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The Exploits of Xenophon

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Thousands of miles from home, one soldier leads an army to safety The war with Sparta is over, and Athens is at peace for the first time in thirty years. Their Greek enemies subdued, the generals of Athens turn their eyes to the East, where the Persian Empire stretches to the edge of the known world. Never before have Greek soldiers marched into Persia. Xenophon will be among the first. A warrior whose bravery is matched only by his intelligence, Xenophon is a natural leader. When his army of ten thousand men is stranded far from home, it is up to him to lead them back to Greece without sacrificing the principles of democracy that they hold so dear. A retelling of Xenophon’s classic Anabasis, this is a thrilling tale of bravery and survival, in which the mind is as valuable a weapon as the sword.

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1955

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About the author

Geoffrey Household

79books76followers
British author of mostly thrillers, though among 37 books he also published children's fiction. Household's flight-and-chase novels, which show the influence of John Buchan, were often narrated in the first person by a gentleman-adventurer. Among his best-know works is' Rogue Male' (1939), a suggestive story of a hunter who becomes the hunted, in 1941 filmed by Fritz Lang as 'Man Hunt'. Household's fast-paced story foreshadowed such international bestsellers as Richard Condon's thriller 'The Manchurian Candidate' (1959), Frederick Forsyth's 'The Day of the Jackal' (1971), and Ken Follett's 'Eye of the Needle' (1978) .

In 1922 Household received his B.A. in English from Magdalen College, Oxford, and between 1922 and 1935 worked in commerce abroad, moving to the US in 1929. During World War II, Household served in the Intelligence Corps in Romania and the Middle East. After the War he lived the life of a country gentleman and wrote. In his later years, he lived in Charlton, near Banbury, Oxfordshire, and died in Wardington.

Household also published an autobiography, 'Against the Wind' (1958), and several collections of short stories, which he himself considered his best work.

