Play Audiobook Sample
Alexander the Great: The Hunt for a New Past Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.01) - 324 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Paul Cartledge, one of the world’s foremost scholars of ancient Greece, illuminates the brief but iconic life of Alexander (356–323 BC), king of Macedon, conqueror of the Persian Empire, and founder of a new world order. Alexander’s legacy has had a major impact on military tacticians, scholars, statesmen, adventurers, authors, and filmmakers.
Cartledge brilliantly evokes Alexander’s remarkable political and military accomplishments, cutting through the myths to show why he was such a great leader. He explores our endless fascination with Alexander and gives us insight into his charismatic leadership, his capacity for brutality, and his sophisticated grasp of international politics.
Alexander the Great is an engaging portrait of a fascinating man and a welcome balance to the myths, legends, and skewed history that have obscured the real Alexander.
Download and start listening now!
"The best source of information on the Macedon and his people. Great insight how he shaped the world but also the greek civilization. The author does a great job of describing past events and the reader must determine how they still impact us today. "
— Kevin (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“May be the most accessible introduction in print…An amazingly solid, balanced, and evocative view of the man.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“Incisive and judicious…What Cartledge does so well is explain the ancient world of Greeks and Persians.”
— Sunday Seattle Times -
“Readable and engrossing…Immediate, discursive, insightful, and highly engaging.”
— Pittsburgh Tribune-Review -
“With his usual riveting storytelling, Cartledge…narrates Alexander’s life and rise to power…Cartledge’s knack for bringing history to life makes for an absorbing new biography of the legendary Greek leader.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Reading with British ease and assurance, narrator John Lee examines how Alexander used a love of hunting and horses to develop cavalry, siege, and battle strategies that forever changed the course of warfare and civilization. A fascinating final chapter lists the endeavors of subsequent conquerors and kings who emulated Alexander. For this chapter Lee’s tone—which projects a kind of verbal wink—acknowledges that Alexander’s accomplishments were a near-impossible act to follow.”
— AudioFile -
“Alexander’s legend endures, and with very good reason…A literate rendering of Alexander’s life, drawing on the most reliable ancient and modern sources.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Alexander the Great Listener Reviews
-
" Well written short history on Alexander. "
— Forrest, 7/15/2013 -
" Really interesting biography of Alexander the Great. I liked the impartiality of the author as this gave a more unbiased view of Alexander. "
— Stuart, 6/17/2013 -
" Great history of Alexander "
— 63alfred, 1/4/2013 -
" This was an informative book on Alexander. I didn't like the author's style very much, but he was an expert on Alex, that's for sure. I learned a great deal that I never knew and that's what I was going for. "
— Matthew, 10/7/2012 -
" The best source of information on the Macedon and his people. Great insight how he shaped the world but also the greek civilization. The author does a great job of describing past events and the reader must determine how they still impact us today. "
— Kevin, 6/20/2012 -
" Repetitive. Academic. "
— Anosh, 2/29/2012 -
" He needed to say at the beginning only once that there is very little definitive information on Alexander and his time, so this book is based on conjecture. As it is, I read this qualification so many times until I could not take it any more and gave it up. "
— Larry, 12/19/2011 -
" It is pretty basic, but manages to cover all the most important dates and what not. I felt myself wondering why I devoted time to this book, because it does not delve deep enough but pretends like it has. Oh well. "
— kenneth, 12/10/2011 -
" Paul Cartledge is a very good writer, and Alexander the Great is a fantastic subject, so you can't go wrong with this one. There are better biographies, I've been told. "
— Allein, 7/21/2011 -
" This is poorly written with bad and confusing transitions. I am putting it down and will look for a better bio on Alexander. "
— Carolyne, 6/19/2011 -
" Really interesting biography of Alexander the Great. I liked the impartiality of the author as this gave a more unbiased view of Alexander. "
— Stuart, 3/17/2010 -
" It is pretty basic, but manages to cover all the most important dates and what not. I felt myself wondering why I devoted time to this book, because it does not delve deep enough but pretends like it has. Oh well. "
— kenneth, 3/20/2007 -
" Paul Cartledge is a very good writer, and Alexander the Great is a fantastic subject, so you can't go wrong with this one. There are better biographies, I've been told. "
— A, 3/12/2007
About Paul Cartledge
Paul Cartledge has taught Greek history at Cambridge University since 1979 and is also a Fellow at Clare College. Widely acknowledged to be the world’s leading expert on the subject of Sparta and ancient Greece, he is the first A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture (2008) which focuses on the study of more than 1,000 years of Greek cultural achievements and highlights the lasting influence they continue to have on society today. In addition to having written and edited scores of articles and books, including The Spartans: An Epic History; and Thermopylae: The Battle that Changed the World, he is also academic consultant to the BBC and PBS for the series The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization.
About John Lee
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.