Alexander the great biography book
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Alexander the Great
In the first authoritative biography of Alexander the Great written for a general audience in a generation, classicist and historian Philip Freeman tells the remarkable life of the great conqueror.
The celebrated Macedonian king has been one of the most enduring figures in history. He was a general of such skill and renown that for two thousand years other great leaders studied his strategy and tactics, from Hannibal to Napoleon, with countless more in between. He flashed across the sky of history like a comet, glowing brightly and burning out quickly: crowned at age nineteen, dead by thirty-two. He established the greatest empire of the ancient world; Greek coins and statues are found as far east as Afghanistan. Our interest in him has never faded.
Alexander was born into the royal family of Macedonia, the kingdom that would soon rule over Greece. Tutored as a boy by Aristotle, Alexander had an inquisitive mind that would serve him well when he faced form
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Makers of History: Alexander the Great
Outnumbered and isolated, Alexander conquered the world thanks to his tactical brilliance, bravery, and tenacity.
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Get ready to be hooked by the complete story of his life—and learn about one of history's most famous warriors at the same time! Alexander the Great did what few men have done. He became king at age 20, and by the time he died at age 32, he had conquered the greatest empire in the world and led his army all the way to India. Thanks to Alexander, the Western world was forever shaped by Hellenistic culture, and the New Testament itself was written in Greek. Alexander's life is a thrilling adventure, a legend, and a story that should be a part of any child's education.
This thrilling biography—written by Jacob Abbott and newly edited for younger readers—offers a glimpse into the life of the man who conquered the known world, and then lost it all in a moment.
Alexander the Great is part of Makers of History,
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The best books on Alexander the Great
Before we get to the books, please could you tell us about Alexander the Great’s background. What was it that led him to go out and conquer the known world?
Alexander was the son of Philip of Macedon and, while in earlier periods, Macedonia had been on the edges of the Greek world, during Alexander’s childhood Philip had made it into the most significant power in Greece. In the course of his lifetime, he became the dominant figure throughout the Aegean world. I think it’s also worth adding—and this is straying into the controversial—that Macedonia was, effectively, set up as a kingdom in the late sixth century BC, when the Persians under King Darius I invaded northern Greece. It was set up as a monarchy, and with that came the establishment of a royal court and the rituals that went with that. Macedon in the fifth century BC had a lot of contact with the neighbouring kingdom of Thrace in the north-east Aegean and had a relationship with the