The book's strong points are its detailed maps and illustrations,but it suffers from an unconvincing analysis of Alexander's motives,plans and their results.Dodge has a tendency to take many things at face value and is a modern day victim of Alexander's own propaganda campaign.this is clearly seen in Dodge's failure to implicate Alexander in the assassination of his father Phillip despite overwhelming evidence,his lack of understanding of Alexander's long political struggle against Parmenio's clan for dominance over the army[motive enough for their eventual purge] and of Alexander's shaky relations with the subjugated Greek citystates.Even Dodge's analysis of the key battles of Granicus and Chaeronaea and the siege of Thebes are suspect.As for the most readable part of the book, the narrative of Alexander's conquest,credit is better given to Arrian's primary text.For a far more interesting and convincing look into a man as brilliant and complex as Alexander I would reccomend Peter Green's 'Alexander of Macedon', Fuller's 'Generalship of Alexander ' and Arrian's 'Campaigns of Alexander'.

Here Mr. Dodge has broken down Alexander into the general that all can understand. I myself have been to Granicus, Issus, Tyre, and Gugamela I consider myself luck to see where Alexander won great victories and Mr Dodge show how these battles unfolded and how Alexander exploited the Persians at every battle they met.' Shows Darius as he really was, a coward and no true leader. Alexander is complex but very shallow in according to Mr. Dodge To the average reader I reccommed this book. To the avid historian and military historiand I recommed J.F.C. Fuller's The Generalship of Alexander the Great. Required reading at West Point and Command and General Staff School Thank You Dennis E. Medick

In an admirable work,Theodore Dodge,a soldier for the Union Army during the American Civil War,narrates in detail the campaigns & exploits of who is perhaps the greatest soldier & general of all time.Highlighting Alexander's strong points,& his weaknesses,one cant help but admire & be overwhelmed by the amount of information Dodge offers for the reader.Illustrations & maps help & illustrate for the readers information & pleasure.As the previous reviewer pointedly said,this book is not so much about the personal or political life of Alexander,but his military one.Any criticisms lodged at the book concerning the former would be faulty,to say the least.The only flaws of this book are the less than detailed maps showing the battles movements,& the authors perhaps all too glowing praise for the subject.But since Dodge was a soldier,he most likely knew more than what a common layman does.Comprehensive,exhaustive,detailed,& admirably contemporary,Dodge's work is an admirable effort for military students & readers alike.

"The Greeks" by Kitto is not a book that would normally appear even close to the top of anyone's reading list, unless you enjoy ancient history. What is a Hellene? Kitto explains it. What does the word polis come from? Kitto explains it. What is the Spartan ideal? Kitto explains it. It can be a dry book at times, but reading it carefully you will learn a lot about Greek culture. You will learn who were the Greeks, the Greek government systems, the Athens, the Spartans, and a polis. I suggest this book if you are read or study about ancient Greece. I suggest reading pages seven to ninety-five.

After reading Gates of Fire, I wanted to delve into classical Greek culture. This book is a great intro to Greece from Homer to Alexander. The book covers the history, culture, philosophy, arts, and "mind" of the ancient Greek - all in about 250 pages. It does a marvelous job of introducing the reader to the subject. It would be difficult to read this book and not be astonished by what this civilization accomplished. My only complaint is a nit: the author includes many references to 1950's England that I did not understand.

Ignoring this book in a study of the Greeks is like ignoring "Buckaro Banzai" in a study if Science Fiction movies. Old? Yes. Dated? Of course. Seminal? Without a doubt.

Read it right after you read "The Birth of Tragedy" or Campbell's "Occidental Mythology", that should make for a good one-two punch.

A must for anyone trying to understand Greek Tragedy, Greek & Roman religion, democracy, or why old dead white guys get all the press.

The series of Cassell's History of Warfare, edited by John Keegan, started coming out a couple of years ago in an oversized hardback format encrusted with graphics and large type in the style of the age. Thank God that Cassell has reissued Victor Davis Hanson's excellent contribution in this new compact trade paperback format. Most of the illustrations are gone, the remaining ones are well chosen, and compared with the hardback version I believe that all of the maps have been retained. In addition, the book is really well bound and promises to hold up.

