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158th out of 175 books
—
84 voters
Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography
by
Peter Green
Until recently, popular biographers and most scholars viewed Alexander the Great as a genius with a plan, a romantic figure pursuing his vision of a united world. His dream was at times characterized as a benevolent interest in the brotherhood of man, sometimes as a brute interest in the exercise of power. Green, a Cambridge-trained classicist who is also a novelist, portr...more
Paperback, 617 pages
Published
October 5th 1992
by University of California Press
(first published 1991)
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Green's biography of Alexander is erudite and skeptical, with a decidely old-fashioned sensibility. The Alexander that emerges from these pages is history's most gifted military commander and a regicide, a skilled manipulator of men and generous to a fault, a raging alcoholic (even compared to his alcohol-stewed macedonian compatriots) and a man of iron constitution, a world-strider and the progenitor of an empire that evaporated as soon as his heart stilled. More importantly, Green's Alexander...more
The first time I ever heard of Alexander the great was in middle school. I remember just briefly learning about how he conquered many cities along the Asian Minor. I wasn’t really interested on how really. Or even why? Why was he called Alxander The Great. I mean it could’ve been his last name?! Right? If so where can I get hat last name? just kidding. From reading other reviews about this book It seems as if this is not just your normal biography textbook kind of feel of reading. “Green’s portr...more
Alexander being my favorite historical personality, I've read much on him. I highly recommend this book as maybe the best modern biography of the Great one.
Alexander was a complex man who realized Greek dreams by conquering the Persian Empire. He never lost a battle and at the time of his untimely death ruled more land than anyone ever had previously, or would again until Genghis Khan if I'm not mistaken. He was intelligent, a great general and soldier, and above all: lucky. Favor of the gods I...more
Alexander was a complex man who realized Greek dreams by conquering the Persian Empire. He never lost a battle and at the time of his untimely death ruled more land than anyone ever had previously, or would again until Genghis Khan if I'm not mistaken. He was intelligent, a great general and soldier, and above all: lucky. Favor of the gods I...more
The best of the several biographies of Alexander that I've read. The book succeeds because Green does more than simply know his stuff; he's an elegant writer who does a wonderful job of evoking classical antiquity, and he is particularly strong when describing the world of the near East during that time. He has a novelist's knack for character and place, so the sense you get of the kind of person Alexander was (or his mother and father, Philip and Olympias, for that matter) is always strong and...more
The subject, Alexander, supplies a lot of interesting material, but in the hands of a dry writer even the most amazing history is dull. Green takes this material and writes in a way that elevates it to a history book you just can't put down, which is a rare gem. Some might criticize Green as being a storyteller instead of a historian, but if the history is incredibly boring then no one is going to read it. And Green often does come out and say "these numbers are suspect," or "this is a controver...more
Though I love ancient Greek history I'm not a fan of Alexander the Great. However, after reading Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C., I became a fan of historian and author Peter Green. While most historians are rather dry, untalented writers, Green records Alexander's story with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm for his subject. I liked the way he analyzed all the tidbits of information we know about Alexander and was able to cut through the years and the propaganda spewed by Alexander's own...more
This was such a long and boring book that I almost didn't get through it. Ughh...I am so happy to be done with it. For one, the author just didn't have a very interesting writing style to allow the reader to get into. The writing was very dry and was just facts, I never felt like I got to know the people at all, and that is what, I think, turns people off from reading about history. If the people in the book aren't personable then readers don't get invested in the characters, and therefore don't...more
While Greens grasp of the events of Alexander's life as they unfolded chronologically is superb, his writing style lacks creativity. Furthermore, as his counterpart, Renault, their idealized (or in Green's case overly skeptical) evaluation of Alexander's character is overly influenced by their prejudice. His psychological analysis is at its best, rudimentary. In addition, his reading and rejection of the primary source accounts is highly questionable. If you're looking for a biography of Alexand...more
Until recently, popular biographers and most scholars viewed Alexander the Great as a genius with a plan, a romantic figure pursuing his vision of a united world. His dream was at times characterized as a benevolent interest in the brotherhood of man, sometimes as a brute interest in the exercise of power. Green, a Cambridge-trained classicist who is also a novelist, portrays Alexander as both a complex personality and a single-minded general, a man capable of such diverse expediencies as patric...more
As anyone who has been shot can attest, the brief arc of a bullet after the trigger's pull cannot belie its impact. This Alexander—drawn from fragments of evidence, many which were even at the time of record distorted by the needs of empire and ego—moves across the world like a shot. The man was physically durable: in his short life he repeatedly suffered tremendous injury yet continually pushed himself and his army to overcome the world, marking his accomplishments with the same measure used in...more
This is an overly verbose and boringly written book, which assumes you know quite a bit about Greek and Near Oriental history, but at the same time the analysis is elementary and appropriate for the generally interested but not very knowledgeable public. My feeling is that the author is unaware that he is assuming too much. He is of that generation of Britons who received classical education. Most of us have not had the benefit of that, and are shamefully unschooled in the European classics.
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Yes. Bought this book a while ago now... looks VEEERY pretty on my shelf. Right next to that LOTR 3 in 1 book that I haven't opened yet, either.... I shall use the school-free days to catch up on my reading. :)
Fantastic -- could be the best non-fiction/biography/history book I've ever read. If you want to be completely entertained and learn something about the 4th century BC along the way, here it is.
While Green does an excellent job reconstructing the life of Alexander factually, his attempts to psychoanalyze the famed monarch from a remove of 2500 years is farcical and full of holes.
Excellent treatment of the character of Alexander. Green's scholarship attempts to discard the overly romanticized version of Alexander from historians such as W.W. Tarn. The only objection I have, is like any historian, Green is influenced by the sociopolitics of his day. Yet he readily admits this and asserts that it is nearly impossible for anyone to capture the true essence of such an enigmatic figure, even without the clouding of lost texts, limited sources, and biases of the historians of...more
Peter Green had me at the start with his explanation of the queen's plan to keep her lover, Ptolemy, in court - she arranged for his marriage to her daughter!
great detailed read of the ancient genius in his world.loved this book with it's vivid descriptions and psychological analysis of alexander and his empire.
Feb 20, 2013
Craig Fiebig
added it
Great book about a fascinating character. Peter Green brings fresh research to the table for this work and makes it well worth reading.
This is a well-written and enjoyable book providing a thorough, literate, and informative biography of Alexander the Great.
Solid and thorough portrait of Alexander, good references, maps and timeline. It is a little dry.
I found myself re-reading many of the passages in this book over and over again.
Incredibly informative but also an entertaining read
Could not get past page 50
The definitive account.
great
Very, very dry.
One of the best "Alexander" biographies out there. Detail is just right coupled with a fluent, easy to follow writing style.
Best biography I have read in years.
History's first certified megalomaniac gets a thorough review in this excellent history of his life, his loves and his battles. Hard not to admire this ruthless, cold-blooded killer who would have fought his way to the Pacific given the chance. A great, readable book which truly does Alexander justice. Highly recommended.
Oct 14, 2008
Alex
added it
If you are like me, you need to know where you've been before you know where you are going. History of Greece, the middle east, and India. For anyone who is for/against war should read this book - Give a historical pespective most people need to understand dating back over 2000 years.
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