Smolyanin: From an article in the book: This wonderful work is the best presentation of Alexander’s activities, which was written in antiquity. Just as Xenophon in his “Campaign of the 10,000” talks about the campaign of Cyrus the Younger, Arrian illuminates the campaign of Alexander step by step. This is what Arrian himself says about his book: “If anyone is surprised why it occurred to me to write about Alexander when so many people wrote about him, then let him first re-read all their writings, get acquainted with mine - and then let him be surprised.”