The Campaigns of Alexander

The most amazing thing that about this book is that Arrian somehow managed to rescue the man from the legend, the god from the myth and the story from the soothsayers. He intended to write a factual history of the great leader but by necessity was forced to rely on word of mouth, old stories, past recollections and hardly any authoritative manuscripts. Considering what he had to work with, the outcome is simply amazing. Like Thucydides, Herodotus and Livy, his goal was to write a factual work that was to have been definitive...and it was. The campaigns are given much attention as well as the character of Alexander. For a more scholarly and literary work I recommend Robin Lane Fox and his biography of Alexander - just stupendous.

Arrian gives us a picture of the "total" Alexander. Though he constantly praises his every virtue he never forgets to detail his faults. Slow going and a bit bewildering at first but moves to a fast paced and exciting end. Highly recommended.

To review a book on such a great man and great book takes an open mind, to some alexander was a god and to others he was a kin to Hitler. This book was translated from Greek and roman authors but mainly by the greek historian Arrian. Born some four hundred years after the death of alexander arrian spent his life"s work writing account of alexander"s campaigns. Arrian refers to the Royal diaries of alexander, they tell of of a man of divine descent, a god, decendent of heracles, a brave man, a king who would fight with his men in battle. Alexander was born in Maceddonia in 356 B.C. and came to the throne on the murder of his father Philip in 336 B.C. What he did then was to conquer somethink like two million square miles, covering over eleven thousand miles in eight years. This book tells us how we took the persian empire and defeating Darius at the battle of Issus out numberd seven to one. Nearly thirteen years later this same young man, still only thirty-three years old died at babylon, in the heart of the persian empire. Brave to the point of rashness, passionate to the point of murder, a military genius, administrator and empire builder, but above all am inspiring leader of men.