Jan 01, 2016 the only contemporaneous records for him are in the babylonian astrological tablets. 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. Phillip and alexander both held aristotle in high esteem and. Sep 26, 2010 annabel lyon is the author of a collection of stories, oxygen, and a book of novellas, the best thing for you. Alexander the great by philip freeman, paperback barnes. He was fi nely formed in person, and very prepossessing in his manners. Invasions, sieges, massacres, annexations, and mass deportations all redistributed property with dramatic consequences for kings and commoners alike. And if you are interested in that, i recommend dividing the spoils. Viewing 6 posts 1 through 6 of 6 total author posts may 7, 20 at 1. Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day summary. Sep 27, 2014 the anabasis of alexander or, the history of the wars and conquests of alexander the great language.
A novel by mary renault, the persian boy, chronicles that story with bagoas. One of the best books on alexander, is peter green, alexander of macedon. Aristotles advice to alexander the great on persian. 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. Did alexander read xenophon while being tutored by. Aristotle taught alexander and his companions about medicine, philosophy, morals, religion, logic, and art. Alexander the bloody brutal history books the guardian. The treasures of alexander the great hardcover frank l. This book is a gem, in large because the analysis of the greatness of alexander in the fifth and closing chapter is designed to generate thought, debate and ideas for every student of history. The death of a god by paul doherty 256pp, constable. This book explains what made alexander great according to the people and. Fire from heaven by mary renault, alexander the great by robin lane fox, the persian boy by mary renault, the campa. There are numerous surviving ancient greek and latin sources on alexander the great, king of macedon, as well as some asian texts.
The war for alexander the greats empire by robin waterfield. 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. After alexander died he had no heir and it created a vacuum that was filled with an historical version of the game of thrones. When he was a boy, and a man, alexander had the same favorite book. Could someone recommend a good book about alexander the. This is written in a more novel style, very much like freemans later work. Alexander the great 2nd edition by richard stoneman. Yet the reader is not limited to aristotles discussions with alexander. Aristotle indeed remained in macedon for six years longer. The hunt for a new past by paul cartledge 384pp, macmillan. Personal relationships of alexander the great wikipedia.
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. To defeat the persian empire, he led his troops on a tenyear campaign from his native macedonia all the way to india. Bound in white cloth, this copy is in near fine condition bright and tight with no markings. Another book that looks at the complexities of alexander and the totality of his humanity, from warrior to deep thinker. 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. 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. 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. 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. Alexander the great is one of many biographies aimed at young people written by jacob abbott and his brother. 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. 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.
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. Alexander the great alexander iii of macedon was one of historys great generals, a man studied by caesar and napoleon, among hundreds of others. No conqueror ever captured more people or property in so short a lifetime than alexander the great in the late fourth century bc. A new history combines traditional scholarship with contemporary research to offer an innovative treatment of one of historys most famous figures. 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. Anson proves that it is still possible to write an original book about so seemingly hackneyed a topic as alexander the great. The literary sources first appear much later with the roman empire. The good dust jacket is bright, but shows much wear with tears, now in protective jacket. It is said that aristotle gave alexander his annotated copy of homers the illiad, a book that. Alexander iii of macedon commonly known as alexander the great was a king basileus of the.
In the first authoritative biography of alexander the great written for a general. After his father, philip ii, was assassinated, the 19yearold alexander succeeded to the. What is a good first book to read about alexander the great. According to josephus, alexander was shown the book of daniel when he entered jerusalem, which described a. This is the landmark edition w2 of john gunthers biography of alexander the great. As well as tackling problems of interpretation, the author includes. 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. Youth and kingship the son of philip ii of macedon and olympias, he had aristotle as his tutor and was given a classical education.
Behind the scenes with aristotle and pupil alexander the. Alexander the great by jacob abbott free at loyal books. The only contemporaneous records for him are in the babylonian astrological tablets. 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.
The anabasis of alexander or, the history of the wars and conquests of alexander the great language. This is the story of alexander the great, his campaign against the king of persia, and his expedition to india. Im gonna be a badass and bypass arrians bio of alexanders persan expedition and recommend stephen pressfields historical fiction novels the virtues of. In fact, as aristotle narrates the story, many of the ideas and insights come from his interactions with others and his memories. 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. 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. Alexander the great, who conquered the world, was born in pella, macedonia in 356 b.
Keenly intelligent and brilliantly rendered, the golden mean is a bold reimagining of one of historys most intriguing relationshipsthat between the legendary. List of books and articles about alexander the great. Alexander had no part in the murder of his father, although he may have resented him because he neglected olympias for another wife. Alexander the great is one of many biographies aimed at young people written by. War, the most profitable economic activity in the ancient world, transferred wealth from the vanquished to the victor. 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. What are the best biographies on alexander the great. Alexander the great and his mentor aristotle mgbs inc.
Tutored as a boy by aristotle, alexander had an inquisitive mind that would. Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad. 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. 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. May 22, 2019 he was hired by philip ii, king of macedon r. 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 a general of such skill and renown that for two thousand years other great leaders studied his strategy. A short introduction, and the landmark arrian, edited by james romm and robert. Alexander the great managed to conquer most of the known world before dying in 323 b. The historical and literary tradition describes several of alexanders relations, some of which are the subject of question among modern historians. As the ultimate payment, philip also restored aristotles native city of stagira, which he had himself conquered years before. The five main surviving accounts are by arrian, plutarch, diodorus siculus, quintus curtius rufus, and justin.
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. An examination of the written and other sources and the problems of working with them discussion of archaeological and. An amazingly young, amazingly brilliant warrior king conquers. This image depicts an artists conception of aristotle teaching the young alexander. Alexander the great was characterized by these qualities in a very remarkable degree. He was born to the king of macedon and educated by aristotle, whose inquiring mind alexander appreciated. Alexanders mother was a very spiritual woman, and she taught her son the greatness of achilles and hercules. 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. Annabel lyon is the author of a collection of stories, oxygen, and a book of novellas, the best thing for you. The author of several previous books including alexander the great. The seminar schedule and reading list is at the bottom of this syllabus.
Great books program syllabi the information immediately following is applicable to all eight semesters i. He was active, athletic, and full of ardor and enthusiasm in all that he did. He was a general of such skill and renown that for two thousand. 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. 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. It was aristotle who inspired alexanders great love for literature. He does not lay out a point he tries to prove throughout the rest of the book. Kitab sirr alasrar the book of the secret of secrets. Aristotle and alexander the great only a little over two years. The greatest victory of the book, however, is freemans storytelling. A century earlier, some of the persiancontrolled territory had been.
Through alexander, aristotles works were spread throughout the known world of the time. Alexander the great or alexander iii, 356323 bc, king of macedon, conqueror of much of asia. By the time of his death, he had conquered most of the world known to the ancient greeks. Alexander the great was one of the most successful military commanders in history, and was undefeated in battle. 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. The source and significance of the jew and the pagan. Canadian author annabel lyons historical novel the golden mean creates a deeply imagined image of aristotles life in the macedonian capital of pella, where. Could someone recommend a good book about alexander the great. The golden mean a novel of aristotle and alexander the great. Before alexander iii later called the great was born in pella, likely on or about july 20 in 356 b. Alexander the great sterling point books series by john. At the same time, he was calm, collected, and considerate in emergencies requiring caution, and thoughtful and. Diodorus quintus curtius justins trogus epitome also.
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