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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,563 reviews746 followers
January 15, 2018
The Exploits of Xenophon, Geoffrey Household
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: بیستم ماه ژانویه سال 1990 میلادی
عنوان: گردونه تاریخ جلد 20 : بازگشت از ایران - گزنوفون؛ نویسنده: جفری هاوس هولد؛ مترجم: منوچهر امیری؛ تهران، امیرکبیر، 1339، در ؟ ص، چاپ دیگر: تهران، نیل، فرانکلین، چاپ دوم 1351، در ؟ ص، مصور؛ چاپ دیگر: تهران، سازمان انتشارات و آموزش انقلاب اسلامی، 1369، 219 ص؛ فروست: مجموعه گردونه تاریخ 20 ؛ چاپ دیگر: تهران، علمی فرهنگی، 1373؛ در 219 ص؛ چاپ پنجم پائیز 1384؛ موضوع: تاریخ هخامنشیان از سال 558 تا سال 401 پیش از میلاد - سفر بازگشت گزنفون از ایران به یونان - قرن 20 م
فهرست جلد 20 بیستم از مجموعه گردونه تاریخ: اردو، نبرد کوناکسا، گزنوفون فرماندهی سپاهیان یونان را به گردن میگیرد، کردستان، زمستان، دریا، نافرمانی و نابسامانی سپاه، بازگشت به اروپا، بازپسین ماجرا
از مورخان یونانی که نوشته هاشان به دوران زمامداری هخامنشیان برمیگردد، سه تن را باید مرجع دست نخست شمرد. هرودوت، کتسیاس و گزنوفون. این سه مورخ معاصر هخامنشیها بوده اند، و از نزدیک با آنها تماس و آشنائی داشتند. گزنوفون در این کتاب، داستان بازگشت خود را از ایرانباز میگوید. ا. شربیانی
Profile Image for Kelly Hohenstern.
371 reviews3 followers
March 26, 2021
Another landmark novel. While also well written, I did not enjoy the story as much as “The First Man in the World.� This was about an ancient warrior who led his 10,000 troops into battle in a campaign to take over by Cyrus. The campaign failed while man learned a lot about other societies and people.
12 reviews
May 21, 2014
I choose this book by, looking at the school's library. The plot of this book is about the Anabasis. More than 2,300 years ago,the Greek historian Xenophon wrote the first war memoir. In this book,it told what Anabasis did, saw and what he suffered on a dommed campaign against the Persians. What kind of suffering was there? My favorite quote is on page 37, paragraph 2, " If anyone tries to stop us, we will fight. But anyone who can help us will find us grateful." This is my favorite quote because, it says, if anyone is our enemy, we will fight back, but if they are helpful we will feel, proud of ourselves. I really thought the author's writing style was great because, it describe evrything great, even though it was a long time ago. The author's point of view is first-person. I would recommened this book to people, who like to read ancient books.
Profile Image for Kevin Morse.
3 reviews7 followers
October 1, 2014
After seeing "The Warriors" in the theater this summer I downloaded a free translation of the Anabasis from Amazon. (Amazon is clever "selling" free public domain classics, btw—I finally figured out they use them to suggest other titles. Pretty sneaky, sis.) Anyway, that translation was murky and probably hewed too closely to the original text� gripping storytelling, it wasn't, at least not consistently. This mid-century young adult version I remember as just a ripping good yarn, without all the fawning hagiography and fealty to dead religious practices in the closer translation. It also bequeathed a lot of life lessons I find useful to this day� if you lack cavalry, mount some soldiers on pack animals; sometimes, slingers are more effective than archers; bustard is delicious.
Profile Image for Andrea.
561 reviews
June 12, 2017
This book tells the story of a warrior who found himself and his fellow soldiers in a life or death situation and became the leader that led them to successfully fight their way out. It is not told with a lot of logistical detail or blood and gore. It is a narrative of the sequence of battles and the extreme terrains that formed the backdrop. The author explains that the experiences of these warriors provided the military acumen that was handed down to Alexander the Great making his great conquest possible. I thought it was interesting to see a glimpse into the tribal societies that peopled the Black Sea and how they lived. I was able to imagine why some societies survive and others don't based on the interactions at a family/tribal level.
Profile Image for Myth Liberated.
304 reviews8 followers
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September 23, 2017
بعد از سفرهای شگفت انگیز اولیس از این مجموعه ، دومین کتاب دوست داشتنی این مجموعه بود برام
Profile Image for Mcowbookstoreguy.
61 reviews
February 1, 2024
Geoffrey Household's The Exploits of Xenophon is an absolutely ideal read for boys who are interested in military history and/or are being classically educated. Household gives a detailed but brisk narrative summary of Xenophon's account of being trapped with his brothers-in-arms in foreign territory after a failed military action. And Household tactfully acquaints his readers with the dark realities of the time, namely war-party raiding and slavery. This harrowing account of survival, deprivation, and camaraderie has perhaps only one reference point in modern history that very many people are familiar with--and that is the 1914-1917 Shackleton/Endurance expedition to the Antarctic. The recent reprint edition of this book, from the always-excellent Purple House Press, includes several beautiful illustrations and a very helpful map. Highly recommended for ambitions readers 10 and up.

Note: this book has the distinction of being only one of two in-print books by a tragically neglected author. The other available title is Household's unforgettable 1939 adult thriller, Rogue Male. Also recommended are two of his scarce childrens/young-adult novels (provided you can get find them used or obtain them through interlibrary loan): The Spanish Cave and Escape into Daylight.
Profile Image for Amanda.
981 reviews
September 13, 2021
Detailed descriptions of battles are not my thing at all, but if you’re interested in the Ancient Greek army this is perfect.
Profile Image for Ted.
1,094 reviews
December 9, 2023
I’m reading Landmark World History books written during my youth of sixty years ago. This is my 53rd read of 63 books in the series. The ancient Greeks were remarkable foot soldiers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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