Alexander the Great

by Phillip Freeman is a book about a guy who is often considered the greatest conqueror ever.

I read Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World a few months ago and have been comparing the two men as I have been reading about Alexander.

Genghis Khan started with nothing in absolute poverty and Alexander became a king when his father was murdered.  I think that starting from nothing has its benefits.  If you start with nothing you will see everything grow and know where it all came from.  If you start with an establish organization, then you will need to constantly reassess its parts.  Many of the people in an established organization may have been more loyal to the founder of that organization not its new leader.

On the other hand Genghis Khan is past thirty before he unified what is now Mongolia.  And Alexander had defeated the king of Persia in battle, and conquered Asia Minor before turning 24.

I think that there is a lesson to be learned by entrepreneurs in the previous two paragraphs.

After consideration, I think that Alexander accomplished more militarily than Genghis Khan.  I really don't like agreeing with the generally accepted, mass agreements.  But Alexander conquered islands, in mountains, through Indian monsoons, through deserts,etc. 

This book reads like a novel.  If you are interested in history and usually read novels, then this book is a fine work on an important historical figure.