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- From: tittle@netcom.com (Cindy Tittle Moore)
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- Subject: Arthurian Booklist (rec.arts.books)
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- Summary: This is a periodically posted informational post about books
- that are related to the story of King Arthur and Camelot. It
- includes novels, poems, research, and a few related stories.
- X-Last-Updated: 1994/04/13
- Originator: faqserv@bloom-picayune.MIT.EDU
- Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu rec.arts.books:47196 rec.answers:4925 news.answers:18132
-
- Archive-name: books/arthurian
- Version: 1.20
- Last-modified: 12 April 1994
- Periodicity: 25 days
-
- The latest copy of this FAQ may be obtained by anonymous ftp to
- rtfm.mit.edu under
- /pub/usenet/news.answers/books/arthurian. Or, send email to
- mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with
- send usenet/news.answers/books/arthurian
- in the body of the message, leaving the subject line empty.
-
- Changes are indicated with |'s.
-
- This is a reading list involving the Arthurian legend. For its
- original inception, I would like to thank the readers of the Camelot
- mailing list (address is listed in Organizations). I wrote a good
- many of the original reviews when I was a member, but since then a
- number of people have submitted additional references for inclusion
- into this list.
-
- My criterion for these books is that it be concerned with the Arthur
- legend in some way. I have several categories:
-
- * Fiction: novelizations of the Camelot legend, or novels that use
- elements of the legend.
-
- * Poetry: poetic renditions of the legend.
-
- * Non-Fiction and research: includes research into the origin of the
- legends, speculation on who the original characters might have
- been, studies and critiques of medieval sources, literary
- criticism, etc.
-
- * Medieval and Early Texts: original or modern translations of texts
- written before 16th century or so (an arbitrary divison point I
- used).
-
- * Magazines and Articles: references that appear in magazines and
- articles. These are typically research notes.
-
- * Arthurian references: novelizations that use the legend in a minor
- way or as secondary characters.
-
- * Celtic Fiction: reworkings (novelizations) of traditional Celtic
- stories. I suppose I could have a category for research into
- celtic fiction, but the ones I consider relevant are in the
- non-fiction and research section above.
-
- * Organizations: finally, I provide a list of organizations dealing
- with the Camelot legend. This is not exhaustive; in fact,
- it's rather incomplete and I would love more information.
-
- In general, related stories are acceptable (such as Tristam and
- Iseult). Out-of-time stories are acceptable as long as they still
- center on the Arthur myth (Kennealy's _Hawk's Gray Feather_) or are
- talking about his return (_Sir Machinery_ and others). References to
- Arthurian elements are also acceptable, but I do not put all of them
- in (a complete listing would be very large!); only the ones that seem
- interesting. The Celtic works are included, because many of them
- apparently provide an early genesis for the Arthurian stories, and
- others are stories derived from minor characters in the Arthurian
- stories (or perhaps the other way around, characters from well known
- stories got honorable mention in these later stories --- who can
- tell?).
-
- Disclaimer: I have not vouched for the accuracy of each and every
- entry in this list. If you find mistakes or have additional
- information on a reference, by all means, let me know. I likewise
- appreciate any additions to this list. Send them to the addresses at
- the end of this posting.
-
- Thanks to: Kurt Anderson, Shannon Appel (of the now defunct Camelot
- mailing list), Ed Aubry, Landen Bain, Richard Barber, Ron Bean, Wendy
- Betts, John Brannick, Mike Castle, Peter Chubb, Ben Cohen, Denis
- Constales, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, Peter Davis, James Drew, Gary D. Duzan,
- Harry Erwin, A.T. Fear, Scott Federhen, Margaret Martin Gardiner,
- Roger Gardiner, Susan Gere, Mark Edward Harris, Steve Hartwell,
- Cameron Hayne, Sandra Hereld, Peter Janes, Tim Johnson, Ray Kaiser,
- Peter Kumaschow, Jane Lean, Grace Lee, David Lester, David Librik,
- Dave Linton, William D.B. Loos, Melchar, Kevin McGuire, Alex Martelli,
- Francis Muir, Rick Myers, Patrick Nielsen-Hayden, Terry O'Brien, Lisa
- Padol, Kimberly Passarella, Robert Paulsen, Craig Presson, Stephen
- Reimer, David Salley, Dale Schierbeck, William Smith, Steve Thomas,
- Scott Vandenbe, Peter Van Heusden, Janet Walz, Nick Westgate, Tom
- Wicklund, Darren Williams, Jean Wilson, Mary Winters, Erick "a six
- foot hobbit," and MJ aka "classic bitch" for their help in putting
- this list together.
-
- Table of Contents:
- 1. Fiction
- 2. Poetry
- 3. Non-fiction and research
- 4. Medieval and early texts
- 5. Magazines and articles
- 6. Arthurian references (fictional)
- 7. Celtic fiction
- 8. Organizations.
-
-
-
- 1. Fiction
- ----------
-
- _The Romance of King Arthur_ (Mayflower, 1979. Reprint of 1917
- Edition. ISBN 08317-7460-6.)
-
- ab Hugh, Dafydd. _Arthur War Lord_ (Avon Books, 1994. ISBN
- 0-380-77028-8.) Part one of two. Two present day people find
- themselves catapulted back in time, replaying events at Camelot with
- history at stake.
-
- Ashley, Mike, _The Pendragon Chronicles_ (Peter Bedrick Books, New York,
- 1991. ISBN 0-87226-228-6. paperback.) Anthology includes stories by
- Andre Norton, John Steinback and Jane Yolen.
-
- Berger, Thomas, _Arthur Rex_. Berger is the author of _Little Big
- Man_, _Neighbors_, and a number of other books. This retelling of the
- Arthur legend is somewhat reminiscent of the movie "Excalibur" in
- feel.
-
- Borowsky, Marvin, _The Queen's Knight_ (Random House, New York, 1955
- - probably out of print). An interesting Arthur, who begins as a
- middle-aged bumpkin, crowned to be a puppet to a group of regents.
- All in all, this novel is somewhat uneven but quite readable.
-
- Bradley, Marion Zimmer, _The Mists of Avalon_ (Del Rey. Ballantine
- Books, New York, 1982. ISBN 0-345-35049-9. Hardcover and trade
- paperback.) A female oriented and positive rendition of the Arthurian
- legend. Considerably more sympathetic to pagan religions (although
- depicted as modern neopaganism) than to Christianity.
-
- Bradshaw, Gillian, _Hawk of May, _Kingdom of Summer, _In Winter's
- Shadow_ (Menthuen Paperbacks, Great Britain also Signet Books, 1980
- also hardcover by Simon and Schuster.) The story of Gwalchmai, one of
- Arthur's Knights. He is god-touched with fighting madness and is one
- of the brothers of Medraut (Mordred). _Down the Long Wind_ is the single
- book volume version of the three books.
-
- Bulfinch, Thomas, _Age of Chivalry: or, King Arthur and His Knights_
- (John D. Morris, Philadelphia, 1898, many reprints). Published in
- their own right, also found in _Bulfinch's Contains long summaries of
- the Camelot legends and of the French Charlemagne legends.
-
- Canning, Victor. _The Crimson Chalice_. Originally published as _La
- Leggenda del Calice Cremisi_. Translated by Patrizia Rognoni, Codice
- Libro 22 006 CN, Casa Editrice Nord S.r.l., via Rubens 25, 20148
- Milano, Italia; Copyright by Victor Canning 1976, 1977, 1978, and for
- the Italian edition by the publisher in 1990 (first edition, of the
- Italian translation, June 1990). An "Arthur as Celtic Chieftain"
- book, with nice twists.
