The Pothos Book Top 10 EASTER EDITION !!!

[nick]

Dear Companions ---Your votes please!I promised to refresh the Pothos.org Book top 10 three times a year: Xmas, Easter and Alexander's Birthday (20th July mais ou menos).Alors, s'il vous plait: which books do you think deserve to be in the Pothos.org Book Top 10? Please post your reply and I will include your votes in the new ranking.(On a personal level: after completing the Xmas edition 2004 I decided to finally buy the rather expensive Faces of Power. I own it for one month now. I must admit: a gorgeous book about Alexander. So my personal experience is that a good Book Top 10 will lead our visitors to valuable literature.)Please reply to this mail. Your input is highly appreciated.Regards ---Nick

[heinrich]

If I recall correctly, we were to give 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point(s). Here are my votes:5 points:
Jona Lendering, Alexander de Grote (2004)
It tells the story well, adds new sources, and although he does not offer a really new Alexander, its is better than anything else. At least its better than the other major biographies (Cartledge, Worthington)4 points:
Sabine M++ller, Ma+ƒnahmen der Herrschaftssicherung gegen++ber der makedonischen Opposition bei Alexander dem Gro+ƒen (2003)
A monography that treats its theme excellently; it will not be superseded for some time, I think.3 points:
Pierre Briant, Histoire de lGÇÖempire Perse. De Cyrus +á Alexandre (1996)
No explanation necessary, I guess.2 points:
Brian Bosworth, Alexander and the East (1996)
Consistently black, yet -in my view- a must-read.1 point:
Frank Holt, Alexander the Great and Bactria (1988)
A tribute to plain, old-fashioned, decent scholarship.HM

[marcus]

Hi Nick,Always difficult, because as soon as you read a new book, or re-read an old one, it suddenly becomes your favourite. I don't know whether you are indeed allotting points as Heinrich says, but if so (although they are all joint favourites, really)...1. Waldemar Heckel, The Marshals of Alexander's Empire (5 points)
2. Frank Holt, Alexander the Great and Bactria (4 points)
3. Bosworth & Baynham (eds), Alexander the Great in Fact & Fiction (3 points)
4. Frank Holt, Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions (2 points)
5. R Lane Fox, Alexander the Great (1 point - because it's still great and one of mu favourites).ATBMarcus

[amyntoros]

Well, some of my current favorite books are a little unusual which has caused me to hesitate about voting. However, I figure if I post them here and someone disagrees violently, then it might encourage them to post their own list. So here goes:5 points - John Maxwell O'Brien, Alexander the Great: The Invisible Enemy. (Because it's still my favorite biography.)4 points - Paolo Moreno, Apelles: The Alexander Mosaic. (An 11" by 9-1/2" book with interesting and informative text and some incredible close-up photographs of the mosaic.)3 points - Elizabeth Donnelly Carney - Women and Monarchy in Macedonia. (The only book covering this subject area, although I did read in an online interview that she is writing a book on Olympias.)2 points - Alpay Pasinli, The Book of the Alexander Sarcophagus. (A little book with some small errors in the text, but again, wonderful photographs.)1 point - A. B. Bosworth, Conquest and Empire. (Just because...)Best regards,Linda Ann

[Laura]

I have read only one book on Alexander, the biography by Jona Lendering, which I really liked. I choose this book after a review in a Dutch newspaper, which was about 3 books: the Lendering book, a book by Cartledge, and a book by Worthington. The reviewer, a classicist with a good reputation named Hans Oranje, said that the Worthington book was unbalanced and the Cartledge book naive.If I can cast votes on behalf of Mr. Oranje, it would be 3 points for Lendering, 2 for Carledge and 1 for Worthington. I hope this helps.Laura

[marcus]

Hi Laura,You have the advantage in that you can obviously read Dutch, where many Pothosians can't. But Jona's book has been well-reviewed here.I would definitely agree that Worthington is unbalanced. Personally I think it's a bit harsh to call Cartledge's book naive (but I don't think all Pothosians would agree with me).Still, it will be interesting to see how the final list looks!ATBMarcus

[Kit]

Ok. For what it's worth here are my top 5.5pts. Alexander of Macedon (Peter Green)- my favourite biography.4pts. The Marshals of Alexander's Empire (Weldemar Heckel)- can be a bit of a dry read but essential.3pts. Conquest and Empire (A B Bosworth)- Don't always agree with him, but a good solid overview.2pts. Alexander the Great:King, Commander and Statesman (N G L Hammond)- because someone has to stick up for Alexander!1pt. Alexander the Great, Killer of Men (David J Lonsdale)- interesting attempt to apply modern strategic analysis to (arguably!) history's greatest strategist.regards,Kit

[nickw]

Thanks, dear Companions. Rest assured I've got all your answers stored in a txt-file and I hope I'll find the time on Good Friday to work out the Easter Edition. More input is always appreciated anyway.Though I would love to include Jona's book, I am afraid that I must stick to English titles that are available to everyone on this globe (provided they have internet access and sufficient cash).I want to wish my fellow Pothosians a nice meeting tomorrow in London. Wished I was there.Regards ---Nick

[rollsrite]

CAN I HEAR ANY LITTLE THING ABOUT MARY RENAULT?

[abm]

Jona's book is indeed very good, but as we have to stick to english books, this would be my top 5:1. Alexander the Great by Richard Stoneman (2004 edition). A short, very interesting and good overview and thus excellent to start with.2. Conquest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander the Great by A. B. Bosworth. Still the best one around, in my opinion.3. From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire by Pierre Briant. gives a bit more attention to the other side of the story too.4. The Marshals of Alexander's Empire by Waldemar Heckel. Excellent work to read about the other protagonists.5. Faces of Power by Andrew Stewart. The best book on the non-written sources.btw, has anyone read Alexander the Great: Legacy of a Conqueror by W.L. Adams yet?

[jona]

Thanks Susan, Andrew, Marcus, for your company in the British Museum. We'll meet again!Marian, Jona

[susan]

Dear Marian, Jona
Thank you very much for organising it - it was thrilling to be able to touch the cuneiform tablets with Alexander's name on. I hope that you will keep us informed of the latest discoveries via your website - it's exciting to think that there are new sources available after all these centuries.
I hope that you both enjoyed your time in Oxford.Best regardsSusan

[marcus]

Hi all - thank you indeed for organising it, Jona. I *always* enjoy visiting the British Museum, but this was a particularly good visit, especially being able to get into the depths of the building! It was very exciting - and perfect company, all round, of course.ATBMarcus