In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia

Author - Michael Wood ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from University of California Press was reviewed on 3-Nov-2008.

Search ISBN:0520231929 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia Reference Book. Classifications : General Historical Biographies & Memoirs Subjects Books General AAS Historical Biographies & Memoirs Subjects Books Alexander the Great ( A ) People, A-Z Biographies & Memoirs Subjects Books General B . Click the following link to view the cover of In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia.

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1) Paperback Book In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia by University of California Press. If you pick this up, don´t expect any in-depth or informative analysis of Alexander´s life, conquests, tactics, motives or personality; expect a Junior High School reading-level synopsis of the route traveled by Alexander´s army with brief, sporadic, uncohesive glimpses of major events along the way. The pictures add a bit of life to dehydratated and uninspired prose.¤

2) Paperback Book In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia by University of California Press. Wood´s book is problematic in a variety of ways, but it´s predominant flaw is that it examines the actions and personality of a man who lived 2300 years ago through the prism of a thoroughly contemporary morality. Wood is fond of passing judgement, and does so with all the political correctness (and all the ancestral guilt) of a 21st century Anglo-Saxon man. To impose our world view on the world of Alexander and on the man himself is to disfigure them both. Behavior that seems odd, irrational or morally reprehensible to us had a completely different significance in Macedonian society (and Persian society) at that period in history. Alexander was acting within his reality -- he was a man of his time, and to lose sight of this leads Wood to misinterpret. He enjoys it rather too much for the account to feel balanced.

The depth of his research one cannot vouch for, but however extensive it might have been, the story he presents to the reader is incomplete and his exploration of the material is shallow. The ´facts´ he presents are sometimes incorrect, and when they are events whose truth remains in doubt, he fails to mention it unless it suits his agenda. He dispatches significant events in Alexander´s life in a sentence or two, yet spends entire paragraphs on his own feelings about the journey and in freely imagining for the reader what a man from another culture was feeling and thinking over 2000 years ago. He takes account of biases in the source material rather selectively, and often does not even identify his sources.

I have read better researched and better considered books on this subject. The photographs that accompany the book are excellent, and the maps quite good and easy to follow, but the content is best passed over.¤

3) Paperback Book In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia by University of California Press. This is an outstanding book that covers the DVD of the same title.The pictures are wonderful.The reading itself is fascinating.It is divided into several sections that takes us step by step through Alexander´s conquests, with ancient cities and today´s actual names.
Mr.Wood is a natural in writing ancient history.I hope he continues exploring and taking us with him,in places we cannot go.¤

4) Paperback Book In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia by University of California Press. The story of Alexander The Great remains just as relevant today as it did when the "Alexander Romance" was published many centuries ago, consider that many of the areas he conquered such as Iraq and Iran are still international hot spots today when it comes to the current state of the world. Michael Wood´s "In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great" is an entertaining read because it plays like a cultural travelogue, documenting how the story of Alexander is still passed down from generation to generation in Greece and the Middle East. In some places he is a heroe, in others a ruthless barbarian, even a devil. Woods writes about his journey down Alexander´s trek with vivid details, providing fascinating insights into other corners of the globe and the customs found therein. For readers who enjoy learning and reading about other countries and their traditions this will prove to be a fascinating trip. However, the only thing that makes Woods´ book not the gem it should be is that in his actual writing of Alexander´s history he subscribes to much of what has already been dismissed as propaganda by historians like Robin Lane Fox and authors like Mary Renault. It is no surprise that since Woods is after all making a TV program here, he indulges in the more wild, ear-catching legends surrounding Alexander such as the burning of a temple for the sake of doing something fun when drunk (eventhough Alexander, as was common in Macedon and Greece, enjoyed wine to excessive lengths) and the killing of Betis by dragging him from a chariot to imitate Achilles (this is ridiculous considering Alexander always honored opponents who fought bravely). Woods apparently likes using information gathered from writers like Cleitarchus, who is notorious for writing fictitous accounts with exaggerated numbers, events and even Socrates made fun of the guy for his flights of fancy. Luckily Woods is not writing a biography here but an account of the current state of the lands Alexander conquered and it´s peoples. As a journey through these areas and as a look at how potent the image and story of Alexander are today there is no better book. But for an actual reading of the life and times of Alexander The Great, I recommend "Alexander The Great" by Robin Lane Fox and "The Nature Of Alexander" by Mary Renault, two others who write with a more serious sense of scholarship.¤

