Review: Alexander the GreatAvis de journaliste - Kirkus ReviewsMaster of the Persian Empire at the age of 26, conqueror of Central Asia at 30, dead at 32. Alexander's legend endures, and with very good reason. Writes classicist/biographer Cartledge (Greek History/Chairman of Classics Faculty/Cambridge Univ.; The Spartans, 2003), he "became at various times a hero, a quasi-holy man, a Christian saint, a new Achilles, a philosopher, a scientist, and prophet, and a visionary." But most importantly, he was a warrior. Alexander's victories were by no means inevitable, Cartledge notes, and some came about because Alexander retained certain military innovations of his father, Philip of Macedon, who had conquered much of Greece only a few years before Alexander's time. For instance, the men of the Macedonian army carried their own equipment and supplies, which reduced the size of the baggage train and "rendered distance a negligible factor," allowing that army to range widely. Alexander added a great navy to this army after taking control of Philip's forces upon his father's death—a demise in which, Cartledge more than hints, Alexander may have played an important part: "The charge of patricide can never be proved," he slyly writes, "but that it can be contemplated at all conveys a good notion of the edgy quality of life at the top of Macedonian society." A devoted student of Aristotle's, although he gave the so-called barbarians more credit than did his master, Alexander was the supreme pragmatist: here he allowed the conquered cities of Greece to keep their old democratic governments, there he butchered the satraps of Persia just as an object lesson, for Alexander "did more or less what he wanted" and understood the uses of terror. And what he wanted more than anything else, it appears, was to conquer the world, drink, and be treated like a god, all of which he accomplished before meeting his own end—perhaps, Cartledge notes, as a victim of poisoning. A literate rendering of Alexander's life, drawing on the most reliable ancient and modern sources. (See also Steven Pressfield's The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great, p. 710.) Commentaires des utilisateursReview: Alexander the GreatAvis d'utilisateur - Rick Davis - GoodreadsFirst of all, Paul Cartledge is one of the world's foremost experts on ancient Greece, and is an extremely careful and scholarly writer. As such, I knew before I even began that this book would be ... Consulter l'avis complet Review: Alexander the Great: The Hunt for a New Past: The Hunt for a New PastAvis d'utilisateur - Amblingbooks.com - Goodreads"May be the most accessible introduction in print....An amazingly solid, balanced, and evocative view of the man." Washington Post Book World Listen to Alexander the Great on your iPhone, desktop, or smartphone. Consulter l'avis complet Review: Alexander the GreatAvis d'utilisateur - Forrest - GoodreadsWell written short history on Alexander. Consulter l'avis complet Review: Alexander the GreatAvis d'utilisateur - James Nolle - GoodreadsAlexander the Great by Paul Cartledge was an ok book as far as biographies go. One thing that i did not like was the fact that the author used long difficult to understand words. When i looked the ... Consulter l'avis complet Review: Alexander the GreatAvis d'utilisateur - Carolyne - GoodreadsThis is poorly written with bad and confusing transitions. I am putting it down and will look for a better bio on Alexander. Consulter l'avis complet Review: Alexander the GreatAvis d'utilisateur - Elliott Cross - GoodreadsA good book, although I found it repetitive at times. Also, it didn't delve into Alexander's 'psyche' or motivation for conquest and immortal glory as much as I would have liked. It also seemed a tad ... Consulter l'avis complet Review: Alexander the GreatAvis d'utilisateur - Larry - GoodreadsHe needed to say at the beginning only once that there is very little definitive information on Alexander and his time, so this book is based on conjecture. As it is, I read this qualification so many times until I could not take it any more and gave it up. Consulter l'avis complet Review: Alexander the GreatAvis d'utilisateur - Matthew - GoodreadsThis was an informative book on Alexander. I didn't like the author's style very much, but he was an expert on Alex, that's for sure. I learned a great deal that I never knew and that's what I was going for. Consulter l'avis complet | Avis des utilisateurs| 5 étoiles | | | 4 étoiles | | | 3 étoiles | | | 2 étoiles | | | 1 étoile | |
Tous les commentaires - 19 Tous les commentaires - 19 Tous les commentaires - 19 |
