Description: Everything we know about Alexander comes from ancient sources, which agree unanimously that he was extraordinary and greater than everyday mortals. From his birth into a hypercompetitive world of royal women through his training under the eyes and fists of stern soldiers and the piercing intellect of Aristotle; through friendships, rivalries, conquests and negotiations; through acts of generosity and acts of murder, this book explains who Alexander was, what motivated him, where he succeeded (in his own eyes) and where he failed, and how he believed that he earned a new "mixed" nature combining the human and the divine. This book explains what made Alexander "Great" according to the people and expectations of his time and place and rejects modern judgments asserted on the basis of an implicit moral superiority to antiquity.
Brief description: Thomas R. Martin is the Jeremiah W. O'Connor, Jr Professor in Classics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is the author of Ancient Greece and (with Ivy Sui-yuen) Herodotus and Sima Qian.
Review Quotes: "Blackwell and Martin have produced a wonderful new view of one of the most fascinating figures from the historical record. Their clear, lively narrative style allows them not only to bring Alexander and his world to life but to integrate a great deal of critical analysis with a very light touch. This is a must- read for anyone interested in Alexander the Great, and every instructor covering Alexander in class should start with this new book." - Gregory Crane, Tufts University