Hanson, for those who somehow have missed him until now, is a professor of Classics at California State and also is a part time farmer, both of which have contributed to his writing as a military historian. As a classicist, Hanson is well versed in the sources in their original Greek, and as a farmer he understands how agriculture affected the experience of the Greeks at war. For it was the farmers of the early Greek polis who developed modern western warfare. Unlike other cultures, the Greek farmers couldn't afford to support professional armies or hire mercenaries, and they couldn't spend a great deal of time away from their farms campaigning. The Greek way of war was to gather up the militia, which comprised all the able bodied men of property who could afford the armor and equipment of a hoplite, march out to a convenient flat field to meet the men of the polis they were warring with, and in a matter of hours, get it over with in quick, brutal, decisive battle. Expounded at greater length in Hanson's ground-breaking "The Western Way of War," Greek battle is covered well here, from its earliest heroic developments in the Bronze Age, through the classic Greek era of the democratic polis, the Persian and the Peloponnesian Wars, and finishing with Alexander, the misnamed "Great." Important battles, including Marathon, Plataea, Delium and Gaugamela, are covered in depth.

Anyone interested in the ancient Greeks owes it to themselves to read this and, if possible, "The Western Way of War." It is utterly impossible to properly understand Hellenic culture without understanding how and why they fought. I recall with some hilarity the introduction to a book of poems by a well-known feminist writer who proclaimed that America must choose to be either Sparta or Athens, her obvious thesis being "Sparta - Warlike! Bad! Athens - Peaceful and Artistic! Good!" It's not that simple. Sparta admittedly was fascist, but pretty much stayed at home oppressing the helots, while Athens became a predatory imperialist democracy, bringing tragedy on itself and the Greeks in the process. It's also important to remember, as Hanson points out, that the great artists, writers, and philosphers were warriors at need. It may be hard to imagine Socrates or Aeschylus in the bronze panoply of a hoplite, but it happened.

This book is a great value in this format and at this price. It needs to be in the collection of anyone interested in military and/or classical history. And here's hoping that Cassell releases the rest of this series in this format!

This is an excellent summary of Victor Davis Hanson's views on Greek warfare presented in the format of a coffeetable-style book. This volume is superior to most books of this type because Davis Hanson's analysis is really a social history of Greek warfare, not the usual compendium of battles, campaigns, and military technology. Davis Hanson does a very nice job of presenting the historical development of Greek warfare from the emergence of citizen hoplite militias associated with the classical polis to the large standing armies associated with large Hellenistic states. For Davis Hanson, Greek military history is a key feature of classical history. The hoplite militia and hoplite battles are the ultimate expression of the relative egalitarianism and solidarity of the polis. Changes in military technology become semi-independent forces in classical history and an important aspect of the development of the polis and its replacement by authoritarian Hellenistic states. This book is a clear digest of Davis Hanson's very interesting views of classical history. His analysis is bold and largely convincing. One area, however, where I think he is on shaky ground is his assertion that the Greeks invented heavy infantry combat and set the pattern for Western warfare. He asserts further that this is distinctive feature of Western culture. While it is true that military innovators of the early modern period did draw on classical models, it is much more likely that the development of assault infantry in early modern Europe is re-invention, as opposed to re-discovery. Similarly, heavy infantry assault was independently developed by disparate non-Western societies such as the Zulus and the medieval Japanese. I think Davis Hanson has identified something that is characteristically human, as opposed to characteristically Western.

Hanson does an admirable job of explaining the development and rise to prominence of the Greek military machine. He details the evolution of the early Greek warrior from the farmer-soldier hoplite to the professional mercenary phalangite. A lot of historical, social and economic material is breezily presented in an easy to understand manner which makes reading this scholarly work more like enjoying a good novel.

Hanson will take a stand on the actions of the Greeks he's reporting on as well. His attack on Alexander the Great's campaign in Persia makes one rethink the popular view of the famous general ("an alcoholic murderer").

The book also contains many pictures of Greek weapons and armor along with detailed graphics of the movemnt of armies in some the the more significant Greek battles. This is a handsome and informative book for anyone interested in military history.

Elizabeth Cook's Achilles is a brave undertaking.

