On the Verge of Lunacy

In most history books, Alexander the Great is portrayed as the invincible conqueror who died when he was at his prime. Those same books however do not show readers the bigger picture. They don't tell us about Alexander's childhood, his motivations in his campaigns, and the kind of people he was surrounded with. The books only highlight his successful battles but the not the person behind one of the largest empires ever created. In Alexander the Great, Jacob Abbott not only tells the story of how a talented heir to the Macedonian throne became the hegemon of the Hellenic league and lord of Asia but of his character as a leader, a benefactor, and a merciless foe. Abbott provides a background of Alexander's immediate family and the political climate in which he grew up.  Other books only highlight the fact that he was one of Aristotle's pupils but there were more people who influenced his ideas and motivations. His campaigns in Greece and against the Persian Empir...