5) Paperback Book In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia by University of California Press. I´ll keep this as brief as possible. The book is a well conceived mixture of the history Alexander the Great´s Asian conquests and the story of author Michael Wood´s quest to follow Alexander´s voyage throughout Asia and film it all for a BBC miniseries. He not only draws on the traditional sources such as Arrian and Plutarch, but also on local legends in the areas Alexander captured. The photographs are beautiful, and the maps help give a geographical perspective to the reader. An easy, interesting read, the book can be read in one evening by devoting full attention to the book.
The only criticism I have is one that is unavoidable by Wood. There are parts that tend to drag a bit, by giving casualty estimates and exact military strategies that would most likely not appeal to the average reader. The best aspect, however, is how Michael Wood gives insight to a brutal, raging alcoholic treated all too kindly by Arrian. It is worth the money to someone genuinely interested in history, but don´t waste your time if you´re not willing to give the attention this book deserves.¤

6) Paperback Book In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia by University of California Press. Between 334 and 324 B.C. the Macedonian army, led by Alexander the Great, marched relentlessly across Asia. An event of bravery and cruelty, endurance and greed, Alexander´s expedition was a turning point in human history. His conquest opened up contacts between Europe and Asia, unleashing astonishing historical energies that continue to affect the world today. This extraordinary book recreates Alexander´s 22,000 mile, ten-year expedition from Greece to India, following as much as possible the actual route of his journey.
Historian Michael Wood traversed seventeen countries, trekking through the Zagros Mountains to find the lost site of Alexander´s battle at the "Persian Gates," drinking black tea in the Hindu Kush, listening to ancient stories of Sikander e Aazem, and crossing the Makran Desert with twenty-three camels. He traveled with Lebanese traders, Iranian pilgrims, Afghan guerrillas, and other local people on a journey that took him through many of the twentieth century´s major trouble spots, including Beirut and Kurdistan.
Wood bases his account of Alexander´s conquest on the texts of Greek and Roman historians, but he also reconsiders the Greek adventure in terms of modern ideas on colonialism, orientalism, and racism. The Macedonian conquest, which has mainly been seen through Greek sources, is illuminated for the first time by medieval travelers´ narratives, newly discovered oracles, and prophecies on papyrus or clay tablet.
At the heart of Wood´s powerful story is the towering, enigmatic character of Alexander the Great. He ascended the throne at twenty, conquered much of the known world before he was thirty, and was dead by the age of thirty-two. A ruthless politician, brilliant military tactician, devoted son, family man, lover of both women and men, Alexander was known for his extreme generosity as well as his ferocious cruelty. Following in the conqueror´s footsteps centuries later, Michael Wood overhears the words of the fabled Greek mermaid who calls to passing sailors: "Great Alexander still lives!"¤

7) Paperback Book In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia by University of California Press. Intrepid explorer in search of the past, British journalist Michael Wood follows the path of Alexander the Great and his army from Macedonia to the Himalayas and beyond in the fourth century B.C. Always one for adventures to match those of his heroes, Wood takes his readers over harsh deserts and snow-clogged passes, stopping off at interesting places along the way: a Zoroastrian temple in Iran, for instance, where we learn that Alexander is regarded as a devil and called Iskander Gujaste, Alexander the Accursed. Devil or no, Wood allows us to appreciate Alexander for the daring of his enterprise: his conquest of southwestern Asia occupied 22,000 miles and two decades.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 1-Dec-2008, 05202319299780520231924, 060-900-290-480-090-630-600-LLB-0KB-YOB-8

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