JFC Fuller's "Alexander The Great".

The Generalship of Alexander The Great by J.F.C. Fuller is perhaps one of the most accurate depictions of Alexander The Great by a contemporary historian. The reason for this is quite simple. Fuller gathered information from a variety of sources to give the reader not just another "life of " Alexander but to create a truer picture of Alexander. He did this relying on sources such as battle-maps and illustrations in concert with the standard sources and concentrating on the facts of Alexander's Armies and Empire under his command. Fuller states his purpose in his introduction by writing:

"I am not called upon to be a Quellenforscher, because the art of war-certainly

in its essentials- was the same in Alexander's day as it is now, and this, I hope

will become clearly apparent...if I am able to test the credibility

of my classical authorities, I am, or should be able by reference to this art to

to test the military abilities of Alexander...This

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Alexander Muir Public School, Toronto, 1902 [OHQ-P...

English: Philip II of King of Macedon, Ny Carlsber...

does not mean exactness can

be guaranteed; but it does mean, so I hold, that once the character and talents of

a general have been assessed, his aim and problem fathomed, and the condition

in which he waged war appraised, it is possible to arrive at a given set of

circumstances even should the date be 2000 BC." (1)

The book is broken down into two main bodies. Part one being titled, The Record, which helps insert the reader into the time of Alexander by examining the geography, political structure, and Greek military systems preceding Alexander; also examining the period before and during the reign of his father Phillip II. Part One ends with a brief overview of Alexander's youth and various aspects of him while he grew up which aids the reader in understanding not only...