In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great

by Michael Wood

Book Overview

Michael Wood retraces Alexander the Greats amazing journey from Greece to India, searching for the truth behind the legend and experiencing the tremendous scale of his achievements. Using the ancient... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520213076
• ISBN13: 9780520213074
• Release Date: November 1997
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 2.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.7" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Book

Fascinating take on Alexander the great.

From Macedonia to the Kyber Pass

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.

Excellent reading, and very entertaining

I have to say that this is great work. I feel more younger people should read this (and watch the video series) and get a better understanding of the size of Alexander's expedition and accomplishments..... The ancient Greeks did consider the Macedonians as a Greek tribe. Some people like to point to Demosthenes' Phillipic speeches as proof of the "barbarian" attitude of the Greeks toward the Macedonians. That's misleading. Demosthenes was deathly afraid of the loss of Athenian supremacy and power if Phillip became the leader of the unified Greek states. Other Athenian politicians did not see him that way. Political rivalries were not anything new to the politically independent ancient Greeks. A closer look at Arrian and Plutarch indicates very well how these ancient historians viewed the Macedonians as Greek.Anyway, this is good work. Bravo to Mr. Wood.

Michael Woods Rules!

I teach Global History and Studies. As a teacher, I used over and over Woods excellent series Legacy. They are the best on the Early Civilizations of the World. I was excited and not the least bit disappointed that he was the man involved in the Footsteps of Alexander the Great project. The video is incredible and this book is a very useful companion. The book is good, i use parts of it in class...however If you have not seen all the parts of the Video, you must. He is crazy. Woods is a great historian who is also fun to watch.

A great book

Definitely the best book I've ever read about the ancient world. The author himself followed the trail of Alexander's journey. By doing this he is really able to tell alexander's story in an extraordinarily interesting way. I really felt like I was there riding along with Alexander when I read this book.

Well-researched look into the impact of Alexander the Great

Michael Woods and his team have done an outstanding job at presenting the conquests of Alexander the Great and his impact on his short-lived empire. Obviously, a lot of effort has gone into researching the intricate details of Alexander's life, and the areas which he visited (then and now) and the reader is the one who ultimately benefits from this. Granted that the team had to rely on ancient Greek sources and local lore in piecing together Alexander's story,I wonder if the work could have been made more complete with more information on the Greek High Command eg. Craterus, Parmenio etc as well as the logistics planning that was required for the creation of empire. Also, information on Greece in Alexander's absence would have been useful in giving the reader understanding of the domestic situation. The book is commendable for its photographs and great attempts at historical accuracy. Strongly recommended for anyone interested in Greek history.