[.ca] Genius Of Alexander the Great (ISBN 0807823503)

Well-Detailed, Highly Entertaining And Informative.:
"The Genius Of Alexander The Great" manages to do what all great history books do in that it doesn't feel like a boring lecture. On the contrary, this is an exciting, involving tale of adventure, history and conquest framed around a brilliant historical figure and his unique intellect and personality. N.G.L. Hammond is not only a good historian but an excellent writer and he successfully transports us to a time long ago when world leaders followed omens from gods in Olympus and set out to take over the world. Hammond gives us a tour through the Greek culture of the times, the social divisions and paints in wonderful detail the battles and events of Alexander's campaign from Macedonia to Asia through Egypt and India. The book also has a cast of intriguing characters aside from Alexander, there's his wild mother Olympias and the Persian king Darius who becomes almost the main villain when Alexander embarks on a campaign to liberate conquered nations from oppressive Persian rule. So many countries are visited and Hammond never fails to still include bits of philosophy, mythology and entertaining biography into the text. From Dionysian cults to Indian war elephants, it's all here. It's a good refresher course for anyone trying to prepare themselves for Oliver Stone's upcoming film "Alexander." In the end what we get is a brilliant tale of a man who set out to explore and civilize the world, becoming of the most memorable historical figures the world has ever known.

Just the facts?:
This is a brief review of Alexander's accomplishments, and makes a good reference for those who trust in Hammond's view of history. This is an important qualification, since respected historians cannot agree upon even trivial details, such as Alexander's age when he was schooled by Aristotle, or who brought Bucephalus to Philip's court. For a meatier (if at times undirected) discussion of Alexander's character, you should turn to Robin Lane-Fox's _Alexander the Great_.

Great book on a great historical figure.:
This is the last book written by Prof. Hammond on ATG and it really is a nice piece of work. Some people may claim that he tends to over-glorify Alexander but I don't believe so. His analysis is very balanced and his criticism is not based on 20th Century values and ideals, which is a problem with other authors on the same subject. If you're looking for a good book on Alexander the Great, do start here.