Edward Alexander s-a născut în Brooklyn, NY. El a crescut în cartierul Brownsville unde a frecventat cursurile unei școli evreiești situate pe 500 Herzl Street. În tinerețe, el i-a idolatrizat pe Jackie Robinson și David Ben-Gurion.[5]
Alexander a absolvit studii preuniversitare la Columbia College în 1953, apoi a studiat la Universitatea din Minnesota, unde a absolvit un masterat în 1959 și a devenit doctor în 1963.
I s-a acordat în 1974 bursa Guggenheim Fellowship în domeniul „criticii literare”.[6]
Alexander a fost membru al Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, and Writers, National Association of Scholars și Washington Association of Scholars.
Alexander a fost operat de mai multe ori de cancer în perioada 2009-2010.
Alexander, Edward (). Matthew Arnold and John Stuart Mill. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. ISBN113502698X. originally published in London by Routledge & K. Paul (1965)
Alexander, Edward (). Isaac Bashevis Singer: A Study of the Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne Publishers. ISBN0805783296.
Alexander, Edward, ed. (). The Middle East: Uncovering the Myths. New York: Anti-Defamation League. ISBN0884641368. Papers prepared for a conference sponsored by Writers & Artists for Peace in the Middle East
Alexander, Edward, ed. (). With Friends Like These: The Jewish Critics of Israel. New York, NY: S.P.I. Books. ISBN1561710563.
Alexander, Edward (). The Holocaust: History and the War of Ideas. Transaction Publishers. ISBN1412837227.
Mill, John Stuart (). Alexander, Edward, ed. The Subjection of Women. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. ISBN0765807661. critical edition
Alexander, Edward (). Classical Liberalism and the Jewish Tradition. Transaction Publishers. ISBN141281975X.
Alexander, Edward; Bogdanor, Paul, ed. (). The Jewish Divide over Israel: Accusers and Defenders. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. ISBN0765803275.
Heilman, Robert Bechtold (). Alexander, Edward; Dunn, Richard J.; Jaussen, Paul, ed. Robert B. Heilman: His Life in Letters. Seattle: University of Washington. ISBN0295988665.
Alexander, Edward (). Lionel Trilling & Irving Howe: And Other Stories of Literary Friendship. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers. ISBN1412815460.
Alexander, Edward (). The Jewish Wars. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers. ISBN9781412811323.
Alexander, Edward (). The State of the Jews: A Critical Appraisal. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers. ISBN1412846609.
Alexander, Edward (). Jews against Themselves. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction. ISBN1412856221.