Alexander the Great

by Peter Chrisp and Peter Dennis

Book Overview

Discover the incredible rise of Alexander the Great, from becoming the ruler of Greece at the age of 20, to war against the Persians, his conquests in India and his death only 12 years after taking... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789461668
• ISBN13: 9780789461667
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.9" x 11.2"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Review of DK's Alexander the Great

This book is an excellent introduction to the life of Alexander the Great. It presents all the basic details of his biography with stunning artwork. There is nothing on the war of his successors.

Great Visuals-Weaker Text

First and foremost, this is a DK book which means the graphics will be beautiful. The book's illustrator Peter Dennis is one of the best historical illustrators in the business. His complex illustrations of Alexander's various campaigns are compelling and will fascinate both children and adults. Unfortunately, the downside is with the text. All the essential information is covered but there is little detail or nuance. This is unfortunate because Alexander led a very compelling life. The power of his story lies in the many contradictions in his personality. This is a good book but I will supplement it with something more substantive.

A Review of Alexander the Great

Imagine that your father, King Philip of Macidonia was just murdered by a former body guard, and that you are forced to become king at the young age of 22. Shortly after you become king some of your cities rebel against your rule, you have no military experience, and yet that is your only option. Do you think that ever happened to anyone? It happened to Alexander of Macedonia. When the cities revolted Alexander went in and completely destroyed them, then he sold the entire population ( selling women and children as slaves was highly irregular) as slaves to be a warning to other cities that might revolt( most of the cities probably thought that Alexander was a weak king because he was so young). I think that Peter Chrisp gives a wonderful account of Alexander's life in his book, Alexander the Great. Alexander had many exploits along his many journeys, and there is a story for each and every one. I will tell you one of those tales; it is about The Gordian Knot. In the city of Gordium there was a temple, inside this temple was a very old cart. Its yoke was tied with a knot called The Gordian Knot. The Gordian Knot was very complex, in fact it was so complex that you could not see either loose end of the rope. Many people had tried to untie the knot, but no one could. The people of the city thought that the first person to untie the knot would rule the world. On his way east Alexander stopped at Gordium and tried to untie the knot. After wrestling with the knot for a while he said, "It makes no difference how it is untied"-- and with that he took out his dagger and cut right through it. In case you did not know Alexander conquered the entire world that was known at the time and more! So perhaps the Gordian Prophecy was true. In this book you will read about Alexander of Macedonia (who later earns the title: Alexander the Great) and his many battles, his battle tactics (most of which are incredible), his military genius, and plus have a peek at what life was like for one of Alexander's soldiers. If you enjoy reading historical nonfiction, and also enjoy reading about the ancient Greeks then you will love Alexander the Great by Peter Chrisp.

Great for young and mature adults alike

Though this picture book is primarily aimed at young adults, older readers will enjoy it as well. It's wonderfully illustrated and very informative, giving an overview of the conquest of Alexander as well as the ancient Greek and Persian cultures. The full-color illustrations really elucidate the subject matter. All in all, a wonderful book, and one I am happy to have in my library.