-
- Carmichael, Douglas, _Pendragon: an Historical Novel_ (Blackwater
- Press, New York, dist. by Exposition Press, 1977). Arthurian
- romances -- adaptions.
-
- Chapman, Vera, _The King's Damosel_, _The Green Knight_, and _King
- Arther's Daughter_. Out of print.
-
- Christian, Catherine, _The Pendragon_ (Warner Books, 1978.) A story
- told by Bedivere in his old age recalling the golden days of Camelot.
- Unfortunately this results in a lackluster story. Aside from the
- intrusiveness of the story framed by Bedivere's old age, it's a decent
- retelling. Takes the "Celts reclaiming Romanized Britain" slant.
-
- Cochran, Molly and Warren Murphy. _The Forever King_. Tor Books,
- 1993. ISBN 0-812-51716-4. The return of Arthur to present day,
- woven in with the story as it happened long ago. Beautifully told.
-
- David, Peter, _Knight Life_ (Ace Fantasy, 1987.) A comedic book
- about Arthur's return in modern day.
-
- Erskine, John, _Galahad, Enough of His Life to Explain His Reputation_
- (Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, 1926 - certainly out of print)
-
- Gemmell, David. _Ghost King_ and _Last Sword of Power_. A fictional
- account of the life and times of Arthur, bearing little resemblance to
- the usual myths.
-
- Gross, Gwen, _Knights of the Round Table_ (Illustrated by Norman
- Green, Random House, New York, 1985).
-
- Finkel, George, _The Twilight Province_ (London: Angus & Robinson,
- 1967.) This is an excellent "young adult" tale about a late Roman,
- northern Arthur based on the Bamburgh Castle, Newcastle/Tyne area of
- northeastern Britain.
-
- Fraser, Antonia, _King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table_
- (Illustrated by Rebecca Fraser, Knopf, Random House, New York, 1970).
- First published under title: _King Arthur_. Retellings of seventeen
- tales about King Arthur, Lancelot, Gawaine, Tristram, and other
- knights of the Round Table. Juvenile.
-
- French, Allen, _Sir Marrok, a tale of the days of King Arthur_ (The
- Century Co., New York, 1902).
-
- Frith, Henry, _King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table_ (G.
- Routledge and Sons, London/New York, 1884).
-
- Frost, William Henry, _The Court of King Arthur; Stories from the
- land of the Round Table_ (Illustrated by Sydney Richmond Burleigh, C.
- Scribners Sons, New York, 1903).
-
- Gloag, John, _Artorius Rex_ (New York: St. Martin's, 1977.) This is
- the final volume in a late Roman trilogy with two "pre-Arthurian"
- novels titled _The Caesar of the Narrow Seas_ and _The Eagles Depart_.
- _Artorius Rex_ is another Romano-Celtic tale which attempts a
- historical reconstruction.
-
- Godwin, Parke, _The Last Rainbow_, _Fire Lord_, _Beloved Exile_
- (Bantam Books). The characters are terrific, the sense of time and
- place eye opening. Arthur in the beginning is a native officer in the
- Roman legions guarding the northern borders.
-
- Godwin, Parke, _Invitation to Camelot_ (Ace, 1988.) An anthology
- including stories by Tanith Lee, Morgan Llywelyn, Elizabeth
- Scarborough and Jane Yolen.
-
- Griffiths, Paul. _The Lay of Sir Tristam_. London: Chatto &
- Windus, 1991. ISBN 07011 3570 0. A very exciting book which at
- best can be described as meta-fiction. It takes on the whole
- problematic that the Arthurian/Tristam tradition presents.
-
- Haar (Hoar?), J. T. _King Arthur_ (New York: Crane Russak, c.1967,
- 1975.)
-
- Hanratty, Peter, _The Book of Mordred_ and _The Last Knight of Albion_
- (Ace Fantasy and Bluejay Books. ISBNs 0-441-07018-3 and
- 0-312-94271-8. Paperback and trade paperback.) A retelling of the
- Arthurian legend in a bizarre mix of modern and ancient times.
-
- Hanson, Charles Henry, _Stories of the Days of King Arthur_ (With
- illustrations by Gustave Dore, T. Nelson, London/Edinbugh/New York,
- 1898).
-
- Hastings, Selina, _Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady_ (Lothrop, Lee &
- Shepard Books, New York, 1985). ISBN 0-7445-0295-0. This is beautifully
- illustrated. The insided cover says that a version of _Sir Gawain
- and the Green Knight_ is also available by the same author.
-
- Hawke, Simon [Nicholas Yermakov], _The Wizard of 4th Street (1987)_,
- _The Wizard of Whitechapel (1988)_, _The Wizard of Sunset Strip
- (1989)_, _The Wizard of Rue Morge (1990)_, _The Samurai Wizard
- (1991)_, _The Wizard of Santa Fe (1991)_ (?). Premise: There was a
- magical alien species which bred with humans long, long ago. The
- descendants of these unions were humans with magical abilities.
- Merlin was a half-breed, as was Morgan LeFay. Since magic and
- technology cannot co-exist, magic went dormant as technology
- increased. After the fall of technology, magic returned and Merlin
- revived. Unfortunately, the alien species discovered that Necromancy
- produces powerful magic and they are now known as demons. Merlin has
- to recruit and train magical humans to thwart their plans.
- Appearances by Merlin, Morgan Le Fay and Mordred.
-
- Humble, William F. _A Tale of Arthur_ (Anthony Blond, London, 1967).
-
- Jones, Courtway, _In the Shadow of the Oak King_. It apparently
- tries to tell the story in a historically 'realistic' setting (i.e.,
- without grafting the high middle ages onto sixth century Britain).
-
- Jones, Mary J., _Avalon_ (The Naiad Press, ISBN: 0-941483-96-7, 1991).
- This is set in the closing days of King Arthur's reign and mostly
- concerns the Lady of the Lake at that time (Argante, whom I don't
- believe appears in any legend; her predecessor is Nimue), with some
- recounting of her childhood. Definitely a feminist reading, and not
- as well done as _Mist of Avalon_, for example. It is also curiously
- incomplete. More books may be planned.
-
- Kane, Gil and John Jakes. _Excalibur!_. No relation to film of same
- name and approximate year.
-
- Katz, Welwyn Wilton, _The Third Magic_ (Groundwood Books/Douglas &
- McIntyre, ISBN (bound): 0-88899-068-5 (pbk): 0-88899-126-6, 1988). A
- "young adult" book, this one has one of the more imaginative
- retellings of the Arthurian legend.
-
- Kennealy, Patricia, _The Hawk's Gray Feather_ (ROC (division of
- Penguin Books), ISBN 0-451-45053-1, 1990). First in _The Tales of
- Arthur_, a series in which the later books have not yet been
- published. Builds upon the world of _The Silver Branch_, _The Copper
- Crown_ and _The Throne of Scone_ in which the Sidhe were aliens. This
- book is set much earlier. A good fantasy/SF blend.
-
- Lanier, Sidney, ed., _King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table_,
- (Grosset & Dunlap, 1950. ISBN 0-448-06016-7.) A reasonable children's
- version. The Scribner, New York edition is illustrated by N.C. Wyeth.
- Original copyright in 1924.
-
- Lang, Andrew, _Tales of the Round Table_ (London, New York :
- Longmans, Green, 1923). Based on the tales in the _Book of Romance_
- edited by Andrew Lang.
-
- Latymer, Baron Francis Burdett Thomas Coutts-Nevill, _The Romance of
- King Arthur_, (London, John Lane; New York, John Lange Co. 1907).
