Good day everyone, I’m Elena and thank you for being on Alessandro III di Macedonia- your resource on Alexander the Great and Hellenism!
Sorry for my long absence but it’s been a really tough time for me because I had some important family problems and maybe they are only starting to resolve themselves now. I had to give priority to the family and I neglected a little my passions including this website but I still dedicated a little time to Alexander because it’s something I always like.
I read a few books but not dedicated to Alexander because I felt I wasn’t focused enough to read even just one novel about him because maybe I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as I would have otherwise, so I’ve read something. I’ve even thought about many ideas for books to write about Alexander and now in my spare time between work and usual commitments, I’m doing research to carry out a literary writing project about him to give you by the end of the year.
I’m here today to draw your attention to a book that I personally have been looking for for I think at least ten years but unfortunately I can’t find one to buy and add to my library about Alexander, which is not even available in digital version because it’s too old and no longer reprinted, but in my opinion it’s a book that deserves a new space, a reprint, by the publisher because all the reviews I’ve read over time speak well of:
In the Absence of Alexander. Harpalus and the Failure of of MacEdonian Authority
by Christopher W. Blackwell
Peter Lang, 1999
When Alexander the Great’s treasurer fled to Athens in 324 BC, three separate Macedonian embassies failed to secure his return. Blackwell’s explanation of this event traces the history of Macedonian rule in Greece from 335 BC until the death of Alexander. This study probes political realities behind titles and treaties, and complex interactions among individuals, states, and institutions. In the Absence of Alexander describes a “Macedonian Hegemony” that held power without commanding authority, an empire that could not have hoped to survive the death of its king.
The images aren’t mine but by the_giant_nerd on ebay.
The only book that talks about the Harpalus’ scandal and what happened in detail regarding this curious episode of betrayal to Alexander is precisely this one by Blackwell. This 185-page book was printed in 1999 by Peter Lang, a New York publisher, and has not been printed since. It is unobtainable, or rather, it can be found at an exorbitant price. Or it can be found in libraries. I have been looking for it for a long time hoping to be able to buy it and add it to my personal library on my beloved Alexander, but unfortunately I have never managed to find it, so I’ll use the libraries, and it will certainly be better than nothing, but it won’t be ideal either. What would be wonderful is if Peter Lang publish a new edition of this now unobtainable thirty-year-old book. This book, which as far as I know is the only one that concerns and deals with this topic, is practically the only one. What do you think of having read it or are you also intrigued by this unobtainable book?
Let me know in the comments and I wish you a good evening.
Thank you all for your loyalty in following me, Elena.
Alessandro III di Macedonia 