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MARTIN, Th.R., and Chr.W. BLACKWELL, Alexander the Great. The Story of an Ancient Life. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (...), 2012. XIV,193p. Paperback. 'The fascination with the life and legacy of Alexander the Great continues unabated - this time marked by a relatively short biography from Thomas Martin and Christopher Blackwell. They themselves note that it is a 'brief biography for non-specialists… [standing] on the assumption that the opinions of the ancients must be given great weight.' They do this by 'diverging from the approach of some prominent modern scholarship…[and paying] special attention to the ancient Greek literature that Alexander treasured…especially Homer and Euripides.' Their biography aims to show that Alexander 'viewed proper character as grounded in the hard values of performance, respect, honor, and loyalty' (xi and xii). Most important - and key to appreciating the book and its place in Alexander scholarship - is their promise to eschew moral judgment which they consider arrogant and self-righteous. This last declaration has two immediate consequences: the biography is, in fact, not simply for non-specialists; students of Alexander who wish to see how he himself may have justified his actions or how those actions might have been viewed by contemporaries should at least consider this apologia for his actions. Moreover - and as the authors themselves acknowledge - their approach necessarily puts them at odds with a good deal of recent Alexander scholarship. (...) After this brief but important introduction, there follow ten chapters of biography and Nachleben.' (DAVID W. MADSEN in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2013.08.43). € 23.50 (New) ISBN: 9780521148443