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The Search for Alexander
Robin Lane Fox
Robin Lane Fox's *The Search for Alexander* is a lavishly illustrated life of Alexander the Great, written by the Oxford historian who had already made his name with a major biography of the Macedonian conqueror. Produced in 1980 to accompany a blockbuster traveling exhibition of Macedonian treasures, it pairs Lane Fox's vivid, opinionated narrative with more than two hundred photographs of art and artifacts. He follows Alexander from the Balkans to the Punjab, weaving together the ancient sources, the archaeology — including the then-recent royal tombs at Vergina — and his own experience retracing the route on foot and horseback. The result is history that is both scholarly and thrillingly readable. For anyone drawn to Alexander, the ancient world, or the romance of archaeology, it is a handsome and authoritative introduction.
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The author
Robin Lane Fox (born 1946) is an Oxford ancient historian and, famously, a serious gardener and gardening columnist. His 1973 Alexander the Great established him as a leading popular authority on the subject; decades later he served as a historical adviser on Oliver Stone's film Alexander, reportedly in exchange for a chance to ride in the cavalry charges.
The book
The Search for Alexander, published by Little, Brown in 1980, was tied to a major exhibition of Macedonian material that toured the United States. Lane Fox narrates Alexander's life and campaigns while folding in the archaeology, especially the sensational royal tombs discovered at Vergina, and his own travels along Alexander's route. Over two hundred photographs make it as much a visual record as a biography.
How it has aged
Scholars continue to debate points of interpretation — and the attribution of the Vergina tombs remains contested — but as a vivid, well-informed introduction the book holds up remarkably well. Its blend of narrative drive and firsthand landscape gives it a life many textbooks lack.
For more context
Readers can go deeper with Lane Fox's fuller Alexander the Great and compare the ancient sources themselves, chiefly Arrian and Plutarch.
Sources
- Type
- Book
- Author / Maker
- Robin Lane Fox
- Publisher
- Little, Brown
- Place of publication
- Boston
- Year
- 1980
- Edition
- First edition
- ISBN
- 0-316-29108-9
- Format
- Hardcover
- Shelf
- History
- Location
- Maine