Book dossier

Alexander

by Theodore Ayrault Dodge

Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) was incontestably one of the greatest military generals of all time and one of the most powerful personalities of antiquity. From the time he sacked Thebes and crossed the Hellespont to his death eleven years later, he conquered the entire Persian empire, including Tyre, Egypt, and Babylon, and moved on to present-day northern India and Afghanistan. He influenced the spread of Hellenism throughout the Near East and Asia, establishing many cities such as Alexandria that flourished long after his death. This classic study of Alexander, his predecessors, and his influence on the art of war remains fascinating and relevant over a hundred years after its initial publication. The classical works dealing with warfare in and before Alexander's time gave little more than bare facts of military matters; Dodge's contribution was to vividly reconstruct every major battle of Alexander's brilliant military career, provide much needed background material concerning the art of war before and during Alexander's reign, and fully illustrate his narrative with invaluable maps and charts. The result is a masterpiece of military history - the book that inspired General J. F. C. Fuller to write his own classic study of Alexander, and one which will similarly inspire generations of future readers.