The Campaigns of Alexander (Penguin Classics)

'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.