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The Campaigns of Alexander (Penguin Classics) Paperback – October 28, 1976

by Arrian (Author), J. R. Hamilton (Editor, Introduction), Aubrey de Sélincourt (Translator)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 340 ratings
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'His passion was for glory only, and in that he was insatiable'

Although written over four hundred years after Alexander’s death, Arrian’s Campaigns of Alexander is the most reliable account of the man and his achievements we have. Arrian’s own experience as a military commander gave him unique insights into the life of the world’s greatest conqueror. He tells of Alexander’s violent suppression of the Theban rebellion, his total defeat of Persia, and his campaigns through Egypt, India and Babylon – establishing new cities and destroying others in his path. While Alexander emerges from this record as an unparalleled and charismatic leader, Arrian succeeds brilliantly in creating an objective and fully rounded portrait of a man of boundless ambition, who was exposed to the temptations of power and worshipped as a god in his own lifetime.

Aubrey de Sélincourt’s vivid translation is accompanied by J. R. Hamilton’s introduction, which discusses Arrian’s life and times, his synthesis of other classical sources and the composition of Alexander’s army. The edition also includes maps, a list for further reading and a detailed index.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    432 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    October 28, 1976
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0140442537
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0140442533
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Although written over four hundred years after Alexander's death, Arrian's 'Campaigns of Alexander' is our best source of knowledge of the man and his deeds. Arrain had himself been a military commander, and his record of the exploits of the world's greatest conqueror reveals sympathy for his subject, without the adulation or contempt which so often mar other histories of the time. Arrain's unaffected style of writing, with its matter-of-fact tone, offsets the remarkable career and paradoxical nature of Alexander, giving us a fair, clear report about a man who was worshipped as a god in his own lifetime.

About the Author

Arrian, or Lucius Flavius Arrianus, was a Greek born of well-to-do parents at Nicomedia, the capital of the Roman province of Bithynia, probalbly a few years before A.D. 90. His father had been granted Roman citizenship which enabled Arrian to take up his career in the imperial service. In about A.D. 108 he studied philosophy under Epictetus and wrote down his sayings in the Discourses, and a summary of his teachings in a Manual. His imperial advancement was rapid, and in A.D. 129 or 130 he achieved the consulship. But it was his appointment as governor of the border province of Cappadocia a year later which shows how greatly the Emperor Hadrian trusted his undoubted military and administrative abilities. His command included two Roman legions and numerous auxiliary troops, a rare, perhaps unexampled, responsibility for a Greek at that time. In A.D. 134 he drove the invading Alans out of Armenia in a campaign he describes in The Formation against the Alans. He also wrote a Tactical Manual for cavalry, and the Circumnavigation of the Black Sea, an account of the voyage he undertook from Trapezus to Dioscurias in 131-2. He retired or was recalled before the death of Hadrian in 138, and devoted the rest of his life to writing, living at Athens. He became an Athenian citizen and rose to be chief magistrate in 145, which qualified him to become a member of the Areopagus, the chief governing body of Athens. Nothing further is known for certain of his life. The surviving works of Arrian's Athenian period are a handbook, On the Chase, The Campaigns of Alexander in seven books, and the Indica, an account of the voyage of Alexander's fleet form India to the Perisian Gulf.

Aubrey de Sélincourt, scholar and translator, translated Livy’s The Early History of Rome (Books I—V) and The War with Hannibal (Books XXI—XXX), The Histories of Herodotus and The Campaigns of Alexander by Arrian, all for the Penguin Classics. He was born in 1896 and educated at Rugby, and University College, Oxford. A schoolmaster of genius for twenty-six years, he retired in 1947 to the Isle of Wight, where he lived until his death in 1962.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Revised edition (October 28, 1976)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140442537
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140442533
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 340 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
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Top reviews from the United States

Christopher R. Travers
5.0 out of 5 stars The defining ancient biography of Alexander
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2009
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When I review translations of works I rate them on the importance of the work and the relative quality of translation. I deduct points if there are better translations available.

The quality of translation here is outstanding. The work is accessible and the general tone found in other Greek historiographies is left intact. The book is very readable and worthy of study. I am not aware of any better translation or edition than this one.