-
- Lawhead, Stephen, _Taliesin_, _Merlin_, _Arthur_ (Avon Books, plus
- British and Australian printings. 1988). Lawhead is an excellent
- writer and these stories make a very good read. Be warned, _Arthur_
- gets dragged down by a somewhat stridently Christian slant, in a tale
- that differs substantially from the first two books.
-
- McDermott, Gerald, _The Knight of the Lion_ (New York : Four Winds
- Press, c1979). Juvenile: a retelling of the adventures of Sir Yvain
- and his faithful lion, as the young knight goes through several
- trials to prove himsself worthy of a great triumph.
-
- McGowen, Tom, _Sir Machinery_ (Folet Publishing Company, Chicago, 1970.
- ISBN 0-695-40167-X hardback, 0-695-80167-8 trade paperback.) An amusing
- children's tale set in modern days. Based upon the notion that King
- Arthur will come back to save Britain again.
-
- Marshall, Edison, _The Pagan King_ (Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, 1959).
-
- Matthews, John, ed., _An Arthurian Reader: Selections from Arthurian
- Legend, Scholarship, and Story_ (Aquarian Press, Sterling Publishing
- Company, New York, 1988).
-
- Monaco, Richard, _Parsival or a Knight's Tale_, _The Grail War_, _The
- Final Quest_ (1983), _Blood and Dreams_ (1985) (Berkley Books, New
- York, ISBN 0-425-05143-9, etc.).
-
- Munn, H. Warner, _Merlin's Godson_ (1st Ballantine Books ed. New York:
- Ballantine Books, c1976). Originally published as 2 separate works:
- _King of the World's Edge_ and _The Ship from Atlantis_.
-
- Munn, H. Warner, _Merlin's Ring_, (New York, Ballantine Books
- [1974]). Sequel or related to _Merlin's Godson_.
-
- Newell, William Wells, _King Arthur and the table round : tales
- chiefly after the Old French of Crestien of Troyes : with an account
- of Arthurian romance, and notes_ (1897).
-
- Newman, Sharan, _Guinevere_, _Guinevere, The Chessboard Queen_, and
- _Guinevere Evermore_, (Bantam, 1981. ISBN: 0-553-20354-1). A
- haunting fairy-tale rendition of Guinevere's childhood, marriage to
- Arthur, and participation in the events of Camelot. GtCQ was released
- in hardcover and then went out of print. Strangely, it does not
- appear to have been available in paper though the other two are
- currently available in trade paperback.
-
- Norton, Andre, _Merlin's Mirror_ (Daw Books, 1975.) Merlin is a half-
- breed: human and space alien, and the war between light and darkness
- is recast into a war between two space going races. The premise is
- bizarre, but Norton makes it work well.
-
- Nye, Robert. _Merlin_, 1975? Humorous and baudy account of the life
- of the mage.
-
- Philip, Neil. _The tale of Sir Gawain_ (illustrated by Charles
- Keeping. New York : Philomel Books, 1987).
-
- Powers, Tim, _The Drawing of the Dark_. Ambrosius and the Fisher-King.
-
- Price, Robert, _The Last Pendragon_ (Walker and Co. NY 1991) Telling
- of Bedwyr, last of the Knights after the Fall, and Irion, son of
- Mordred, and the Saxon threat to what's left of old Britain. Arthur
- himself appears only in the prolog. "Tactics" oriented.
-
- Pyle, Howard, _The story of King Arthur and his knights_ (New York :
- C. Scribner's Sons, 1904, c1903). Classic.
-
- Riordan, James. _Tales of King Arthur_ (Hamlyn, London, 1982). ISBN
- 0600-35352-4. An illustrated version of several classic tales.
-
- Sampson, Fay, _Daughter of Tintagel_. Headline Book Publishing,
- London, U.K. ISBN 0-7472-3894-4. This is a omnibus volume of 5
- separate volumes: Wise Woman's Telling, White Nun's Telling, Black
- Smith's Telling, Taliesin's Telling, Herself. Here's what the book
- jacket reads: The bards have sung this tale the length and breadth of
- Britain. The story of the momentous birth of the legendary Arthur -
- the story of the fear, hate and love between him and his half-sister
- Morgan the Fay. But never before have there been five tellings, each
- by a witness to the mythical events: Gwennol Far-Sight, Morgan's
- childhood nurse and a wise woman in the ways of sacred pagan magic.
- Luned, the young white nun, who fears her own soul has been contamined
- by Morgan's passions. Teilo, who was once a proud and powerful Smith
- of the Old Religion, condemned to live as a woman amongst Morgan's
- maids, because of his unwise ambition. The bard Taliesin, bred to
- sing of war and red slaughter and glorious death. And finally Morgan
- the Fay herself speaks, the Goddess, the witch, whose story has
- shape-shifted down the centuries, a force for destruction or a force
- for healing...?
-
- Seare, Nicholas, _Rude Tales and Glorious_ (Clarkson N. Potter, Inc.,
- New York, 1983. Hardback). [Out of Print] Classic rendition. Title
- says it all. This is a retelling of the Arthurian tales. Merlin is a
- two bit con artist/pimp, Gwen is a whore that enjoys giving out free
- samples, Arthur is Merlin's assistant. It is a riot. Seare is a pen
- name for a well known author as yet unrevealed. Speculation centers
- on Rodney Whitaker (source William Poundstone, Biggest Secrets).
-
- Service, Pamela F., _Winter of Magic's Return_, _Tomorrow's Magic_
- (Atheneum, New York, 1987). Five hundred years after the Devastation
- destroys modern civilization, the young Merlin and two friends
- succeed in bringing back King Arthur to Britain in the grip of a
- nuclear winter and together they struggle to build a new and better
- society despite the evil plotting of Morgan Le Fay. Juvenile fiction.
-
- Shwartz, Susan, _The Grail of Hearts_ (New York: Tor Books, 1992, ISBN
- 0-312-85176-6/hardcover). Arthurian; also concerned with the Parsifal
- legend and the Wandering Jew, whom Shwartz portrays as a woman.
-
- Stone, Eugenia, _Page boy for King Arthur_, (illustrated by Rafaello
- Busoni. Chicago : Follett Publishing Co., c1949).
-
- Stone, Eugenia, _Squire for King Arthur_, (illustrated by Rafaello
- Busoni. Chicago : Follett Pub. Co., 1955).
-
- Stafford, Greg, and others. _King Arthur Pendragon_. (Chaosium Inc.,
- 950-A 56th Street, Oakland, CA 94608. ISBN: 0-933635-59-1.) Other
- books in the same series: _The Boy King_, by Greg Stafford, ISBN
- 0-933635-78-8; _The King Arthur Companion_, by Phyllis Ann Karr, ISBN
- 0-993635-17-6; _Knights Adventurous_, by Greg Stafford, ISBN
- 0-933635-70-2. This is part of an excellent role playing game, but
- the books are worth reading by themselves as well. There are several
- books the game is made of, purchaseable separately. Most of it is a
- very detailed glossary of people in the various versions of the saga
- (with primacy to Mallory's), but almost half of it is spent on similar
- glossaries of notable places, of special "things", and many other
- fascinating tidbits, such as an attempt at a self-consistent
- chronology of Arthur's reign, and so on.
-
- Steinbeck, John, _The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights_
- (Del Rey. Paperback.) Rendition of Le Morte D'Arthur into modern
- day English. Not complete.
-
- Stewart, Mary, _The Crystal Cave_, _The Hollow Hills_, _The Last
- Enchantment_, and _The Wicked Day_ (Fawcett Crest.) A modern
- retelling of the legend. The first three are narrated by Merlin,
- and the last in third person.
-
- Stone, Brian, translater. _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_.
- (Penguin Books, many reprints. c1959. ISBN 0-14-044092-5.)
- Beautiful translation.