Taking its cue from the outstanding (and somewhat surprising) success of the recent retelling of Beowulf, Achilles mines the depths of this Homeric hero in a slim 100 page volume.

Beginning with the early mythological birth of the Greek warrior Achilles and following his growth into his role as slayer of Trojans, Cook spins her words into gold. The language and imagery rival that of the best mythologists. Cooks research has been thorough and she manages to tell the story completely wihout straying into esoteric lit-babble.

The one problem with the Achilles story is the final section. Obviously mining the territory she covers as a professor, Cook relates a class with Keats to the Achilles legend. This contemporary blast at the end of an otherwise transportational piece is jarring and unnecessary. If Elizabeth Cook had stayed in Ancient Greece, the magic she created would have resonated long after the last page. As Achilles stands now, it merely drifts into denouement.

Elizabeth Cook is a wonderfully poetic writer who gives us a dream of Achilles from conception to death. Her prose and imagery are lush and held me spellbound; but, when the dream shifted, as dreams do, and brought Keats into the story she lost me completely. Until its final chapter "Achilles" is matchless in its illumination of "The Illiad," and its retelling of the myths that surround Achilles' life. The book is so good it could easily stand next to Homer as a necessary and thrilling supplement. And then for some reason, the author subverts the logic of her storytelling with an imaginative stumble. A shame, and her editor more than shares the blame. Even so, read this book and enjoy its success, and consider the last chapter optional.

Written in the form of an ancient ballad, this book tells the story of brooding Achilles, from his conception by his mortal father and immortal mother, through his discovery of love, to the plains of Ilium, and on to the abode of Hades. And then, when the story seems to be over, it telescopes out to include those touched by Achilles story; Helen of Troy broods in her apartment; Chiron the centaur reexamines his life; and the poet Keats looks back on yesteryear.

This is a wonderful, thought-provoking book. It does not retell the story of Achilles to make a modern point, nor does it seek to entertain by recasting the story as modern prose. Instead, this book presents a story, such as those told so long ago. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a great story.

Peter Green's writing is not only about accuracy. One thing I admire in this work, just as much as in Alexander of the Macedon, is his honesty in regards to his conclusions. He does not claim to know the truth. His testimony is the outcome of a series of logical inferences and from the combination of tremendous material of previous authors. But it doesn't stop there. The man can write! My worse fear when I dared open this huge volume was that I would fall into the jungle of names and unimportant events. I was happily surprised to find a solid history book with the elegance and entertaining effect of a novel. This book brought me so close to the post-Alexander Hellenistic Period in terms of its history that I became an amateur scholar of the period myself. One last virtue of peter Green's is that he does not demand or even expect the reader to agree with his conclusions. He opens the way for further inquiry by suggesting alternative courses and interpretations and by referring to a large amount of academic references for each disputed event. The author also manages to bridge with us the Hellenistic experience by noting several similarities of that world with today's administration and academic environment. In brief, Peter Green added to the legacy of the Hellenes, a testimony that even Alexander would bitterly have to accept as objective.

This is one of the very finest works of history I have ever read. It is not only a ground-breaking piece of research and historical synthesis, but it is a terrific pleasure to read. Green is an eloquent and graceful writer, whose text is further enlivened by his dry English wit and acute moral judgments. Even more remarkably, Green appears to be equally at home in writing about political history, literature, science, mathematics, philosophy, and art history. The range and diversity of his research is astonishing, and the footnotes will suggest to you many interesting avenues for further reading on those topics that fascinate you the most. Finally, the hardcover edition is quite simply one of the most beautiful examples of the bookmaker's art to emerge from an American publisher in a long, long time. The text is lavishly illustrated with a profusion of maps, art works, and strikingly revealing coin portraits of dozens of Hellenistic rulers. It will take you a while to work your way through this book, but you'll enjoy every minute of it -- and you'll regret it when you get to the end. I can't wait to come back and read it again a few years down the road.

