Preview of Conqueror and Hero: The Search for Alexander Summary:

After twenty-three hundred years, interest in the brilliant and enigmatic Alexander continues unabated. At least seven biographies have been published in the 1980s, four of which are written for young people. Civilizations as far back as the Roman Republic have admired Alexander as a hero, for he was an unexcelled general who conquered most of the known world before he was thirty years old. The account of his conquests makes a fascinating adventure story: he seems to have achieved his ambition to be the greatest warrior of all time, and in eleven years of fighting, he never lost a battle. The marches, the sieges, the skirmishes, the hardships, and the spoils all combine to render an exciting story.

After his death, legends sprang up immediately, and Alexander has remained a prominent figure in Western art and literature. While arguably the most dramatic figure in history, he is nonetheless...