The Life and Exploits of Alexander the Great: Being a Series of Translations of the Ethiopic Histories of Alexander by the Pseudo-Callisthenes and Other Writers, with Introduction, Etc

Published in 1896, this volume represents the meticulous scholarship of Sir E. A. Wallis Budge, a prominent Egyptologist and curator at the British Museum. The work serves as a comprehensive collection of Ethiopic manuscripts concerning the Alexander Romance, a legendary account of Alexander the Great’s life that became one of the most widely read texts of the medieval world. Budge sought to provide English readers with direct access to these obscure versions, which blend historical fact with fantastical elements, such as Alexander's journeys to the ends of the earth and his encounters with mythical creatures.

Budge's editorial approach was rooted in the late Victorian tradition of colonial-era philology, where the primary objective was the systematic preservation and translation of Eastern texts. By assembling these diverse Ethiopic manuscripts, Budge contributed significantly to the academic study of hagiography and folklore. The text is celebrated for its rigor and its role in bridging the gap between Hellenistic mythology and the unique theological and literary interpretations developed within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition over the centuries.