Difference between revisions of "Alexander the Great Top Ten Booklist"

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==Alexander the Great==
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[[File:Napoli BW 2013-05-16 16-24-01.jpg|thumbnail|The man and the myth in a famous mosaic from Pompeii]]
  
 
Creating a top ten list for books on Alexander the Great is not easy, since few ancient historical figures have been written about as much. Everything from his complex personality and his sexual life to his military and logistical tactics have been analyzed by historians. Alexander, simply put, stands out as unique among ancient historical figures for having so much detailed assessment made on his life and times. Although few primary sources exist from the time of Alexander, we know a lot about him from late Antiquity sources. His military campaigns are still studied in places such as West Point and other military schools around the world (e.g., see Engels 2007 volume used in military colleges). Briant's book, which has been translated (see Briant 2010 in the list) is perhaps one of the best, as it shows Alexander's influences and how he fashioned his new empire not so much on the Greek model but more as an Achaemenid king. Freeman's 2010 volume though is one of the most popular. It promises to be an easy read and that is what it exactly is. So here is the list for the top ten books on Alexander the Great. Keep in mind there is no particular order for the greatest to least great among these books.
 
Creating a top ten list for books on Alexander the Great is not easy, since few ancient historical figures have been written about as much. Everything from his complex personality and his sexual life to his military and logistical tactics have been analyzed by historians. Alexander, simply put, stands out as unique among ancient historical figures for having so much detailed assessment made on his life and times. Although few primary sources exist from the time of Alexander, we know a lot about him from late Antiquity sources. His military campaigns are still studied in places such as West Point and other military schools around the world (e.g., see Engels 2007 volume used in military colleges). Briant's book, which has been translated (see Briant 2010 in the list) is perhaps one of the best, as it shows Alexander's influences and how he fashioned his new empire not so much on the Greek model but more as an Achaemenid king. Freeman's 2010 volume though is one of the most popular. It promises to be an easy read and that is what it exactly is. So here is the list for the top ten books on Alexander the Great. Keep in mind there is no particular order for the greatest to least great among these books.

Revision as of 18:08, 28 June 2016

The man and the myth in a famous mosaic from Pompeii

Creating a top ten list for books on Alexander the Great is not easy, since few ancient historical figures have been written about as much. Everything from his complex personality and his sexual life to his military and logistical tactics have been analyzed by historians. Alexander, simply put, stands out as unique among ancient historical figures for having so much detailed assessment made on his life and times. Although few primary sources exist from the time of Alexander, we know a lot about him from late Antiquity sources. His military campaigns are still studied in places such as West Point and other military schools around the world (e.g., see Engels 2007 volume used in military colleges). Briant's book, which has been translated (see Briant 2010 in the list) is perhaps one of the best, as it shows Alexander's influences and how he fashioned his new empire not so much on the Greek model but more as an Achaemenid king. Freeman's 2010 volume though is one of the most popular. It promises to be an easy read and that is what it exactly is. So here is the list for the top ten books on Alexander the Great. Keep in mind there is no particular order for the greatest to least great among these books.


The man and the myth in a famous mosaic from Pompeii

Top Ten Books

Heckel, W., & Tritle, L. A. (Eds.). (2009). Alexander the Great: a new history. Chichester, U.K. ; Malden, Mass: Wiley-Blackwell.

Demi. (2010). Alexander the Great (1st ed). Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish.

Freeman, P. (2011). Alexander the Great. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Arrian, Mensch, P., & Romm, J. S. (2010). The Landmark Arrian: the campaigns of Alexander. Anabasis Alexandrous: a new translation (1st ed). New York: Pantheon Books.

Briant, P. (2010). Alexander the Great and his empire: a short introduction. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Romm, J. S. (2011). Ghost on the throne: the death of Alexander the Great and the war for crown and empire. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Martin, T. R., & Blackwell, C. W. (2013). Alexander the Great the story of an ancient life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Lane Fox, R. (2005). Alexander the Great. London: Penguin.

Randall, B. (2004). Alexander the Great: Macedonian King and conqueror (1st ed). New York: Rosen Pub. Group.

Engels, D. W. (2007). Alexander the Great and the logistics of the Macedonian army (Nachdr.). Berkeley, Calif.: Univ. of California Press.