This work also is of great importance. Arrian's biography used the sources available to the author and fashioned a careful account of Alexander's conquests. The attention to detail is very good and Arrian discusses conflicts of the sources honestly. His work here has become the single most important ancient account of Alexander's campaigns to survive to the modern era. Its importance in its field cannot be overestimated.

Highly recommended.
6 people found this helpful
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ivan
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Delivery, Good Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2012
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This item was scheduled to arrived at 28 March 2012 but i got it a week earlier so its very recommended and i am satisfied with the service.
My comments about the book is simply amazing. The storytelling is very much enjoyable and it give me broad knowledge about Alexander The Great especially in strategic and tactical information. I respect the effort from the writer to separate the myth and reality of this great conqueror. Overall this book is very much recommended for those who interest in the campaigns of Alexander and all its detail.
One person found this helpful
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Prospero
4.0 out of 5 stars A closer view of the past
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2014
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After I read a recent biography of Hadrian, I decided to follow up on the works of Flavian Arrianus (or Arrian), a governor and legate under Hadrian and a prolific author. I started with his 'Campaigns of Alexander' and then procured two other extant works on tactics and two reports to Hadrian on a military expedition and his inspection of the peoples and works around the Black (Uxine) Sea.

Although I had read several histories of Alexander, most of which no doubt partially drew on Arrian's work, I found it interesting to read a complete account, based on the writings of those who accompanied the expedition (Ptolemy, et al), by someone who was far more directly in touch with the military, logistical, and cultural context, and that from the viewpoint of a seasoned military and political leader and agent.

All the way through, Arrian discusses conflicting accounts of the same event by the original chroniclers and comments on his reasons for choosing one over the other.
8 people found this helpful
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Robert J. Peeples
5.0 out of 5 stars Alexander, what more needs to be said?
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2009
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Arrian was a Roman official and military man. He had access to many of the original documents pertaining to Alexander, documents now long gone.

In may ways Arrian is an appologist for Alexander and it is clear that he had great admiration for him. Like all men Alexander had flaws and Arrian is probably less willing to discuss those flaws than some other writiers might have been. Nevertheless, this is THE reference on Alexander and those of us who are fascianted by this man are going to want to read Arrians writings. Arrian writes a very readable book and this translation is, so far as my limited Greek can ascertain, very well done. This is not only history but an adventure book, and being written by one so close to the actual events is in itself a historical document, one that many readers will find difficult to put down. It is history without ponderousness and deserves the highest praise.

I recommend that anyone who has a yearn for adventure pick up this book and go with Alexander to Persia. You won't want to miss the trip.

Kindest Regards,
Bob
6 people found this helpful
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Nadia Azumi
5.0 out of 5 stars Conquer your fears and you will conquer death
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2006
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Of all the books that I read of Alexander the Great, this book is my favourite in explaining the famous battles.It also explaines how he conquered the tribes from Persia up to Sogdiana.The battles of the Granicus,Issus,Gaugamela,and above all Tyre are incredibly narrated.The names are all there, who did what,and who did not.In the battle of Tyre, how much he had destroyed and how much he had to rebuild,never giving up.It explains all the problems that Alexander encountered with the Tyrians.

The death of Hephastion that made him lose his sanity,make you really feel what friendship meant to him. What this young man accomplished,and what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Conquer as long as there were places to conquer.

It also writes about the honest side of Alexander,and those who

were traitors how he treated them.All the spoils of war he gave away,only eternal fame was his.How he created cities,and how he was ahead of his time, in many ways.

Read it is a great book indeed.
10 people found this helpful
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Eros Faust
5.0 out of 5 stars Think "The Assault on Helms Deep"
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2015
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I have a suggestion which is this: read Book VII first, and particularly pages 363-366, in which Alexander reflects on what he inherited from his father, Phillip, and what he did with it. It helps bring the campaigns into focus, explains why Alexander was never anxious to return to Macedonia, and even why he adopted Persian dress and habits upon settling in Susa, located in modern Iran.

