Sunday, July 24, 2011

What Would You Recommend? - Alexander The Great

This is a question I get asked all the time working in the bookstore: "What would you recommend for somebody who loved "_________"? (fill in the blank)" Usually I can come up with something, but that something can be a bit of a wild guess if it's not a book or genre I normally read. This is where you helpful people come in. If you have a suggestion, I'd love to hear it.

Last night I watched the DVD Alexander, which I've had in my collection for at least a couple of years. While watching it, I found myself remembering the recent re-read of Stealing Fire by Jo Graham and some other novels on Alexander the Great that I've read (I think they were by Mary Renault, but I can't remember). At the same time, I was thinking of the various primary sources on the subject and trying to remember what they were, aside from Arrian.

In terms of history books, I know about the one by Robin Lane Fox, and the book by Michael Woods. I can't forget the new biography in stores now either. And then, there's Cartledges' books, which I've heard mixed things about.

For the history buffs,  what do you recommend? and for the fans of historical fiction, what are your recommendations? I'm asking this one for myself because I want to read up on the subject just a bit (and go beyond the entry in the Oxford Classical Dictionary).

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