Perhaps the greatest conquering general in history, Alexander took the whole of Asia Minor and Egypt, destroyed the once mighty Persian Empire, and pushed his army eastwards as far as the Indus—all in 12 years. As John Sadler and Rosie Serdiville suggest here, Alexander's success was made possible by his unique and forward-thinking arrangement of infantry and cavalry. Explaining his charisma, this biography also shows that Alexander led from the front, fighting and suffering with his men, and they were accordingly ready to follow him anywhere.