Alexander the Great

Journey to the End of the Earth

By: Norman F. Cantor

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

In this succinct portrait of Alexander the Great, distinguished scholar and historian Norman Cantor draws on the major writings of Alexander's contemporaries, as well as the most recent psychological and cultural studies, to illuminate this most legendary of men - a great figure in the ancient world, whose puzzling personality greatly fueled his military accomplishments.

Cantor describes Alexander's ambiguous relationship with his father, Philip II of Macedon; his oedipal involvement with his mother, the Albanian princess Olympias; and his bisexuality. He traces Alexander's attempts to bridge the East and West, using Achilles, hero of the Trojan War, as his model.

Finally, Cantor explores Alexander's view of himself in relation to the pagan gods of Greece and Egypt. More than a biography, Cantor's Alexander the Great is a psychological rendering of a man of his time.

©2005 The Estate of Norman F. Cantor (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Military exploits...are excitingly revivified, and honesty is the hallmark of Cantor's appreciation of Alexander's relationship with his longtime male lover, Hephaestion. A book that does the biographical art proud." ( Booklist)

Who Directed This?

Bronson Pinchot is one of the greatest audio book readers I’ve ever heard. However, for some reason, in this book every time he has to read a long quotation from another source, he lapses into a near whisper. It’s incredibly annoying. I can’t believe the director didn’t find this irritating or offputting. His voice becomes so quiet during these times that it’s almost like he’s speaking softly and directly into your ear, trying to lull you to sleep.

That all stops by the last hour or so, however, and the book itself is pretty good.

An excellent read

This was a highly enjoyable and informative read. the audio performance was also engaging and did not detract from the overall book.

Great study on Alexander

very well written and extremely well. researched .loved the comparisions in history placing Alexander in the correct context

littered with shortcomings and inaccuracies

I've read many books on Alexander the grade and find this one to come up lacking. there are a multitude of historical inaccuracies and or assumptions that this author takes in order to justify their opinion on what they view to be Alexander the Great absolute truth. there were a few new and unique points that this book made but due to all of its other errors I find it to be difficult to trust as useful when discussing the Alexander narrative because of what I seem to see as an unmitigated bias towards a direct point. please forgive my spelling and accuracy or grammar errors. all of this was done while driving and voice to text was used LOL

Wonderful and Delightful

I needed this book for a project in school. I didn't really think I would enjoy it but oh boy was I wrong. By far one of the best books I've listened to this year.

What’s with the whispering?

The tithe says it all. Pinchot keeps gradually descending into a whisper for no apparent reason. At times, I was wondering if this wasn’t some kind of ASMR thing.

Great read

Great read and information and easy to follow. My second time listening to this book.

Great Introductory Insight into Alexander

As an old adage indicates…truth is stranger than fiction. This book made me want to learn more…a historical fiction book inspired me to want to learn more about Alexander and Napoleon…both of whom are referenced by folks in World War I and the American Civil War.
It’s intriguing how Alexander has been glorified by some and how some folks want to leave out the common day practices of the ancient times…to cherry pick actions.🤷🏻‍♀️Oh, well.🤷🏻‍♀️🫢

A factual account of Alexander's military career and physical decline

After Mary Renault's "Fire From Heaven" and especially "The Persian Boy," a very romantic account from the perspective of Alexander's lover Bagoas, I wanted to check on the actual facts to see what might have been altered for the benefit of these 2 very good novels. This much shorter historical account answered that for me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Renault, while she did a great deal of necessary embroidery, rests invention on solid factual ground. Political tensions between Persian and Macedonian staff are described much as Renault portrayed them, Alexander's worst cruelties don't play a part in "The Persian Boy," and hadn't yet begun in "Fire From Heaven." His 2000 crucifixions at Tyre are double Pilate's 1,000 at Jerusalem a few short centuries later. The author ends with an interesting analysis of the effects of Alexander's reign on politics and culture in the centuries after his death. Bronson Pinchot is a wonderful narrator; I also enjoy his reading of Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd series.

Great Book. Informative!

Best narrator all time. Bronson Pinchot! Great material. I would recommend this book as a casual but informative read.