16 h 51 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
How does one commander conquer an empire—and how does a later soldier decide which stories to trust?
Alexander inherits a strong army and his father Philip II's plan to attack Persia. In The Anabasis of Alexander, Arrian follows the young Macedonian king into a campaign of marches, battles, sieges, and river crossings. At Issus, Alexander faces Darius III on narrow ground between sea and hills, where the land itself helps the smaller force.
Arrian writes long after the campaign, but he turns to Ptolemy and Aristobulus, two men who serve in it. Where their accounts agree, he follows them; where they differ, he weighs the choices. His account offers a soldier's view of Alexander: admiring his achievements, attentive to his decisions, and willing to acknowledge his faults.
What you’ll discover
- A kingdom suddenly inherited Meet Alexander as his father's murder places a young king at the head of Macedon.
- Ground that shapes battle See how narrow ground at Issus helps Alexander's smaller force face the Persian king.
- The work behind conquest Follow the marches, sieges, and river crossings that carry an army through a campaign.
- Sources weighed with care Watch Arrian compare conflicting accounts and explain which version he finds more likely.
- Admiration without closed eyes Consider a commander whose achievements inspire Arrian without keeping his faults out of view.
Who will love it
For readers who love military history and the ancient world, and anyone who wants to meet Alexander through marches, battles, sieges and the choices of a commander.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A soldier and statesman writes the campaign
- A young king secures Macedon and Greece
- Crossing to Asia and winning at the Granicus
- Issus, Tyre, and the road into Egypt
- Gaugamela and the fall of the Persian heartland
- Bactria, Sogdiana, and the strain inside the army
- India, the Hydaspes, and an army that will not go on
- Down the Indus and across the desert of Gedrosia
- Ruling Asia, the last year, and Arrian's verdict
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 16 h 51 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Anabasis of Alexander in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Anabasis of Alexander
by Arrian · 150
Alexander faces Porus and his elephants across the Hydaspes, where a king's battle plans meet a river crossing.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Anabasis of Alexander is the fullest surviving ancient account of how a Macedonian king conquered the Persian Empire. It was written in Greek by Arrian, a Roman senator and soldier from Nicomedia, who lived long after Alexander, in the second century after Christ.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A soldier and statesman writes the campaign
Arrian was a Greek from Bithynia, in what is now northwest Turkey, who rose high in the Roman world. He was a pupil of the Stoic teacher Epictetus and wrote down his lessons. Under the emperor Hadrian he became a consul and then governor of Cappadocia, where he commanded troops and faced an invasion by the Alans. He knew armies from the inside, and that shows on every page.
He chose to write in the Greek of the classical age, not the plain Greek of his own day. His models were Xenophon, who had also written an Anabasis about Greek soldiers marching through Persia, and the historian Herodotus. By borrowing the title, Arrian signals that he wants to stand beside Xenophon. He even compares himself to Homer's rivals, saying that Alexander deserved a writer as good as the deeds.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Anabasis of Alexander
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Anabasis of Alexander about?
It tells of Alexander the Great's campaigns from his accession in 336 BC to his death at Babylon. It covers his wars against Persia, his march into Central Asia and India, and the struggles within his army.
Who was Arrian and why should I trust him?
Arrian was a Greek who became a Roman senator and military governor. He wrote about 400 years after Alexander but based his account on Ptolemy and Aristobulus, who served in the campaign, and he noted where his sources disagreed.
What does Anabasis mean?
Anabasis is Greek for a march up from the coast into the interior. Xenophon used it for his story of Greek soldiers in Persia, and Arrian took the title to link his work to that earlier book.
The author
Arrian
89–175 · Ancient Greek historian and philosopher
Arrian was a Greek historian and Roman provincial governor whose Anabasis of Alexander is widely considered the most reliable surviving ancient account of Alexander the Great's campaigns, drawn from firsthand accounts left by men who served under Alexander himself.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
