Masters of Command: Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, and the Genius of Leadership
May 2012 · Simon and Schuster
4.4star
17 reviewsreport
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320
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About this ebook
Bestselling author and historian Barry Strauss compares the way the three greatest generals of the ancient world waged war and draws lessons from their experiences that apply on and off the battlefield.
Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar—each was a master of war. Each had to look beyond the battlefield to decide whom to fight, when, and why; to know what victory was and when to end the war; to determine how to bring stability to the lands he conquered. Each general had to be a battlefield tactician and more: a statesman, a strategist, a leader.
Tactics change, weapons change, but war itself remains much the same throughout the centuries, and a great warrior must know how to define success. Understanding where each of these three great (but flawed) commanders succeeded and failed can serve anyone who wants to think strategically or who has to demonstrate leadership. In Masters of Command Barry Strauss explains the qualities these great generals shared, the keys to their success, from ambition and judgment to leadership itself.
Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar—each was a master of war. Each had to look beyond the battlefield to decide whom to fight, when, and why; to know what victory was and when to end the war; to determine how to bring stability to the lands he conquered. Each general had to be a battlefield tactician and more: a statesman, a strategist, a leader.
Tactics change, weapons change, but war itself remains much the same throughout the centuries, and a great warrior must know how to define success. Understanding where each of these three great (but flawed) commanders succeeded and failed can serve anyone who wants to think strategically or who has to demonstrate leadership. In Masters of Command Barry Strauss explains the qualities these great generals shared, the keys to their success, from ambition and judgment to leadership itself.
Ratings and reviews
4.4
17 reviews
Tony Hamilton
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October 25, 2013
Fantastic read. I picked this up in the airport not expecting much, and it held my attention the entire way through. I also enjoyed the small collection of battle-maps at the beginning.
2 people found this review helpful
Marcello Perfetti
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January 17, 2020
Awesome book. Shows a real understanding for the pitfalls of generalship and does a great job of highlighting the unique abilities of all three individuals.
1 person found this review helpful
Dushyant Palejiya
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December 8, 2015
Strauss shows his mastery of three truly genius leaders and distills their key traits that fuelled them to the pinnacle of history.
About the author
Barry Strauss is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies Emeritus at Cornell University, and a leading expert on ancient military history. He has written or edited several books, including The Battle of Salamis, The Trojan War, The Spartacus War, Masters of Command, The Death of Caesar, and Ten Caesars. Visit BarryStrauss.com.
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