age of sixteen, the prince was left as regent in macedon during his fathers absence on campaign, and shortly afterwards, in that capacity1 took command of an army in the field himse1f.
Alexander the great is one of many biographies aimed at young people written by jacob abbott and his brother. In the first authoritative biography of alexander the great written for a general audience in a generation, classicist and historian philip freeman tells the remarkable life of the great conqueror. Aristotle and alexander the great only a little over two years. Alexander iii of macedon commonly known as alexander the great was a king basileus of the. Alexander the great managed to conquer most of the known world before dying in 323 b. As the title suggests, the book is set during the period aristotle served as the tutor to the teenage boy who would become alexander the great. Alexander the great was one of the most successful military commanders in history, and was undefeated in battle. Alexander the great sterling point books series by john. Aristotles advice to alexander the great on persian. Phillip and alexander both held aristotle in high esteem and.
He does not lay out a point he tries to prove throughout the rest of the book. War, the most profitable economic activity in the ancient world, transferred wealth from the vanquished to the victor. It is said that aristotle gave alexander his annotated copy of homers the illiad, a book that. Alexander the great was characterized by these qualities in a very remarkable degree. Alexander the great by philip freeman, paperback barnes. He was born to the king of macedon and educated by aristotle, whose inquiring mind alexander appreciated. Aristotle taught alexander and his companions about medicine, philosophy, morals, religion, logic, and art.
He was a general of such skill and renown that for two thousand years other great leaders studied his strategy. The hunt for a new past by paul cartledge 384pp, macmillan. Aristotle indeed remained in macedon for six years longer. The literary sources first appear much later with the roman empire. A new history combines traditional scholarship with contemporary research to offer an innovative treatment of one of historys most famous figures. A great book, i had the hardback copy from when the tv series was shown 1998 also a great watch, would recommend the box set. He was fi nely formed in person, and very prepossessing in his manners. What are the best biographies on alexander the great. Alexander the great, who conquered the world, was born in pella, macedonia in 356 b. The kindle version has been updated from the hardback book, i wanted to read the book again on my travels, in places where i might have been in the footsteps of alexander the great. Alexander the great and his mentor aristotle mgbs inc.
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