Make no mistake: Our founding fathers were more bandanas-and-muscles than powdered-wigs-and-tea. As a prisoner of war; Andrew Jackson walked several miles barefoot across state lines while suffering from smallpox and a serious head wound received when he refused to polish the boots of the soldiers who had taken him captive. He was thirteen years old. A few decades later; he became the first popularly elected president and served the nation; pausing briefly only to beat a would-be assassin with a cane to within an inch of his life. Theodore Roosevelt had asthma; was blind in one eye; survived multiple gunshot wounds; had only one regret (that there were no wars to fight under his presidency); and was the first U.S. president to win the Medal of Honor; which he did after he died. Faced with the choice; George Washington actually preferred the sound of bullets whizzing by his head in battle over the sound of silence. And now these men—these hallowed leaders of the free world—want to kick your ass. Plenty of historians can tell you which president had the most effective economic strategies; and which president helped shape our current political parties; but can any of them tell you what to do if you encounter Chester A. Arthur in a bare-knuckled boxing fight? This book will teach you how to be better; stronger; faster; and more deadly than the most powerful (and craziest) men in history. You’re welcome.
#866401 in Books 2010-11-02 2010-11-02Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.53 x 1.73 x 7.67l; 2.43 #File Name: 037542346X560 pages
Review
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. FantasticBy Howard SchulmanLandmark's edition of Arrian's "Anabasis Alexandrou" (The Campaigns of Alexander) is absolutely fantastic. Each time I started to read it; I had a hard time putting it down.That Alexander did so much before turning 33 years old is just not believable. And furthermore; beyond the historical and political importance of Alexander; from a purely literary standpoint; the story of the expedition is always exciting and changing. Although there were many contemporaneous accounts made by people intimately involved with the expedition available to Arrian when he wrote; all these accounts have since disappeared. We are lucky to have Arrian's account.With respect to this particular edition of Arrian's account; the translation was new and extremely easy to read.The footnotes were excellent because they provided a continuous scholarly commentary. How many times do you make the effort to read all the footnotes; just to realize that you could have read the text twice as fast without missing anything important? Not here.This text has been the subject of much scholarly writing; and you get this information in the footnotes. More specifically; the footnotes very frequently bring in Plutarch's Alexander; Diodorus Siculus; and Quintus Curtius. Sometimes these notes provide new; additional information. Sometimes these footnotes provide conflicting information. Other times the notes address current day scholarly debate and research. Either way; you're left with a deeper appreciation of Arrian and the legend of Alexander.As with the other books in the Landmark series; there were frequent maps showing not only where the cities were; but also where they were in relation to other landmarks. Each chapter starts with an overview map of where the expedition went during that chapter in addition to more focused maps sprinkled frequently within each chapter. There are also maps in the beginning and the end of the book of all the locations mentioned; as well as maps of the whole expedition and the whole expedition mapped up against present-day political boarders. There are also pictures of what the geography and locations look like today as well as artifacts from the era.The 25-page intro by Paul Cartledge was good and the 2-6 page essays at the back of the book by various scholars; about 15 of them; were also very interesting; but not essential.But without a doubt; the star of the whole show was the excellent writing and research by Arrian; made accessible and appreciable by the translation and footnotes. Read the second introductory paragraph of Arrian's text and then smile. Arrian was a little full of himself; but he told the truth!My only regret about this edition was that it did not include a monograph by Arrian called the Indika; which described Nearkhos' parallel-to-Alexander's journey from the mouth of the Indus through the Persian Gulf by water. The Landmark edition frequently alludes to the Indika and could easily have included it. I'm not sure a good modern day translation of the Indika in English exists.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Really well researched and writtenBy C. HintzThe entire 'son of god' mythos in the Greek and Latin venue stems -- not from Horus -- from Alexander. Thereafter; the other roman gods - Gaius Julius Caesar; Vespasian; and Titus - were Alex wanna-bes. I bought this in the wake of Atwill's work. Atwil "purchased the rights to [his] work "Caesar's Messiah" from the publisher and in May 2011 released a second edition. Unlike Atwill; this book needs no additional editorial help. The writing is crisp; succinct; and scholarly. It is a page-turner for history buffs. One of the best - IF NOT THE BEST - books on Alex the G. ever!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An easy 5-stars.By Patrick GarnerSplendid; the usual superb quality that characterizes all of the Landmark series. An easy 5-stars.