-
- Sutcliff, Rosemary, _Sword at Sunset_ (Coward-McCann, Inc, New York,
- 1963. Hardcover and paperback available.) A telling of Arthur as he
- might actually have been, a local Celtic warlord.
-
- Sutcliff, Rosemary, _The Light Beyond the Forest_ (1979) and _The
- Sword in the Circle_ (1981) (London: Bodley Head.) You can see from
- the dates that these are somewhat later than her adult novel _Sword at
- Sunset_. They are technically "young adult" titles.
-
- Sutcliff, Rosemary, _The road to Camlann_ (1st ed. New York :
- Dutton, 1982). The evil Mordred, plotting against his father King
- Arthur, implicates the Queen and Sir Lancelot in treachery and brings
- about the downfall of Camelot and the Round Table. "Young adult."
-
- Talbott, Hudson, _King Arthur : The Sword in the Stone_ (New York :
- Books of Wonder, 1991).
-
- Tolstoy, Nikolai, _The Coming of the King: A Novel of Merlin_ (Bantam
- Books, 1989. Trade paperback.) Very closely based on the Welsh
- mabinogion -- poetry rendered into prose. Makes no attempt at
- "realism": the grotesquely fantastic has its day here. Lyrical
- writing, worth reading. Long.
-
- Treece, Henry, _The Great Captains_ (New York: Random House, 1956.)
- This is another sort of Celtic late Roman novel with characters such
- as Artos the Bear/Artorius, dux bellorum, Bedwyr, Cie, Medrawt, and
- Drostan. An excellent story, but not one for the squeamish.
-
- Troughton, Joanna, _Sir Gawain and the loathly damsel_ (retold and
- illustrated by Joanna Troughton. 1st ed. New York : Dutton, 1972).
- Adapted from an anonymous fifteenth-century poem, The Weddynge of Sir
- Gawen and Dame Ragnell: in order to obtain the answer to a riddle
- that will save King Arthur's life, Sir Gawain must marry the ugliest
- maiden in the world. Juvenile.
-
- Turton, Godfrey, _The Emperor Arthur_, (Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday,
- 1967). This is another late Roman historical reconstruction. Highly
- recommended.
-
- Twain, Mark, _A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court_ (many
- editions).
-
- White, Terence Hanbury, _The Once and Future King_ and _The Book of Merlin_
- (Berkley Books, ISBNs: 0-425-06310-0 & 0-425-07282-7, respectively.
- Original copyrights in 1939 and 1940). A retelling of the legend from
- the earliest stories. More comedic than some of the other versions.
- Be warned, _The Book of Merlin_ rehashes many themes and stories from
- TOFK. It's good, but if you experience deja-vu while reading it,
- well, that's why.
-
- White, T.H. _The Sword in the Stone_ (orig. published in 1938).
- Another (children's?) version of TOAFK.
-
- Whyte, Jack. _Sky Stone_. Toronto: Penguin Books, 1992. ISBN
- 0-14-017050-2. The second book in the series, _The Singing
- Sword_ has just been released in hard-cover. He is Canadian and
- seems to be taking a stance very similar to Mary Stewart in
- incorporating Roman history into the legend.
-
- Wolf, Joan, _The Road to Avalon_ (Onyx Novels, a subdivision of
- Penguin Books.) A romantic retelling, casting familiar characters
- into startlingly different relationships.
-
- Woolley, Persia, _Child of the Northern Spring_, _Queen of the Summer
- Stars_, _Guinevere: The Legend in Autumn_ (Poseidon Press, New York,
- London, Toronto, etc.) The story of the life of Guinivere, from her
- point of view.
-
- Yolen, Jane, _The Dragon's Boy_ (Harper and Row, New York, 1990).
- Children's fiction. Young Arthur meets a dragon and comes to accept
- him as a friend and mentor.
-
- Yolen, Jane, _Merlin's Booke: Thirteen Stories and Poems about the
- Arch-Mage_ (Berkley Publishing Group, Ace Fantasy, New York, 1986).
-
-
- 2. Poetry
- ----------
-
- _Lancelot of the Laik_. A Scottish metrical romance, about 1490-1500
- A.D. Re-edited from a manuscript in the Cambridge University Library,
- with an introd., notes, and glossarial index, by W. W. Skeat. London,
- New York, Published for the Early English Text Society by the Oxford
- University Press [1965].
-
- _Orkneyinga Saga_, c1200 (unknown Icelandic Author). The Isles of
- Orkney are of course the famed home of Lot, Morgause, Gawain, Mordred,
- etc.
-
- Arnold, Mathew. _Tristram and Iseult_.
-
- Beroul. _The Romance of Tristan_. c1150.
-
- Carley, James P., introduction. _Mathew Arnold and William Morris_
- (_Arthurian Poets_ series, Woodbridge, Suffolk, and Rochester, NY:
- Boydell Press 1990, ISBN: 0-85115-544-8). Arnold's "Tristram and
- Iseult" is the first modern English retelling of the Tristram legend,
- a melancholy interpretation of the theme; Morris' different approach
- apparent in the rich sensuality of his "The Defence of Guenevere."
-
- Carley, James P., ed., introduction. _A.C. Swinburne_ (_Arthurian
- Poets_ series, ISBN: 0-85115-546-4). Some of Swinburne's most
- important poetry recreates the Arthurian legends from a modern
- perspective. Includes _Tristram of Lyonesse_.
-
- Carley, James P., ed., introduction. _E.A. Robinson_ (_Arthurian
- Poets_ series, ISBN: 0-85115-545-6). Robinson's Arthurian poems,
- published between 1917 and 1927 won him a Pulitzer Prize.
-
- Dodds, David, ed., introduction. _Charles William_ (_Arthurian Poets_
- series, ISBN: 0-88115-291-0). Contains _Taliessin through Logres_ and
- _The Region of the Summer Stars_, as well as twenty-four of William's
- earlier poems on Arthurian themes from his collection _The Advent of
- Galahad_ (many never published before), and fragments designed to form
- a sequel to _Region_ which also appear for the first time.
-
- Geoffrey of Monmouth _Vita Merlini_ [Life of Merlin]. Verse.
-
- Heath-Stubbs. _Artorius. A Heroic Poem in Four Books and Eight
- Episodes_. (London: Enitharmon Press, 1973. ISBN 901111-39-2).
- Hard to find.
-
- Hole, Richard, _Arthur; or, The northern enchantment_ (GGJ and J
- Robinson, London, 1798). A poetical romance, in seven books.
-
- Lewis. _Arthurian Torso_. Oxford, 1948. Reprinted.
-
- Lupack, Alan, ed., _Arthur, the Greatest King: an Anthology of Modern
- Arthurian Poems_ (forword by Raymond H. Thompson, Garland, New York,
- 1988).
-
- Lytton, Baron Edward Bulwer, _King Arthur_ (London, Henry Colburn, 1849).
-
- Maynadier, Howard, _The Arthur of the English Poets_ (Boston, New
- York, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1907).
-
- Morris, William. _The Defence of Guenevere_.
-
- Robinson, Edwin Arlington, "Merlin"(1917), "Lancelot"(1920) and
- "Tristram"(1927). Verse retelling of the Arthur legend. The last one
- won the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for poetry.
-
- Swinburne, A.C. _Tristram of Lyonesse_. And others.
-
- Tennyson, Lord Alfred, _Idylls of the King_ (Signet, 1961.)
-
- Williams, Charles. _Taliessin Through Logres_, _The Region of the
- Summer Stars_ (Eerdmans, 1974). Original printings through Oxford
- University Press, 1938.
