Re: The marshals of Alexander's empire

S · Post by S » Fri Feb 06, 2004 2:24 am

Greetings,Special interest books, whether for academics or a targeted public, are expensive usually for the following reasons:1) Limited editions. Either a university is publishing them or the publisher knows they can only sell a set number, so the cost goes accordingly. 2) Limited prints means the cost for collectors rises with each passing year3) Limited prints means that there are those who cannot obtain the book, so those who sell them increase their fees as they monitor demand4) Ultimately, *someone* will come along with the $ and pay the higher fee, so sellers can be patient people!5) If the book is *good*, the demand increases but the print quantity doe snot, keeping theprice highAh, the joys of economics (laughing)Regards,
Sikander
On the other hand, Robin Lane Fox... gads, how many of those *are* there... They seem to be laying about everywhere!

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 4:05 am

Yeah, and much as I love Lane Fox's book, it could really do with an update... and some more paragraphing... and some digestible references...

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 4:32 am

Hi Ruth,Well, not originally from Nottingham (although my father was). But I'm on a slow (not by choice) plan to get the heck out of London, to enjoy a nicer standard of living in the provinces, and I chose Nottingham as the place to be. So I have a flat there and I go at weekends, but still work in London, and stay here during the week.I was actually born in Derbyshire, which is even nicer than Notts (particularly if you like rugged hill walking).All the bestMarcus

Linda · Post by **Linda** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 5:47 am

AnnaI sympathise with your frustration with the long German etc passages. I know this is a scholarly book, but a translation would be so helpful. I haven't tried translating the passages using alta vista; I suspect that that may lead to more frustration.If I only had three books about Alexander (apart from Arrian and Curtius), this would definitely be one of them. I have no idea why I would only have three, but in case I had to choose, it is better to be prepared..

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 5:51 am

Well, Linda, imagine if you were invited on "Desert Island Discs" - you might be pleased to have narrowed your choices to three...All the bestMarcus

xxx · Post by **xxx** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 12:18 pm

One of the other reasons is that in recent years publishers now have to pay tax on their book inventories, something they didn't have to do in the past. This is why the price goes up from the publisher every year on unsold stock.

X · Post by X » Fri Feb 06, 2004 1:01 pm

Amazing, isn't it? (grin)

ruthaki · Post by **ruthaki** » Sat Feb 07, 2004 12:32 am

Marcus, somewhat off-subject, but my Uncle claims we are related to Little John of the Merry Men.
(Well, Robin's kind of a mythological Alexander type. heheh) My Grandparents were from Beeston actually. I should like to visit that area sometime. Ruth

neneh · Post by **neneh** » Sat Feb 07, 2004 6:47 am

Hi,I once tried to use Google to translate a German website about Alexander. What I got was a text saying things like "his mother/nut big influence was", and I haven't tried using the translation service since.

I agree with your choice of books if one ever was in the horrible position to have to choose only three. The Heckel book seem to provide a lot of the pieces missing from Arrian etc. Best wishes,Neneh

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 3:54 am

Hi Ruth,That's interesting, although probably unprovable. Of course, Little John was actually from Yorkshire, if the more common legends are to be believed - from Hathersage. If you ever go to Hathersage you can see his "grave", and a bow, reputed to be his, hangs in the church. Yeah, right! :-)I was in Beeston on Saturday afternoon - my cousin lives there, as do some others of my friends. I myself live in Woodthorpe, in North Nottingham - about half a mile from the house where my father was born and brought up! Spooky!Marcus (there must be a tie-in to Alexander here somewhere...)

gb · Post by gb » Thu Feb 12, 2004 12:01 pm

Allow me to boast about the Dutch school system for a minute... Almost everyone learns English and many students take more than one foreign language.I myself have some French (as it was four years into secondary education before I was allowed to drop it) and took what I suppose are the equivalent of A-level exams in English and German, plus Latin. I'm sorry now that I dropped Greek, but then again, everyone else did, so I'm not sure I would have been allowed to continue.

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