Alexander the Great
Paul Cartledge is widely acknowledged to be the world's leading expert on the subject of Sparta and ancient Greece. He is Professor of Greek History and Chairman of the Classics Faculty at Cambridge University and has written and edited many articles and books, including The Spartans, published by Overlook, the subject of a PBS documentary series of the same name. Cartledge is also academic consultant to the BBC and PBS for the series The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization.I approached this book with some hesitation, afraid of being disappointed by a historian whom I have admired for a long time. I am always skeptical of any book with the word, "Alexander", in the title; so many of them are no more than a scheme to cash in on his popularity. This is not one of those. It is a valuable contribution to Alexander Studies and the best book
It goes into great details about his life, his triumphs and defeats. He writes well and possesses that finest of academic traits that I have come across in my reading. Alexander stands cogently between Tarn's and Worthington's. Cartledge provides a mercifully brief reiteration of the Alexander biography with an excellent time line, a useful glossary, and a fine bibliography. In various countries and at various times, he has been seen as hero, holy man, Christian saint, a new Achilles, philosopher, scientist, prophet, and visionary. He is multidimensional and saliently real. Cartledge explains why and how Alexander is endlessly fascinating, with a view to a better understanding of such fundamental topics as charismatic leadership, imperialism, and Middle Eastern geopolitics. Based upon a series of lectures given by Cartledge at Cambridge over the last 25 years, it is as up to date as today's newspaper and far better conceived. The overall concept is as clear and logical as are the individual arguments presented. Cartledge is as well equipped as any for the task. I have read on the subject in over ten years. I would strongly recommend this fascinating book by Cartledge to anyone who has any interest concerning Alexander the Great. The remarkable life of Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military geniuses of all time, vividly told by one of the world's leading experts in Greek history. Alexander's legacy has had an astounding impact on military tacticians, scholars, and statesmen-in his own lifetime and in ours.
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