Alexander the Great

This is definitely a great compilation of writings about Alexander The Great and the society, government and era that he lived in. I have only read a few sections and have learned a lot more than what is written in most other books on this subject. This is definitely not a general overview, it is a very detailed book. If you've already read other books and want a deeper knowledge of Alexander The Great and his times then you will find this book very appealing.

This book opens a conversation, and shows opposing sides of Alexander's campaigns. out of all the books i was assigned to read, this one was my favorite.

Alexander the Great: A Reader, edited by Ian Worthington, introduces one to the complexities of Alexander and the studies about him, and as expected naturally it proceeds on a more or less treaded path. "The Question of Macedonian Ethnicity" by Worthington himself, pages 23-26, is colored by the injection of a "Slavic factor" at the very beginning of the narrative, a modern intrusion into the studies of the ancient Macedonians which finds no support in the ancient sources. On the other hand, Alexander the Great: a Reader, a guide more exactly, does update in a way the state of Alexander studies, at least for an anglophone reading public.All said, the coverage is more than adequate: (1) The sources, (2) Alexander's influences and the Macedonian background, (3) Alexander's aims, (4) Alexander's battles and generalship, (5) Alexander and the Greeks, (6) Alexander and the Persian empire, (7) Alexander, India and the Gedrosian desert, (8) From mass marriage to death, (9) Alexander and the 'unity of mankind', (10) Alexander and deification, (11) Alexander and conspiracies, and (12) Alexander: the 'Great'?Naturally, the preceding are tinted by modern interpretations and by views of the ancient Greeks-Macedonians, although ground for such an argument can be extracted from the ancient sources. On the other hand, a preoccupation so-to-speak of Greek<>Macedonian obscures the Macedonians' role in the development of Greek civilization and perpetuates a dichotomy, which may be there from the sources, but makes no positive contribution to a more realistic understanding of the ancient Macedonians, as a component of Greece beyond its narrow, classical geographic perception (Actium-Thermopylae/or Thessaly). And this concept is best illustrated, for example, by Alexander's "Macedonia and the rest of Greece" (Arrian, 2.14.4).Elias Kapetanopoulos, Professor Dr., CCSU Emeritus20 June 2012

Excellent collection of useful and highly academic articles that address all the major historiographical debates surrounding Alexander the Great. This book became my go-to for everything Alexander as it is comprehensive yet structured in such a manner that finding the useful articles is easy. I am so grateful for the existence of this book, particularly when it comes to revision.