-
- About the _Arthurian Poets_ series: A volume on John Masefield is in
- preparation. All the volumes contain the complete Arthurian poetry of
- each author; for example, the Charles Williams volume has much
- previously unpublished poetry.
-
-
- 3. Non-fiction and research
- ----------------------------
-
- "Bulletin of Bibliography" (July-Sept. 1981, 38(3):128-138,149).
- Contains an Arthurian bibliography.
-
- Modern language association of America, _A bibliography of critical
- Arthurian literature_ (New York City).
-
- Modern Language Association of America. Arthurian Group. _A
- bibliography of Arthurian critical literature_ (v.1-2;
- 1922/29-1930/35, New York).
-
- _The Fall of Camelot_ (by the editors of Time-Life Books, Time-Life
- Books, Alexandria, VA [USA], 1986).
-
- Alcock, Leslie, _Arthur's Britain_ (Penguin Press, 1971).
- Documentary evidence of King Arthur's historical existence.
- Alcock has also published much work concerning archaelogical
- excavations of Glastonbury (speculated site of Camelot).
-
- Andronik, Catherine M., _Quest for a King: Searching for the Real
- King Arthur_ (Atheneum, New York, 1989). Surveys the legends
- surrounding King Arthur and examines the historical evidence behind
- them.
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _King Arthur's Avalon: The Story of Glastonbury_
- (Dutton, New York, 1958, reprinted). Glastonbury is the legendary
- Avalon, site of Arthur's grave and source of much fanciful speculation
- and scholarly interest. The author reveals Glastonbury's distinctive
- character in the dark ages as the meeting place of Saxon and Celt; the
- glory of its Abbey as the center of English and medieval civilization;
- and the significance of its legends in the mystical theory of the Holy
- Grail -- a primary factor in the development of European religious
- thought.
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _From Caesar to Arthur_ (London: Collins, 1960).
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, et al, _Quest for Arthur's Britain_ (Granada, London;
- Praeger, New York, 1968; reprinted with new introduction in 1987).
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _King Arthur in Fact and Fiction_ (NY: Nelson, c.1969,
- 1971.)
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _Camelot and the Vision of Albion_ (London: Heinemann;
- NY: St. Martin's, 1971.)
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _King Arthur in Fact and Legend_ (first US edition,
- Camden, New Jersey/T. Nelson, 1971).
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, "A certain very ancient book" _Speculum_ April, 1981,
- pp.301-323.
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _Kings and Queens of Early Britain_ (London: Methuen,
- 1982.)
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _Avalonian Quest_ (London: Methuen, 1982; London:
- Collins/Fontana, 1984.)
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _Guidebook to Arthurian Britain_ (London: Longman's,
- 1980; London: Aquarian Press, 1983.)
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _The Discovery of King Arthur_ (Guild, London, 1985.
- ISBN N/A.) Provides convincing accounts of the historical
- roots of the legends and of who the original Arthur actually was.
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _The Landscape of King Arthur_ (Webb & Bower, Exeter;
- M. Joseph, London, 1987).
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey. _The Glastonbury Tor Maze_. (Gothic Image, 7 High
- Street, Glastonbury, Somerset, 1988) Elsewhere Ashe refers back to
- this originally 1977 short work as a source for the Grail ritual. 15
- pages with maps.
-
- Ashe, Geoffrey, _King Arthur: The Dream of a Golden Age_ (Thames and
- Hudson, London, 1990).
-
- Ashton, Graham, _The Realm of King Arthur_ (Dixon, Newport, Isle of
- Wight, 1974).
-
- Baigent, Michael, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. _Holy Blood, Holy
- Grail_. (Corgi, 1993, ISBN 0-552-12138-X, many reprints.) What it did
- was propose a revolutionary theory about what the "San Greal" was (a
- deliberate distortion for "Sang Real", the bloodline of Jesus - not
- just through lots of hints, such as the obvious reference through
- "Fisher King" with the Greek connection of the fish for Jesus, as well
- as the "I shall make you fishers of men" phrase in the Gospel, etc -
- but also through meticulously detailed research). Not directly about
- Arthur, but Arthur's connections with the Holy Grail myths are too
- strong to ignore.
-
- Barber, Richard. _The Arthurian Legends: An Illustrated Anthology_.
- Here for the first time is a single volume featuring the power and
- range of Arthurian literature from the beginnings to the present day.
- Illustrated.
-
- Barber, Richard, _Arthur of Albion: an introduction to the Arthurian
- Literature and Legends of England_ (London: Boydell Press, 1961.)
-
- Barber, Richard, _The Figure of Arthur_ (London: Longman's, 1972.)
- This title surveys the Arthurian controversy, works over the early
- sources, and ends up with Arthur as a modern British national hero.
-
- Barber, Richard, _King Arthur; In Legend and History_ (Boydell Press,
- Ipswich, 1973).
-
- Barber, Richard, _King Arthur: Hero and Legend_ (Woodbridge, Suffolk,
- and Rochester, NY: Boydell Press 1988, ISBN 0-85115-254-6). Current
- version of _Arthur of Albion_.
-
- Barber, Richard, ed., _Arthurian Literature_, vols. I-X. Diverse
- papers and studies.
-
- Bradley, Michael. _Holy Grail Across the Atlantic_. 1988. Bradley
- carries on where Baigent, et al, leave off. As well as utilizing
- their book, he directly cites further details about an apparent
- conspiracy to introduce 'clue-books' in famous libraries in France and
- around Europe, over many decades. Bradley traces the Holy Grail from
- 'Before the Flood' - to Arthur - and from there across the Atlantic, -
- to Nova Scotia - (before Columbus), its possible residence in Montreal
- for many years, and then supposed return to Europe.
-
- Braswell, Mary Flowers and John Bugge, eds. _The Arthurian Tradition.
- Essays in Convergence_ (Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press,
- 1988. ISBN 0-8173-0347-2).
-
- Brengle, Richard L., ed., _Arthur, King of Britain: History, Romance,
- Chronicle & Criticism_, (Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1964).
- With texts in modern English, from Gildas to Malory.
-
- Bromwich, Rachel, ed., _The Arthur of the Welsh: the Arthurian Legend
- in Medieval Welsh Literature_ (University of Wales Press, 1991).
-
- Bromwich, Rachel. _Trioedd Ynys Predein_ (University of Wales Press,
- 1991.) A compilation of several Welsh sources for Medieval and
- earlier story information, some dealing with Arthur. In English with
- the sources also in Middle Welsh.
-
- Cavendish, Richard. King Arthur & the Grail: The Arthurian Legends and
- their Meaning. New York: Taplinger Publishing, 1985.
-
- Chambers, Edmund Kerchever, _Arthur of Britain_ (Barnes and Nobel,
- New York, 1964, original copyright 1927).
-
- Clancy, Joseph P., _Pendragon: Arthur and his Britain_ (NY: Praeger,
- 1971). Examines historical evidence for the existence of King Arthur
- and traces the growth of the Arthurian legend from the tenth century
- to modern times.
-
- Coghlan, Ronan, _The Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends_ (Rockport, MA:
- Element, 1991. ISBN 1-85230-199-6.)
-
- Darrah, John, _The Real Camelot: Paganism and the Arthurian Romances_
- (Thames and Hudson, New York, 1981).
-
- Davies, John Glyn, _The Apotheosis of Arthur_ (Llanfairfechan, N.
- Wales, 1962). Reprint of a lecture delivered at the University of
- Uppsala in 1926.
-
- Dickinson, William Howship, _King Arthur in Cornwall_ (Longmans,
- Green & Co., London/New York, 1900).
-
- Downing, David C. Planets in Peril: A Critical Study of C. S. Lewis's
- Ransom Trilogy. Amherst: U of Massachusetts P, 1992.
