The book that begins with Alexander the Great’s rule and tells the story of the Maccabean Revolt is 1 Maccabees.
1 Maccabees opens with Alexander’s conquest and the division of his empire after his death. Judea eventually came under the Seleucid Empire, ruled during the crisis by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The book then describes Antiochus’s restrictions on Jewish religious practice, Mattathias’s resistance at Modi'in, and the guerrilla campaign led by his son Judas Maccabeus.
The narrative continues beyond Judas. It covers the leadership of Jonathan Apphus and Simon Thassi and ends with the early history of the Hasmonean dynasty. Its historical span is commonly given as about 175–134 BCE, making it a major source for the revolt and the emergence of Judean autonomy.
A frequent mix-up is 2 Maccabees, which covers overlapping events but has a different structure, style, and emphasis. 1 Maccabees is generally more political and military, while 2 Maccabees focuses on selected episodes, martyrdom, divine justice, and the Temple’s purification.