Upon arriving at the site of the Trojan War Alexander 'complaint' that there was no contemporary poet like Homer to imortalize his achievements.If he was a bit less 'romantic' he should complaint for the absence of a great historian like Thucidides.
Arian's work is an exciting military history; unlike the (absolute) standards of Thucidides work however, his history is not analytical at all. The military operations are described in great detail ( and indeed what an exceptional man Alexander should have been), but Arrian offers scarce evidence of Alexander's personality, or of the political and strategic 'inner workings' of his expedition; in general I found his work inadequate in these respects.
Probably the most intersesting part is his comments and reports around Alexander's change towards oriental ways and the opposition he found among the Greeks who were not used in these ways. Overall the outmost important theme of culture conflict is not analyzed.
The translation is good, and the commentary adequate.
In conclusion I do recommend, this book for those who want to learn about Alexander since it is one of the few reliable sources. But one should not expect to read something outstanding like Thucidides work or at least Herodotus.