...Green has taken an EXTREMELY complex moment in history and written a magisterial (for once this word is aptly used!) chronicle - - political, military, cultural, and artistic - - of astounding astuteness. His writing on every aspect of the era manifests a sense of judgement that is breathtaking in its maturity, experience, and intelligence. He is also utterly hilarious. The first two chapters are almost purely military and, to me, quite boring. But the rest of this thousand page book is filled with layer upon layer of insights on the philosophy, mentality, and changing cultural expressions of this remarkable period. I had the great fortune of using this as a textbook for Erich Gruen's class at UC Berkeley: there are points of disagreement between Green, Gruen, and myself, but this is a stunning work, and deserves the highest encomia.

Make no mistake, this author loved Alexander the Great. The author shows excellent historical knowledge of ancient greek civilization (as her many excellent historical novels will attest) and she presents interesting theories on why Alexander did what he did, from his perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Alexander the Great. This is the third book on Alexander written by Renault, the first being Fire from Heaven on his unknown early life, and the Persian Boy, which covers him up until his death from a eunuch's perspective.

Reading this biography one is confronted by something more than the facts. One is confronted by a presence. Other accounts of Alexander are fixated on the size of his deeds, the length of his march etc. Here we met the man. When I finished this book and placed it down I could still feel a certain warmth. Renault begins with THE NATURE OF ALEXANDER and one gets to see his life as just that- his own existence. She lets him speak. She makes possible an encounter. That is a very rare and wonderful thing.

How does one begin to understand the nature of one of the most famous figures in world history? What is the reason for the enduring fame of this western conquerer in Asia and the rest of the world? Who is Alexander The Great? Read Mary Renault's The Nature Of Alexander. Mary Renault does more to explain Alexander and the reasons for what he did in her book than all the scholars in their academic works. And she does it very entertainingly too. You'd think you're reading another of her historical romances but this one is true. Anyone who is remotely interested in ancient Greece and Alexander in particular should make this a must-read item in their booklist. This book also comes with a brief chronology of Macedonian kings. The opening chapter of this book is unforgetabble -- it tells of Alexander's death and of how his body was moved to Eygpt. Ms Renault's eye for historical details transports you to the place so much so you feel you're witnessing the incidents yourself. Her canny reading of Alexander's character makes you beleive the often held belief that Ms Renault had somehow transcended time and managed to get in touch with his spirit. Simply brilliant!

Mr. Hammond's study of the campaigns and generalship of Alexander is a insightful look at perhaps the greatest General in world history. What is most interesting is that the book does not necessarily focus on the specific battles of Alexander, but on Alexander as a general. In a very real way, his accomplishment as a general are greater than his conquest of Persia.

The book does discuss the battles of Alexander and describes what happened and why it happened. Hammond does a good job of putting the reader in the head of Alexander.

The book is well written and maps help explain what is going on. For those who are interested in Alexander or how he accomplished so much so quickly, this book is a must.

Excellent insight is provided by Mr. Hammond. Alexander's war campaigns and crusades are explained here in detail.This is indeed,an excellent book for people who are into military history,and out of the half a dozen books I have read about Alexander,I'd place this in first place.Highly recommended.

This is the most readable biography on Alexander I've ever read. The author gives the layperson instant access to the major events in the life of a very important historical figure.
There are a plethora of in-depth historical books on Alexander the Great, but here is a book that you can actually finish without falling asleep. A most enjoyable little tome.

I did not like this book because it had the most boring mysteries I have ever read.Like most boring books,the kids go somewhere, find what there looking for and, in the case of this book, fly back on a horse with wings.They say boring things along the lines of "how did you learn to read and write?My opinion is that it is a very boring book.

"Hour Of The Olympics" is good because of the ways you learn about the Olympics, and the Olympic events, plus the legend of Pegasus, the flying horse. So amazing, I almost applauded so loud my neighborhood could hear me! Trust me, you can't miss out on this one.

"Hour Of The Olympics" is good because of the ways you learn about the Olympics, and the Olympic events, plus the legend of Pegasus, the flying horse. So amazing, I almost applauded so loud my neighborhood could hear me. Trust me, you can't miss out on this one.

Although I think that the general reader may find some difficulty with the use of transcribed Greek words, the writing is both intelligent,articulate and amusing.

