At the bloody battle of Cannae, he trounced a Roman army twice the size of his own. With his brothers, he subdued nearly all of Italy, Spain and Northern Africa. A cunning tactician, he secured victory for Bithynia at sea by catapulting poisonous snakes onto the decks of his enemy's ships. Biographer Ernle Bradford draws on the historical writings of Livy, Polybius, Plutarch and others in re-creating the fantastic story of the greatest general since Alexander the Great.
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"Pretty good biography of a fascinating figure. Author only uses Roman sources, but tries his best to balance their interpretations. Could have used a little more detail with the famous battles (and some better maps) but still a fairly interesting book."
— Hadrian (4 out of 5 stars)
" A good history - very interesting view of warfare. "
— Lorraine, 8/28/2013" sereeemmm.. "
— Lia, 4/7/2013" An excellent book that was the introduction to Hannibal and the Second Punic War for me, and led to my deeper study of the general and wars between Rome and Carthage. "
— Markdienekes, 1/23/2013" This is the best biography of Rome's greatest antagonist, to date. Bradford is a vital companion to Livy in understanding the Punic Wars, through the eyes of its great champion. "
— Dan, 1/20/2013" Fascinating, keeps your attention. "
— carl, 11/17/2012" A well written and short history of the Second Punic War. "
— Dr., 9/4/2012
Ernle Bradford (1922–1986) was a prominent British historian specializing in the Mediterranean world and naval history. He served in the Royal Navy for the duration of World War II and later traveled throughout the Mediterranean, living for a while on Malta. He was a BBC broadcaster and magazine editor, as well as the author of many acclaimed books, including biographies on Cleopatra, Hannibal, and Caesar.
Peter Jones (1920–2000) was a British actor, screenwriter, and broadcaster. He was one of the original contestants on the BBC Radio 4 game show Just a Minute, and he voiced The Book in Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Among his many other film, television, and radio credits are Midsomer Murders, Rumpole of the Bailey, Chariots of Fire, and Casualty.