Alexander the Great

Even before Alexander's death, in 323 BCE, his legend had accelerated, aided considerably by his highly effective skills of self-promotion. Classics professor Freeman has written a compact biography that avoids the pitfalls of romanticizing or understanding the personality of Alexander. It is a well-written, chronological narrative that allows Alexander's remarkable career and achievements to speak for themselves. Freeman doesn't ignore the thuggish aspects of Alexander's efforts, but he does correctly place them within the context of the rather nasty world of both Macedonian and Asian political and military struggles. He also pays ample tribute to Alexander's father, Philip, whose diplomatic and military skills molded the disparate hill tribes of Macedonia into the dominant power in Greece. Justifiably, it is Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire and northern India that forms the bulk of the story and reveals his true genius, including his leadership, expertise in siege warfare, and ability to hold together what evolved into a huge, diverse army. General readers will appreciate this fine account of a man truly deserving of the title Great.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2010 Booklist

Alexander the Great managed to conquer most of the known world before dying in 323 B.C.E. at age 33. The surprise is that he didn't die sooner. To defeat the Persian Empire, he led his troops on a ten-year campaign from his native Macedonia all the way to India. If the ancient accounts of his life are to be believed, daredevil Alexander risked death from battle, palace treachery, dysentery, and crossing vast deserts and mountains. How disappointing to die in bed in a palace in Babylon after too much partying. Alexander's empire quickly broke up, but Freeman (Classics, Luther Coll.; Julius Caesar) makes a persuasive case in his popular history here that the Hellenic tradition in successor states changed Western history. VERDICT Freeman ignores many conventions of modern historians: he never locates events in contemporary geography; if the classical source (always unreliable on numbers) says 100,000 soldiers, he generally accepts the number. Despite a persuasive epilog on the problems of sorting legend from fact, he rarely discusses his sources. It's a cliche-ridden biography, at times even reminiscent of the old Landmark Books some may remember from their childhood, likely to please neither the uninitiated nor the learned adult. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/10.]-Stewart Desmond, New York (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.