Davidson has delved into some of the lesser known aspects of Classical Athens, although perhaps has ignored the (already well documented) enthusiasms for theatre, war & politics that also engrossed the Greeks This gives the impression that all the Greeks were interested in was fish, wine and sex. Obviously, he has wanted to create an interesting and sale-able book, but no reader should forget that, as in the modern world, such pursuits formed only a part of most people's lives or indeed of the lives of a small section of society. And, as today, they are by far the most interesting things to read and write about, but they are only a part of the whole.

His arguments provide a neat counterbalance to the rather one-sided products of recent years. I could detect quite a few axes being ground, quietly, in the background against many of his scholarly contemporaries. Such disputes are always gratifying to the non-combatants.

I would recommend the book to any reader interested in a wider appreciation of Ancient Greek society or just for an amusing read.

This is a most welcome addition to my Ancient History bookshelf, and while a knowledge of Athenian history lets you get the most out of this book, those without any background in the subject may find that Davidson will prompt them to dig further into the lives and times of a most intriguing people. I found myself thinking "Aha!" more than once as some facets of Athenian culture were put more firmly into place for me, and the rich fullness of Athenian life put on display.

Granted this is not the most entertaining 'read', but neither is it a dry scholarly tome. Some tables (regarding currency and what it would buy, for example) would have been nice to make some comparisons easier, but that is a minor matter. Any student of Greek drama or history should find this book invaluable in gaining a deeper understanding of their coursework, not to mention the fun to be had in throwing references from this admirable book in to jazz up your next paper.

This is about the best book I have ever read about classical antiquity. Davidson focusses on consumption habits, and the morality of eating, drinking, and sex. It is both very revealing about the lives of the Greeks, and an absolutely key step in understanding the origins of modern styles of consumer culture. This is by far the most theoretically sophisticated thing written about consumption in prehistory - Davidson brings some of the best of modern consumption theory to bear, but never in a pedantic way. The text remains lively, fun, and enlightening.

It is unfortunate that, despite the fact that some of Polybius's Histories have been lost over time, Penguin made the decision to cut out even more from the text that has luckily survived down to us through the ages. To make matters worse, the introduction doesn't really state clearly what exactly has been cut.

Next time I want to read one of the classics, I'll go immediately to Loeb. It's worth the extra cash. Anyone want my Penguin copy?

Polybius, a Greek hostage held in Rome from 168 BC to 150 BC, set himself the task of explaining the rise of the Roman Empire. Deliberately written for Roman audiences, Polybius intends to describe the 53 year rise to hegemony from 220-167 BC. However Polybius includes considerable background material on the First Punic War and he later decided to extend his history to include the Third Punic War. Unfortunately, much of the original work is missing and Penguin has decided to edit out even more, which leaves a hollow remnant.

The real value of this book lies in Polybius' description of the Second Punic War with Hannibal. There are excellent battle descriptions of the Trebbia, Lake Trasimene, Cannae, the Metaurus and Zama. Remember, Polybius was writing only 60-70 years after these events and had access to many documents that are now lost. Polybius was also able to visit some of the battlefields when they had not changed significantly since Hannibal's time. There is also a good section on Roman military methods, which was enlightening.

However this book is disappointing in a number of areas. In terms of the original work, Polybius tends to digress on topics of interest to himself (but not to modern readers), such as criticizing other contemporary historians. He also has a strong pedantic streak and strives more to impart "lessons" than facts. He continually hammers home his theory that one cannot be a good historian unless one has walked the ground and gained personal military and political experiences. This certainly helps, but there are plenty of generals and politicians that make poor authors. Yet the greatest disappointment lies in the lack of any detail on the Third Punic War and the dramatic defeat of the Greek phalanx by Roman legions at Cynocephalae. Since Polybius was a witness at the destruction of Carthage, I eagerly anticipated this chapter only to find it instead to be a very short three page section with only general comments.

Amazingly, the period with the greatest detail is the Second Punic War, when Polybius was not alive. The Third Punic War and the Siege of Numantia in Spain, both of which Polybius observed directly, are excluded. This reduced the value of this volume tremendously.

Polybius treatment of the encounter between the Roman Commander Regulus and the Spartan General Xanthippus (leading the Carthaginians), and the "lessons learned" from their encounter justifies buying this book. The rest is gravy.