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The Nature of Alexander
 
 
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The Nature of Alexander [Paperback]

Mary Renault
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Random House USA Inc; 1st American Ed edition (1 Mar 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 039473825X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0394738253
  • Product Dimensions: 13 x 2.1 x 20.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 513,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Mary Renault
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Product Description

Product Description

The acclaimed biography of Alexander the Great.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
On a hot June day in Babylon, in 323 BC, Alexander died. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
In her study of the nature of Alexander the Great, clearly the greatest of generals and conquerors, Mary Renault has contributed a much-needed chapter to the study of the man. Most biographies simply focus on his achievements, while "The Nature of Alexander" has eschewed those facts, largely, to tell of his "nature," what made him do what he did, referring to pitched battles and skirmishes in only the most necessary detail. Other books (like Arrian's work), describe in full detail the battles. Mary Renault has given us what, in my opinion, is much more valuable: insights into the great man's personality. It is clear from this work that Alexander would have achieved greatness in any walk of life. Where it errs is on the side of romanticism. She does, however, an admirable job in presenting his character as free from this as any have ever done. Astounding.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Roman Clodia TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Renault's book probably isn't for the serious student of either Alexander or Hellenism, but it is a fascinating book for all that. Written by the novelist who wrote the best trilogy on Alexander, this is her supposed attempt to 'prove' her history was correct, but leaving that argument aside, it is still a fascinating read. Renault's interpretation of Alexander is unremittingly romantic, and yet she still paints an irresistable picture of a man, a king and a commander that I at least want to believe in. For the hard-core historian, you'll probably want to avoid this but for anyone else, read it and be enthralled.
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31 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Alexander revisited 21 Jan 2004
By Joseph Haschka HALL OF FAME TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Last October, I read and reviewed Peter Green's biography of Alexander the Great, ALEXANDER OF MACEDON, 356-323 B.C., to which I gave five stars. It was subsequently suggested to me that Green's book was a "hatchet job", and that I should read Mary Renault's THE NATURE OF ALEXANDER for a more balanced view.

Renault's volume is very readable. In factual substance, it seems to my unscholarly eyes to be pretty much the same as Green's. I certainly didn't learn significantly more about Alexander from the former than the latter, though that portion of Renault's narrative concerning Alexander's death was fleshed out a bit more. Renault, however, strikes me as a much more sympathetic biographer. Whether this adds more truth to her version is, and will remain, indeterminable by me.

In balance, I think I would choose and recommend Green's biography for the simple reason that he includes over a dozen route maps and battle plans that help the reader put Alexander's accomplishments in better perspective. Renault provides none at all, and the absence of such is a significant omission, in my opinion. Alexander led his Macedonians from the north of Greece to the western border of the Indian subcontinent - the edge of his known world - and almost all the way back again. Twenty-five thousand miles in eleven years! It isn't until you see this plotted on a map of the region that the remarkable accomplishment can be appreciated.

THE NATURE OF ALEXANDER reinforced my opinion that Alexander was the greatest military commander of all time and the most charismatic and successful leader of men who's ever lived. At one point, just prior to marching homeward from India, Alexander was gravely wounded by an arrow that penetrated his lung. The rumor spread through the army that he was dead, and he felt it necessary to show himself. Renault quotes Nearchus:

"... he ordered a horse to be fetched him. And when he mounted it ... the whole army clapped their hands repeatedly, and the banks and the river glades threw back the sound. (Near his tent he dismounted), so that the army could see him walking. They all ran to him from every side, some touching his hands, some his knees, some his clothing ..."

What an experience it must have been to march to the ends of the earth with such a King!

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