Hannibal

A History of the Art of War among the Carthaginians and Romans Down to the Battle of Pydna, 168 BC, with a Detailed Account of the Second Punic War

By: Theodore Ayrault Dodge

Narrated by: Bill Wallace

Hannibal is often considered the finest general the world has ever known. Setting out from Carthaginian-dominated Spain with a small army of select troops, he fought his way over the Pyrenees and crossed the Alps with elephants and a full baggage train. Descending into Italy, he destroyed the main Roman army at Lake Trasimeno and came close to conquering Rome itself. At Cannae, Hannibal’s brilliant cavalry tactics enabled him to destroy a reassembled Roman army, and his subsequent defeats over a 15-year stay in Italy were due more to lack of sufficient support from home than to any failings of generalship.

Theodore Ayrault Dodge’s classic history, first published in 1891, is equally perceptive of Hannibal’s military prowess and his visionary character. Dodge followed Hannibal’s route from Carthage to Italy, paying particular attention to the famous crossing of the Alps, exploring every pass in order to determine Hannibal’s route. In this book, he wrote an entire history of the art of war among these two mighty armies. Hannibal remains unequaled as the most comprehensive and readable study of history’s greatest general.

Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“[This book] has never been bettered.” (Michael Grant, author of History of Rome)

Hannibal

Very educational. Few minor mix ups in the storybut it was very enjoyable to hear.

Great Book

A comprehensive military history of one of the greatest field generals of all time. I could literally picture all of the battles in my head.

An ok book about Hannibal

This book was so detailed, it is definitely a great work but it become so boring that I could not finish it. I would be more satisfied if this book would be more exciting instead of too focused in boring details soo often with almost no action in relation to details given.

Needs more on food, culture, music and non-war

Highly detailed as possible from extant sources. Very little on anything other than war.

Comprehensive Detail

Excellent content but perhaps a little biased in favor of Hannibal. Even so, the author went into great detail and provided enough reason to justify his opinions.

The narrator was clear most of the time, but sometimes spoke too softly near the end of his sentences. I frequently found myself messing with the volume.