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The Alexiad (Penguin Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Anna Comnena
Creator: E. R. A. Sewter
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
Buy New: $9.20
You Save: $7.80 (46%)
New (34) Used (16) from $7.14
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 41632
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 560
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.2
ISBN: 0140449582
Dewey Decimal Number: 949.503092
EAN: 9780140449587
ASIN: 0140449582
Publication Date: April 27, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Anna Comnena (1083-1153) wrote "The Alexiad" as an account of the reign of her father, the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I. It is also an important source of information on the Byzantine war with the Normans, and on the First Crusade in which Alexius participated. While the Byzantines were allied to the Crusaders, they were nonetheless critical of their behaviour and Anna's book offers a startlingly different perspective to that of Western historians. Her character sketches are shrewd and forthright - from the Norman invader Robert Guiscard ('nourished by manifold evil') and his son Bohemond ('like a streaking thunderbolt') to Pope Gregory VII ('unworthy of a high priest'). "The Alexiad" is a vivid and dramatic narrative, which reveals as much about the character of its intelligent and dynamic author as it does about the fascinating period through which she lived.
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| Customer Reviews:
 "Interesting Medieval History" April 14, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
The Alexiad is a fascinating view of a critical time both in Byzantine and Western history. Anna Comnena tells the story how her father Alexius I seized the helm of an Empire in complete chaos and how he steered it for almost forty years through very troubled waters. The Byzantine Empire was threatened by Norman Sicily the Patinaks, Cumans and the Turks. Alexus had limited resources to deal with these great threats and had to use his cunning and courage to defeat them. This is a fascinating book and Anna wrote in flowing and intelligent prose. I only found one flaw which made the book hard at times to read, Anna Comnena's hatred for all things and persons not Byzantine or "Roman". She hated the nomadic Turkic peoples of Asia Minor and the Balkan peninsula but her scorn is most evident in her writing about western Catholics or "Latin's". The is no crime she will not accuse them of, even eating babies! It is sad to read how much hatred this woman had for fellow Christians. However I do recommend the book as long as it read with caution and in light of information from other writers both contemporary to Anna Comnena and modern.
 Excellent Translation March 18, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
An excellent translation of Comnena's work, remains true to the original Greek while providing good equivalents for the more difficult idiomatic expressions. Also includes a couple of very helpful maps and appendices. A wonderful read for anyone interested in Byzantine history.
Putting the "Byzantine" in Byzantine Politics January 31, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
In this history the Emperor Alexius comes across as a sort of medievil Lee Iacoca or Carlos Gohsn, who through very delicate wheeling and dealing manages to bring back a floundering empire from the brink. Since Anna was the emperor's daughter, we could expect a hagliography from her, but that would discredit her intensely perceptive analysis of the political situation as well as her own personal experiences with many of the major players or others who knew them. It would also ignore the fact that this book is in many ways a treatise by Anna on what it means to be a good ruler, as exemplified through the person of Alexius.
Excellent book for history buffs and people looking for examples of great leadership.
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