The most important work on Alexander the Great to appear in a long time. Neither scholarship nor semi-fictional biography will ever be the same again. . . .Engels at last uses all the archaeological work done in Asia in the past generation and makes it accessible. . . . Careful analyses of terrain; climate; and supply requirements are throughout combined in a masterly fashion to help account for Alexander's strategic decision in the light of the options open to him...The chief merit of this splendid book is perhaps the way in which it brings an ancient army to life; as it really was and moved: the hours it took for simple operations of washing and cooking and feeding animals; the train of noncombatants moving with the army. . . . this is a book that will set the reader thinking. There are not many books on Alexander the Great that do.—New York Review of Books
#1045372 in Books 1990-05-23 1990-05-23Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 #File Name: 0517228998598 pages
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Edward C.BoultonA different view.10 of 14 people found the following review helpful. A Southern partisan opinion of the warBy Annie Van AukenAccording to 's info; SOUTHERN HISTORY OF THE WAR is 598 pages. I believe this to be a miscount. The 1300-plus page Pollard tome I read reverts back to page 1 midway through the book; that is; after you complete the year 1862 - '63. The last two years covered total in fact 598 pages.My copy of this massive book was an incredibly SLOW read; due to the author's penchant for frequent digressive and lengthy footnotes (of infinitesimally small font size). Additionally; there were numerous letters and words that didn't print clearly or were missing entirely; as if damaged 19th Century plates had been used in the reprinting.Pollard's four volumes appeared in successive years; with each covering roughly a 12-month span; starting with spring of 1861 and the events that led up to it. Three of his works were issued during the war's progression. At first it was fascinating to "hear" the words of the RICHMOND EXAMINER's editor and his reactions to unfolding history. Unfortunately; Mr. Pollard proves to be anything but an impartial observer. An extreme pro-South bias permeates almost every page of his writings.Examples: Consistently; according to Pollard; if Union men retreated after an armed encounter they were a panicked mob; while the Confederates always did so "in good order;" facing the enemy. His casualty figures are ridiculously skewed: when a hundred or more Union soldiers fell in battle; only a handful of Confederates would join them in death. Pollard even audaciously claimed Gettysburg as a Southern victory! His only complaint was that Lee didn't make a stand in Maryland on his retreat south; instead of continuing on into Virginia. Finally; the author blamed the war's outcome solely on Jefferson Davis; a man he clearly had no tolerance for.Unique as an extensive contemporary observation of a war-in-progress; E.A. Pollard's SOUTHERN HISTORY OF THE WAR greatly fails the test of time; accuracy and thus credibility.
