Philip and Alexander, Adrian Goldsworthy
Philip and Alexander, Adrian Goldsworthy
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Philip and Alexander
Kings and Conquerors

Author: Adrian Goldsworthy

Narrator: Neil Dickson

Unabridged: 20 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 10/13/2020

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

This definitive biography of one of history's most influential father-son duos tells the story of two rulers who gripped the world -- and their rise and fall from power.
Alexander the Great's conquests staggered the world. He led his army across thousands of miles, overthrowing the greatest empires of his time and building a new one in their place. He claimed to be the son of a god, but he was actually the son of Philip II of Macedon.
Philip inherited a minor kingdom that was on the verge of dismemberment, but despite his youth and inexperience, he made Macedonia dominant throughout Greece. It was Philip who created the armies that Alexander led into war against Persia. In Philip and Alexander, classical historian Adrian Goldsworthy shows that without the work and influence of his father, Alexander could not have achieved so much. This is the groundbreaking biography of two men who together conquered the world.

About Adrian Goldsworthy

Adrian Goldsworthy was educated in Penarth and then read ancient and modern history at St. John's College, Oxford, where he subsequently completed his doctorate in ancient history. His DPhil thesis was the basis for his first book, The Roman Army at War 100 BC-AD 200, which looked at how the Roman army actually operated on campaign and in battle.

For several years Adrian taught in a number of universities and then began to write for a wider audience. A succession of books followed dealing with aspects of ancient military history, including Roman Warfare, The Punic Wars (which was later reissued as The Fall of Carthage), Cannae, In the Name of Rome, and The Complete Roman Army. More recently he has looked at wider themes, combining the military focus with discussion of politics and society in a biography of Caesar and a study of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire titled How Rome Fell.

Adrian is now a full-time writer and a visiting fellow at the University of Newcastle. He frequently gives one-off lectures and talks both to universities and other groups in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Europe. He often appears as a talking head or presenter in TV documentaries and has acted as consultant on both documentaries and dramas.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Overhaul

Al final de sus días, Alejandro Magno había redibujado el mapa del mundo antiguo creando un imperio que se extendía desde el mar Adriático hasta el subcontinente indio. Sin embargo, su éxito no fue solo fruto de su propio genio y de su gran ímpetu, sino que se cimentó en décadas de esfuerzo y guerras......more

Goodreads review by William

BookTube channel with my awesome brother, Ed - The Brothers Gwynne My personal BookTube channel - William Gwynne Been a while since I dived into some non-fiction centred on the ancient world! Not much of a better way then to come back with some Adrian Goldsworthy. Philip and Alexander: Kings an......more

Quotes

“A compelling but temperate book, giving readers an in-depth but dispassionate account of its subjects….Mr. Goldsworthy has a rare gift for imagining and describing ancient warfare….He combines the talents of scholar and storyteller, bringing to life the full drama of ancient history while assessing the evidence with a critical eye.”—Wall Street Journal

“[Goldsworthy] brings a careful, often insightful balance to the familiar stories.”—Open Letters Review

“Contributes significantly to making these scholarly developments accessible to a very wide audience, through engaging narratives which capture the political complexity of the Greek world both before and after Alexander. The major innovation of Goldsworthy's vivid Philip and Alexander is to pair Alexander's biography with that of his father, Philip II.”—Times Literary Supplement

“Belongs on the (sturdy) shelf of any reader interested in military, political, or social history.”—Minerva Magazine

“By pairing the two giants of Macedonia, Goldsworthy helps the reader understand Alexander's life all the better, and sheds light on the achievements and character of Philip.”—Aspects of History

“A gripping history that combined deep scholarship with readability ... This is an epic history. Very much in the vein of the Tom Holland histories of empire, enjoyable and informative but also gripping.”—NB Magazine

"Riveting...Goldsworthy is the best sort of writer on ancient times. He eschews psychohistory, explains the wildly unfamiliar culture of that era, and speculates carefully...An outstandingly fresh look at well-trodden ground."—Kirkus (starred review)

"An impressive dual biography.... Goldsworthy expertly mines ancient sources to parse fact from legend...This is a fascinating and richly detailed look at two men who 'changed the course of history.'"—Publishers Weekly

“Thorough and riveting.”—Library Journal (starred review)

"Philip and Alexander is another wonderful product of Adrian Goldsworthy's historical craft -- sterling scholarship, engaging prose, insightful analysis, and unbiased assessment. Goldsworthy explores brilliantly the complex relationship between father and son, the failure of the Greek city-states to stop them, the proper credit for the Macedonian expansion, and the megalomania of Alexander's near global conquests. A brilliant account of how father and son changed the world, for both good and bad."—Victor Davis Hanson, author of A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War

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