-
- Dumezil, Georges, _Mythes et dieux des Germains_.
- Connects Arthurian material with a Scythian heavy cavalry brigade
- based at Chester from about 250 to 500. There are some relationships
- between Scythian and Arthurian legends.
-
- Dunning, R. W. _Arthur the King in the West_ (NY: St. Martins's, 1988).
- This is an argument for a "Cornish" King Arthur.
-
- Entwistle, William James, _The Arthurian Legend in the Literatures of
- the Spanish Peninsula_ (JM Den & Sons, New York/London/Toronto,
- 1925).
-
- Evola, Julius, "The Mystery of the Grail and the Gibelin imperial
- concept". Original in Italian; Yvonne Tortat's French translation "Le
- Mystere du Graal et l'idee imperiale Gibeline" published by and
- available from Editions Traditionnelles (11 Quai St.-Michel,
- Paris). This is Evola's integral traditionalist interpretation of the
- Grail cycle.
-
- Fife, Graeme, _Arthur the King: the Themes behind the Legends_ (NY:
- Sterling Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-8069-8344-2.) The development of
- Arthurian literature including the themes of chivalry, courtly love,
- hunting, magic and the Holy Grail. Color, b/w illustrations.
-
- Gardner, Edmund Garratt, _The Arthurian Legend in Italian Literature_
- (JM Dent & Sons, London; EP Dutton & Co, New York, 1930).
-
- Goetink, Glenys. Peredur: A Study of Welsh Traditions in the Grail
- Legends. Cardiff: U of Wales P, 1975.
-
- Goodrich, Norma L., _King Arthur_ (Harper&Row, 1986. ISBN
- 0-06-097182-7.) Also wrote _Merlin_ (1987), _Guinevere_ (1989), and
- _The Holy Grail_ (1990). Goodrich does a number of historical
- "reconstructions", trying to piece together the possible events of the
- period.
-
- Gordon-Wise, Barbara Ann. The Reclamation of a Queen: Guinevere in
- Modern Fantasy. New York, Westport, London: Greenwood P, 1991.
-
- Guenon, Rene, in "Symbols of the sacred Science", Chapters III and IV
- on the Grail, XXIV on Arthur and druidism, XLIV on "Lapsit Exillis",
- and other occasional references. French original "Symboles de la
- Science sacree" published by Gallimard, Paris ISBN 2-07-029752-7.
-
- Guyer, Foster Erwin. Chretien de Troyes: Inventor of the Modern
- Novel. New York: Record Press, 1957, 17 - 40.
-
- Hibbert, Christopher, _The Search for King Arthur_ (London, 1972?)
- Another one of the survey studies of the legend of Arthur.
-
- Holmes, Urban Tigner. Chretien de Troyes. New York: Twayne
- Publishers, 1970, 59 - 71.
-
- Jaffray, Robert, _King Arthur and the Holy Grail_ an examination of
- the early literature pertaining to the legends of King Arthur and of
- the Holy Grail, together with a brief review of the theories relating
- to the latter-intended... (New York, G.P. Putnam, 1928).
-
- Jenkins, Elizabeth _The Mystery of King Arthur_ (NY: Coward, McCann &
- Geoghegan, Inc., 1975; London: George Rainbird, 1975.) This is a
- pictorial coffee book in the best sense of the word. It's the
- standard survey through the material with contemporary illustrations
- ranging from a photograph of the white horse at Uffington and the late
- Roman cataphract from Dura-Europos proceeding through mediaeval
- illustrations, many in colour and ending up with the Victorian
- paintings of William Morris and Edward Burn Jones.
-
- Jones, Bedwyr Lewis, _Arthur Y Cymry, The Welsh Arthur_ (University of
- Wales Press, Cardiff, 1975). It discusses in great detail exactly
- what information we have about Arthur, and -- more importantly --
- considers what kind of conclusions can be drawn about the real origins
- of these sources.
-
- Jones, William Lewis, _King Arthur in History and Legend_ (Cambridge,
- Eng. University Press, 1911, 1914, 1933).
-
- Jung, Emma and Marie-Louise von Franz, _The Grail Legend_ (Sigo Press,
- 1986. ISBN 0-938434-08-X.)
-
- Karr, Phyllis Ann. The King Arthur Companion. Albany: Chaosium,
- 1983.
-
- Kittregge, George Lyman, _Arthur and Gorlagon_ (Boston: Ginn and Co.,
- 1903).
-
- Lacy, Norris J., ed, _The Arthurian Encyclopedia_ (ISBN:
- 0-85115-253-8). The first reference book to offer a comprehensive and
- critical treatement of Arthurian topics. This work involves over 50
- scholars and contains a wide range of entries in the arts and media;
- Arthurian characters; history, legend and archaelogy; themes and
- motifs; and a wealth of literature. Illustrated.
-
- Lacy, Norris J. et. al. The New Arthurian Encyclopedia. Hamden, CT:
- Garland, 1991. For some reason, this is harder to find than the
- earlier version.
-
- Lagorio, Valerie M. and Mildred Leake Day, eds., _King Arthur through
- the Ages_ (New York:Garland Pub, 1990). Two volumes: one is almost
- exclusively about medieval versions of the legend, the other is
- focused on 19th and 20th century versions.
-
- Lampo, Hubert and Pieter Paul Koster, _Arthur and the Grail_ (London:
- Sidgwick & Jackson, 1988). Originally published in Dutch under
- _Arthur_. Introduction by Colin Wilson.
-
- Lewis, Charles Bertram. _Classical mythology and Arthurian romance_; a
- study of the sources of Chrestien de Toryes' "Yvain" and other
- Arthurian romances, by Charles Bertram Lewis. London, New York [etc.]
- Pub. for St. Andrews university by H. Milford, Oxford university
- press, 1932.
-
- Lindsay, Jack, _Arthur and his times : Britain in the Dark Ages_
- (London : Frederick Muller, c1958).
-
- Loomis, Richard. The Development of Arthurian Romance. New York:
- Norton, 1970.
-
- Loomis, Roger Sherman, _Arthurian Tradition and Chretien de Troyes_,
- (New York, Columbia University Press [1949]).
-
- Loomis, Roger Sherman, _Arthurian legends in medieval art_ (London,
- Oxford University Press; New York, Modern Language Association of
- America, 1938).
-
- Loomis, Roger Sherman, _Arthurian literature in the Middle Ages: a
- collaborative history_ (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1959).
-
- Loomis, Roger Sherman, _Celtic myth and Arthurian romance_ (New York,
- Columbia University Press, 1927, reprints).
-
- Loomis, Roger Sherman, _Wales and the Arthurian legend_ (Cardiff,
- University of Wales Press, 1956).
-
- Loomis, Roger Sherman, _The Grail: from Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol_
- (Princeton: Princeton U. Press, 1991. ISBN 0-691-02075-2.)
-
- McCarthy, Terrence, _An Introduction to Malory_ (ISBN: 0-85991-325-2).
- Malory's approach to his material is discussed, as are his sources,
- and his individual contribution; finally, Malory and his book are
- placed in their historical context.
-
- Mancoff, Debra, ed. _The Arthurian Revival. Essays on Form,
- Tradition, and Transformation_ (New York: Garland Publishing, 1992.
- ISBN. 0-8153-0060-3.)
-
- Markale, Jean, _King Arthur, King Of Kings_ (translated by Christine
- Hauch. London ; New York : Gordon & Cremonesi, 1977). Originally
- published as _Le roi Arthur et la societe celtique_.
