Alexander: A History of the Origin and Growth of the Art Of War from the Earliest Times to the Battle of Ipsus, B.C. 301, With a Detailed Account of the Campaigns of the Great Macedonian

I'm always a bit terrified when digging into a book like this because I'm not a history major. I enjoy history, but if the book is exceedingly dry, I can't stay focused. Luckily, Dodge's discussion of the military aspects of Alexander the Great - and let's face it, his generals - is highly readable.It is important to note that there are some issues though. 1. Dodge didn't write this yesterday. The military factors align with other writers, but some aspects of the man aren't consistent with what we know today (but that could change tomorrow!) 2. The Arcadia Press version (2017) has numerous printing errors and - mine - lacked maps. The errors aren't so egregious, it will stop you, but they are present. As for maps... thank goodness for the Internet.3. Dodge does sway to hero worship. He is honest enough to admit Alexander had faults, but he does fall into the trap of Alexander being near infallible.Net - good read. I would have loved to have seen this in a "Landmark" Format, but you can't have everything.

Its good to see the works of Dodge in print again. His six volumes chronicling the history and development of warfare were classics of their kind. Written in the 1880s, these books still have a lot to say about this subject. Granted some of the information on the organiaztion and tactics of ancient armies may be somewhat dated. Also Dodge's somewhat jaundiced view toward Asian non-western armies may seem a bit out of date in these hyper-politically correct times, but his opinions are always insightful and interesting.What makes this history of Alexander different is the background development of ancient warfare leading up to his time, as well as the purely military analysis. The reader gets a first-rate discussion of military development and innovation before his time which places the Macedonian army and Alexander in greater perspective. You won't find this kind of depth in many other histories on Alexander. Other than JFC Fuller's analysis on Alexander's generalship, there are precious few works that devote much time to this most important aspect of his life. Whatever else Alexander was, and he was, and remains many different things to different people, he was, first and foremost, a great military genius. This is what we should remember him most for. Many more recent works often forget this important aspect, and place too much emphasis on his character. Many biographers try to read too much into his actions, and have their own agendas to pursue in discussing Alexander's actions. This must have been so in Dodges day as well as he often comments on this tendency.One of the great things about Dodge is his often candid and frank observations. His writing style is also smooth and elegant. Too bad more historians today don't have this style of elegance anymore. Dodge avoids most of the controversial aspects surrounding Alexander's life, although he will often mention them in passing and offer a brief opinion. The reader is constantly reminded that this is a military analysis of the great Macedonian, not a biographical one. While Dodge's view is decidely pro-Alexander, he does acknowledge some of the darker aspects of his character. The reader is left to make his own judgement about these matters. Like Arrian, Dodge tries to stick to the matter at hand, and throughout maintains a solid and consistent narrative. The maps and diagrams provided may seem inadequate by today's standards, but they are numerous and very helpful in trying to understand Alexander's battles and campaigns. More works on Alexander should have maps like this.Dodge provides a fine military narrative of Alexander. You won't find any mention of the deviant sides of his character, which is so popular today. For those aspects the reader should turn to the fanciful works of Mary Renault who freely discusses such things. Dodge's work is an excellent companion to any modern day biography of Alexander. You won't find any better discussion of the military aspects of his life than in these pages. Highly recommended for all interested in ancient warfare and the development of military conflict in general.

This book is not a biography -- it is a military history of the art of war during ancient times, with Alexander the Great prominently featured. This volume is the first of five (the next three also published by Da Capo Press) that the author uses to describe and prescribe the art of war. In this inaugural book, Dodge effectively defines his terms, principally the term strategy. This is important because this theme is progressed through the times and actions of Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus, and Napoleon.Dodge's unique contribution to the subject comes from a few persepectives: first, Dodge was a soldier in the Union Army. His books were all published before the turn of the 20th century. He has often physically walked the terrain, studied the topography, and diligently compares the ancient accounts with common sense observation, with some surprising conclusions. Second, Dodge concentrates on what he is qualified to judge, military operations, tactics, leadership, and morale. He is not interesting in court politics, who loved whom, or how much it cost to outfit an elefant for battle. Many times these aspects are presented, but the author makes pains to state his inability to interpret such events. What he does do is to bring to life the man, his armies, battles, and campaigns. Most of all, the reader gets the sense of the Great Captain's position in the military story of man.There are some weaknesses. There is a sense of "post holing" as Dodge attempts to cover 3000 years of military history and innovation. At times, the military aspects receives more attention than it should, and the books ends rather abruptly instead of leading into the next volume: Hannibal. With these weaknesses in mind the reader will have an enjoyable experience. Dodge's style is crisp, entertaining, humorous at times, and always provocative as he inevitably compares ancient military practices with those that he was familiar with, 19th century America.The whole series is worth its weight.

Theodore Dodge is the best military writer I have ever read. I write analyses of historical battles and I find his reports of battles highly reliable, as reliable as military reporting can be. Dodge is my number one source of data on the subjects he has written on. He shuns conjecture for the best data that he has. Conjecture is a large fault of military writers. They often dub in their own explanation when data on a particular battle is scarce. Not so with Theodore Ayrault Dodge. Even generals who have written on battles they participated in are prone to conjecture but Dodge sticks with the facts as closely as he knows them. His writing style is admittedly civil war era but is very comphrendable once you get into the flow of it. Highly recommended for researchers and casual readers alike.

I've read Dodge and this almost 300-page version seems condensed. Is this really all the content, minus the drawings?

I gave this book five stars because it was one of the best books I have read about alexander well written and researched it would suit anyone interested in alexander and the Persian conquest

"Alexander" by Theodore Ayrault Dodge is a definitive chronicle of conqueror's military exploits. This book draws on ancient sources to detail all of Alexander's campaigns. I was amazed by the extent of his adventures in the Hindu Kush.___Alexander himself comes out as having boundless energy and a compulsive need to defeat anyone in his path. He inherited an almost invincible phalanx from his father. But Alexander developed and perfected both light & heavy cavalry. He also experimented and improved artillery (stone throwers and heavy-duty crossbows). He was the first to use artillery to force a river crossing.___This book is comprehensive and rewarding for scholars and military buffs. Recommended. Five Stars.

It’s written by an American author after the American Civil war, that is in the 19th century. Hence the names of places and countries captured by Alexander are not accurate for us to perfectly understand the regions captured by him. But in terms of a summarised version it’s a nice book to learn about “Alexander the Great”.