You will likely be amazed at the modernity of Alexander's techniques--the assault of rock fortresses using pitons and ropes, the use of barges, and ships with catapults. The sapping, the building of earthworks, towers and scaling ladders. If youve seen the Rings Trilogy you'll better be able to envision Alexander's tactics, his use of elephants and fast cavalry.
2 people found this helpful
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Laska
5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical original
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2009
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Such books are very rare. They are written by almost contemporary to that ancient time historians. Other modern books and movies are based on that original information which such books like this have. It's very interesting to read this book. I had a feeling as if I was in those ancient times while I was reading it. I am so glad that such masterpieces survived all those thousands years of different civilizations.
One person found this helpful
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Edible dog
3.0 out of 5 stars Written on
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2022
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I bought the new version not the used one. I opened the package and found that the book has pink marker all over the cover.
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Edible dog
3.0 out of 5 stars Written on
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2022
I bought the new version not the used one. I opened the package and found that the book has pink marker all over the cover.
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Mich_star
5.0 out of 5 stars Para mim, perfeita!
Reviewed in Brazil on July 9, 2023
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Eu comecei lendo a edição da Editora Delphi, mas "não rolou". Achei a edição da Penguin muito melhor. E ainda conta com uma introdução fenomenal, no meu entender, em que são discutidos pontos essenciais sobre a obra de Arriano. Recomendo!
One person found this helpful
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Aaron Ison
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest books of all time.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2024
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Knowing little about Alexander the Great is a good starting point for this excellent work. Roman historian Arrian brings the ancient world to life in a full colour exploration of Alexander's conquests. Whilst readers will learn little about Alexander and his life and personality, his military prowess in explored in depth. We learn little about Alexander and his background and motivations as well, but because Arrian concentrates solely on Alexander's method of war, we can only admire this Great warlord who reached as far as India. Arrian's vivid description of the contest between Alexander and Darius which culminated at the Battle of Issus, is surely one of the underrated passages in literature. In conclusion, this is a terrific book for anyone seeking an exploration of Alexander the Great and his impressive military campaigns.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars THE book on Alexander
Reviewed in India on January 19, 2021
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Alexander is a man very deeply steeped in myth. Anything you say about him will be believed by somebody. Arrian attempted to bring the truth forward in the sea of myths and fabrications, and succeeded brilliantly. Arrian was called a flatterer by a reader, with which I don't concur. Arrian admires Alexander, and voices his admiration sometimes; there's no doubt about it, but he doesn't let his admiration come in the way of creating a fully rounded portrait of the man and general Alexander was. He doesn't gloss over his flaws and his more questionable deeds and criticises anything he found wrong with them. Other sources like Diodorus, Justin and especially Rufus either had their reasons to be biased against Alexander, or wrote from unreliable sources or both. Very good reasons. Diodorus was based almost entirely on Cleitarchus and Justin also relied on Cleitarchus. Cleitarchus, though a contemporary of Alexander’s, was widely criticised in his time for his very colourful fabrications and exaggerations. Rufus is an interesting case; he lived during the times of Tiberius and Caligula; and wrote his history almost entirely as a criticism of them and their deeds. He wrote partially from Cleitarchus. His history was even censored during their reigns. So, you can take most of their accounts with a pinch of salt. Plutarch is a good read, but he tends to exaggerate and fabricate a few times. So, for a portrait of Alexander, Arrian, and for further reading, a reading of Plutarch, are more than enough, without noise from contemporary historians.
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Armato Ubaldo
2.0 out of 5 stars Traduzione buona ma formato stampa non altrettanto
Reviewed in Italy on August 9, 2020
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Arrivato secondo previsioni. Purtroppo il formato stampa presenta qualche problema: in octavo con caratteri molto piccoli e righe molto fitte: difficile da leggere. In più non c’è un Indice e mancano i numeri di pagina! Sarebbe stato meglio viste le dimensioni scelte avere un testo diviso in almeno due colonne per pagina.
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Daniel Welsch
4.0 out of 5 stars Unos buenos momentos
Reviewed in Spain on April 7, 2013
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Este libro fue escrito hace 2000 años, así que lógicamente el estilo no es muy moderno. Es un poco aburrido a veces, pero da una buena idea de la vida de la época y hay unas partes muy buenas.
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