A SUNDAY TIMES AND TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR
`Fascinating and important`
Natalie Haynes, author of Stone Blind

`Monumental and vividly imagined`
Daily Telegraph

`Wonderfully entertaining`
Sunday Times

`Lively and engrossing `
Literary Review

On a sparsely populated Egyptian coastline, Alexander the Great sketched his vision of a metropolis into the sand. Situated on the cusp of three continents, it became the city where Greeks and Egyptians, Romans and Jews created a global knowledge capital that changed the face of philosophy, religion and science forever.

In this sweeping biography of the great city, Islam Issa takes us on a fascinating journey across millennia. Rich in big ideas, brutal tragedies and distinctive characters, Alexandria tells the gripping story of a city that has shaped our modern world.

`A multifaceted history of an enthralling city`
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, author of Persians: The Age of the Great Kings

`A cornucopia of fascinating details, every page revealing a new delight`
Paul Strathern, author of The Medici