-
- Markale, Jean, _The Celts_. (First English Translation, 1993. Inner
- Traditions.) Also by Markale: _Mithra-Varuna_ (1940), _Les Mythes
- Romains_ (1942-47), _Loki_ (1948), _Les Dieux des Indo-Europe'ens
- (1952) _Les Dieux des Germains_ (1959).
-
- Markale, Jean. _King of the Celts_ (_Roi Arthur et la socie'te'
- celtique_. American paperback edition.) (Inner Traditions
- International, Ltd., One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 05767, 1994.)
- A cheaper American edition. Easy reading, with a socialist slant.
-
- Matthews, Caitlin and Marian Green. The Grail Seeker's Companion: to
- the Grail Quest in the Aquarian Age. Northamptonshire: Thorsons
- Publishing Group, 1986.
-
- Matthews, Caitlin, _Arthur and the Sovereignty of Britain : King and
- Goddess in the Mabinogion_ (illustrated by Chesca Potter. London,
- England ; New York, N.Y., USA : Arkana, 1989).
-
- Matthews, Caitlin and John. The Arthurian Tarot. Illustrated by
- Miranda Grey. Northamptonshire: Thorsons Publishing Group, 1990.
-
- Matthews, Caitlin, The Arthurian Tarot: A Hallowquest
- Handbook. Northamptonshire: Thorsons Publishing Group, 1990.
-
- Matthews, Caitlin, Hallowquest: Tarot Magic and the Arthurian
- Mysteries. London: HarperCollins, 1990.
-
- Matthews, Caitlin, Taliesin: Shamanism and the Bardic Mysteries in
- Britain and Ireland. London: HarperCollins, 1991.
-
- Matthews, Caitlin. The Arthurian Tarot Course: A Quest for All
- Seasons. London: HarperCollins, 1993.
-
- Matthews, John, _An Arthurian Legend_ (London: Aquarian Press, 1991. ISBN
- 0-85030-909-3.)
-
- Matthews, Caitlin and John, _The Arthurian Book of Days_ (New York :
- Macmillan, c1990). Contains Arthurian events related to a particular
- point in the year. Illustrated with copies of rare paintings and
- illuminations.
-
- Matthews, John, _The Elements of the Arthurian Tradition_. Who was
- King Arthur? What is the Holy Grail? Who were the Fay Women of
- Arthur's Court? What is the Fellowship of the Round Table? Who are
- the Dwellers in Avalon? Answers these and other questions about the
- legend of Arthur.
-
- Matthews, John, _The Elements of the Grail Tradition_. Here, in
- vivid historical detail, Matthews reveals the many facets of the Holy
- Grail and its tradition. Includes explanations of the myth of the
- Fisher King, the Four Hallows, the "Holiest Earth" of Glastonbury and
- the Wasteland.
-
- Merriman, James Douglas.The Flower of Kings: A Study of the Arthurian
- Legend in England between 1485 and 1835. Lawrence, Manhattan,
- Wichita: UP of Kansas, 1973.
-
- Meskys, Edmund R. Ed. The Once and Future Arthur. Center Harbor:
- Niekas Publications, 1989.
-
- Millar, Ronald William, _Will the real King Arthur please stand up?_
- (London : Cassell, 1978).
-
- Monell, Charles M., _Five hundred years of King Arthur_ ([Fullerton,
- Calif.] : The Patrons of the Library, California State University,
- Fullerton, c1987). The text is a lecture by Dr. Monell delivered at
- the opening of the King Arthur exhibit at the California State
- Library, Sacramento, on July 28, 1985 ... "--p. [3]. The article
- first appeared in the July 1985 Bulletin of the California State
- Library Foundation.
-
- Morris, John, _The age of Arthur; a history of the British Isles from
- 350 to 650_ (New York, Scribner [1973]).
-
- Nitze, William Albert, _Arthurian romance and modern poetry and
- music_ (Chicago, Ill., The University of Chicago Press [c1940]).
-
- Pickford, Cedric Edward, Rex Last and Christine R. Barker, eds., _The
- Arthurian Bibliography_ (Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] : D.S. Brewer ;
- Totowa, N.J. : Biblio, -1983).
-
- Ratcliffe, Eric, _The Great Arthurian Timeslip_ (Stevenage and Bungay
- [Eng.] : ORE, 1978).
-
- |Ravenscroft, Trevor. _The Cup of Destiny_. An interpretation of Eschenbach's
- |Parsifal and interesting reading.
-
- Reid, Margaret Jane Cornfute, _The Arthurian Legend_ (Edinburgh
- [etc.] Oliver and Boyd [1938]).
-
- Ritson, Joseph, _The life of King Arthur: from ancient historians and
- authentic documents_ (London, Payne and Foss [etc.] 1825).
-
- Robinson, Joseph Armitage, _Two Glastonbury legends: King Arthur and
- St. Joseph of Arimathea_ (Cambridge [Eng.] The University Press,
- 1926).
-
- Saklatvala, Beram, _Arthur, Roman Britain's Last Champion_ (Newton
- Abbot: David & Charles, 1971.) An unconventional study of King Arthur.
-
- Scherer, Margaret Roseman, _About the Round Table_, (New York, 1945).
-
- Simpson, Roger, _Camelot Revisited: The Athurian Revival and Tennyson,
- 1800-1849_ ISBN: 0-85991-300-7. A study of the interest in Arthurian
- literature in the early part of the nineteenth century. There is a
- complete bibliography of early 19th-century Arthurian poetry, drama,
- and prose fiction together with catalogues of paintings and
- illustrated books.
-
- Skene, William Forbes, author; Derek Bryce, ed., _Arthur and the
- Britons in Wales and Scotland_ (Lampeter [Wales] : Llanerch
- Enterprises, c1988).
-
- Slocum, Sally K. ed. Popular Arthurian Traditions. Bowling Green:
- Bowling Green State U, 1992. I found this by sheer luck in the
- Strand.
-
- Spivak, Charlotte. Merlin's Daughters: Contemporary Women Writers of
- Fantasy. Westport: Greenwood P, 1987.
-
- Starr, Nathan Comfort, _King Arthur today; the Arthurian legend in
- English and American Literature, 1901-1953_, (Gainesville, University
- of Florida Press 1954).
-
- Surtees, Scott Frederick, _Merlin and Arthur_, ([Hertford, S. Austin
- and sons, printers], 1871).
-
- Taylor, Beverly and Elisabeth Brewer, _The Return of King Arthur_ (DS
- Brewer, Cambridge, 1983.) Contains an extensive bibliography in the
- back.
-
- Thompson, Raymond, _The Return From Avalon_ (Greenwood, Westport,
- 1985). This is an excellent recent study of modern Arthurian
- literature.
-
- Tolstoy, Nikolai, _The Quest for Merlin_ (Little, Brown, 1985. ISBN
- 0-316-85066-7.)
-
- Treharne, R. F. (Reginald Francis), _The Glastonbury legends: Joseph
- of Arimathea, the Holy Grail and King Arthur_, (London, Cresset P.,
- 1967).
-
- Trevelyan, Marie, _The Land of Arthur, its Heroes and Heroines_,
- (London, J. Hogg [pref. 1895]).
-
- Vinaver, Eugene, _King Arthur's sword; or, The making of a medieval
- romance_, (Manchester, Eng., John Rylands Library and the Manchester
- University Press, 1958).
-
- Vinaver, Eugene, _Malory_ ([1st ed.], reprinted with a new preface.
- London, Clarendon P., 1970).
-
- Warner, Sylvia Townsend. T. H. White. New York: Viking Press, 1968.
-
- Whitaker, Muriel. _The Legends of King Arthur in Art_. ISBN
- 0-85991-306-6. This is a study of works of art inspired by legends of
- King Arthur and his knights and produced over a period of nine
- centuries in Europe and North America. It covers illuminated
- manuscripts, printed books, sculpture, pavements, all paintings, easel
- paintings, etc.
