Alexander books

[canto]

I was wondering if anyone could suggest the best book out there on Alexander? One worth buying.

[marcus]

Hi Kyra,There are many good books on Alexander, although there are probably going to be differences of opinion as to which is 'best'.Depending on what you are looking for, I would almost always recommend reading the ancient sources first: Arrian, Quintus Curtius Rufus and Plutarch are all available in Penguin Classics, in good and readable translations. If you read Plutarch's Life of Alexander, bear in mind that he doesn't treat the historical aspects in great detail, as his purpose was to investigate Alexander's character.Of the modern treatments, these tend to go in and out of print, so some might be more difficult to find than others. If you are new to Alexander then try any of the following:Peter Green: Alexander of Macedon, 356-323, a Historical Biography.
Robin Lane Fox: Alexander the Great.
NGL Hammond: The Genius of Alexander the Great.
Richard Stoneman: Alexander the Great.
JR Hamilton: Alexander the Great.There's also a good, brief account by Nigel Cawthorne, which was published only this year.There are other recent books by Ian Worthington, Paul Cartledge; and a slightly older one by John Maxwell O'Brien. However, although they are good, I would recommend any of the others above as books to read first.Good luck in your quest!All the bestMarcus

[jona]

I add Brian Bosworth's *Conquest and Empire*. It leaves more to the imigination than Lane Fox's book, but offers many references to sources and sticks to that what can be known with sufficient certainty. And of course there's the Michael Wood video *In the footsteps of Alexander the Great*; the book is lousy but the video is beautiful.Jona

[marcus]

Oops, thanks Jona. I shouldn't have left Bosworth out! (I thought I'd forgotten something, but couldn't think what it was).Yes, "Conquest & Empire" is *definitely* recommended.Marcus

[nick]

Kyra, pelase also use our informative Book Reviews in the Books section!Thanks,Nick

[marcus]

Hi Nick,Now why didn't I just put that, and save the blisters on my fingers! :-)Marcus

[Halil]

Hello KyraI'd agree with Marcus in the most part, read all of the ancient sources first, starting with Arrian and Plutarch, then moving to Curtius (QCR) and Diodorus (DS), then you can gain your own perspective on Alexander. If you're still interested after that, it depends more on what it is about Alexander that interests you. Each modern scholar seems to take a different slant so depending on your own feelings, some will be more to your taste than others.Another book that I'd recommend is "Alexander the Great - a reader" edited by Ian Worthington. This book is a good intro to the study of Alexander as it briefly introduces the main areas of modern debate and discussion plus it contains a lot of "the more inaccessible primary sources in translation" to use its own words. Another plus is you can pick up used copies of this quite cheaply. If you get hooked, you'll find that collecting Alexander books can become quite expensive.CheersHalil

[Halil]

Because it's polite to welcome a newcomer and introduce them gently? (smile)Halil

[marcus]

That's true! Thank you (smile back)Marcus

[marcus]

I agree that the Worthington book is good; although I did find it disappointing that so many of the articles were quite old (and Worthington himself explains in his preface that he would have preferred some newer ones, but the cost of reproduction was prohibitive). That's really the main reason why I wouldn't recommend the Reader until one has read at least one of the more comprehensive histories/biographies.As far as providing good discussion documents for various aspects of Al's career, however, it is a darned good resource.All the bestMarcus

[luisfc1972]

one thing i dont understand is why didnt someone write alexanders personal history during his time? i understand he had his personal historian executed but still, a man who accomplished so much why dont we have some documents about him closer to his period? maybe they were but they burnt down in alexandrias library? the closest we have is like 300 years after his death and that does not make sense to me.

[bree]

Hello!I would suggest reading In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great by Michael Wood. Very good book about Alexanders conquests and such!~ Bree

[tino]

I would also suggest 'The Nature of Alexander' by Mary Renault. Although more historical fiction than the other titles, it covers all the basics and is more entertainingly written than some of the other biographies out there.