-
- Whitehead, John, _Guardian of the Grail, a new light on the Arthurian
- legend_, ([London] Jarrolds [1959]).
-
- Wildman, S. G. _The Black Horses, English Inns and King Arthur_
- (London: John Baker, 1971).
-
- Williams, Charles and C.S. Lewis, _Arthurian Torso_. Two long
- essays. The first, by Williams, is a lengthy history of the
- development of the Arthurian legend, discussing the entry of the
- various great themes (i.e., courtly love, the Grail, etc.) and how it
- affected the legend that had existed to that point. The second, by
- Lewis, is an indispensible guide to Williams' own Arthurian poems
- (cited in the Poetry section). These essays, along with William's
- poems, can be found in trade paperback from Eerdmans' Press, Grand
- Rapids.
-
- Wood, Michael. _In Search of the Dark Ages_. (Facts On File
- Publications, 1987) The guy who brought you _In Search of the Trojan
- War_ does a comfortable job on Arthur with some insights over thirty
- pages.
-
- Zaddy, Z. P. Chretien Studies. Glasgow: U of Glasgow P, 1973, 1 - 71.
-
-
- 4. Medieval and early texts
- ----------------------------
-
- _Gawain and the Grene Knight_. Many translations, including one by
- JRR Tolkien (_Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_, Clarendon Press,
- Oxford, 1930).
-
- _Lancelot of the Lake_. Available in pb from Oxford's "The World's
- Classics" series. Anonymous, Arthurian cycle: _Lancelot of the Lake_,
- _The Quest of the Holy Grail_, and _The Death of Arthur_. Available
- in pb from Penguin. Most later Arthurian texts (especially Mallory)
- are based on these, the same way most texts after Chretien derived
- from Chretien. The first listed, the "short" or "non-cyclic prose
- Lancelot," is a very interesting point in the development of the
- legend: Lancelot is not yet involved in the Grail quest (indeed, it is
- implied that it has already occurred by the time he comes to King
- Arthur's court). The "cycle" is the first (existing) text, or set of
- texts, to unite all the fundamental themes of the mythos. Also
- available from Penguin is a single volume edition with two long poetic
- "morts d'Artu," under the title _The Death Of King Arthur_. One is in
- rhymed verse, the other in alliterative.
-
- _The Mabinogion_ (many translations.) The Mabinogion is the collection
- of Welsh stories and legends, where elements of the Arthurian legend
- can be found. These probably form the basis for the legend as we have
- it today, though scholars seem to revise their opinions every now and
- then.
-
- Blackmore, Sir Richard, _An Heroick Poem (London, printed for Awnsham
- and John Churchil, 1695). In ten books. Probably out of print.
-
- Chretien de Troyes, _Arthurian Romances_ (Everyman's Library #698).
- Various translations. He was a 12th century writer/poet and the
- single most improtant influence on the development of the Arthurian
- mythos: it was he who linked Lancelot to Guinevere and who introduced
- the moral question of their affair (in _Lancelot, Or the Knight of the
- Cart_) and it was quite possibly he who brought the story of the Grail
- Quest to Arthur's court (in _Perceval_).
-
- Chretien de Troyes, _Ywain, the Knight of the Lion_ (Translated by
- Robert W. Ackermand and Frederick W. Lock, Unger, New York, 1957, plus
- other translations).
-
- Chretien de Troyes, _Perceval, The Story of the Grail_. (English
- translation by Nigel Bryant, ISBN: 0-85991-224-8). The story of the
- making of a knight in both worldly and spiritual terms, and the source
- of some of the most dramatic and mysterious adventures of romance.
-
- |Dass, Nirmal, translator. _Avowing of King Arthur_. Lanham, MD: UP
- |of America, 1987.
-
- |Day, Mildred Leake, translator. _De ortu Waluuanii nepotis Arturi_.
- |In _The Rise of Gawain, Nephew of Arthur_. New York: Garland
- |Publishing, 1984.
-
- Geoffrey of Monmouth (1100-1154), _History of the Kings of Britain_
- (Penguin, 1966. ISBN 0-14-044170-0.) Twelfth century historian.
-
- |Jones, Prudence, translator. _Les Enfances Gauvain_. In Appendix 1
- |of _Gawain: Knight of the Goddess_ by John Matthews. Wellingborough:
- |Aquarian Pr, 1990.
-
- Malory, Sir Thomas, _Le Morte D'Arthur_ (many editions). The classic
- 15th century rendition of Arthurian legend according the French
- tradition. About where Lancelot in his romantic, very French, form
- was added, and where the search for the Grail was put in Christian
- terms. Notes: Caxton (1422-1491) edited Morte D'Arthur and changed it quite
- a bit in so doing. The original (non-edited-by-Caxton) version is
- available from Oxford University Press under the title _Malory: Works_
- (1973). In this edition, there are a number of loosely connected stories:
- Caxton conflated some, elided others, and bound the whole thing together
- under one theme: Arthur's tragedy. Furthermore, there are various
- non-Malory versions of the _Morte Arthure_ and _Le Morte Arthur_ c.1400
- and c.1350 respectively. These were a part of the impetus behind
- Malory's later version.
-
- Matarosso, translator, _The Quest of the Holy Grail_ (Penguin, 1969.
- ISBN 0-14-044220-0.)
-
- Middleton, Christopher, _The famous historie of Chinon of England_
- (to which is added The assertion of King Arthure, translated by
- Richard Robinson from Leland's Assertio inclytissimi Arturii,
- together with... London, Pub. for the Early English Text Society by
- H. Milford, Oxford University Press, 1925).
-
- Nennius. _Historia Brittonum_ [The History of Britons] c858 orig.
- published in Latin. The mention of Ambrosius has a lot of correlation
- to what is later attributed by Geoffrey of Monmouth etc. to Merlin's
- conception and it is central to Mary Stewart's version.
-
- Sebastian Evans, trans. _The High History of the Holy Grail_. A
- translation of Perlesvaus. Everyman's Library, Lond: JM Dent & Sons,
- NY, EP Dutton & Co. 1936. There is likely a more recent translation
- done in the 70s.
-
- |Stone, Brian, translator. _The Alliterative Morte Arthure_. In _King
- |Arthur's Death_. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1989. Paraphrased by
- |John Gardner in _The Alliterative Morte Arthure_. Carbondale:
- |Southern Illinois UP, 1971.
-
- von Strassburg, Gottfried, _Tristan_ (Penguin, 1960. ISBN
- 0-14-044098-4.)
-
- Wace and Layamon, _Arthurian Chronicles_, (with an introd. by Lucy
- Allen Paton. London ; New York : Dent, Dutton, [1921?]).
-
- |Weston, Jessie L. translator. _The Awntyrs off Arthure_. In _Romance,
- |Vision, and Satire_. Boston: 1912.
-
- |Wirnt von Grafenberg. _Wigalois: The Knight of Fortune's Wheel_.
- |Trans. J. W. Thomas. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 1977. Wigalois
- |is Gawain's son.
-
- Wolfram von Eschenbach, _Parsival_ (Penguin, 1980. ISBN
- 0-14-044361-4.) Allows great insight into the mind of Chivalry for
- those with the patience. Modern translation of a medieval text.
-
-
- 5. Magazines and articles
- -------------------------
-
- John, Christopher. Rev. of Excalibur. Ares July, 1981, 21.
-
- John, Christoper, Rev. of Knightriders. Ares July, 1981,
-
- Lambides, Freya Reeves, pub., _Avalon to Camelot_ (Debra N. Mancoff,
- ed.) A quarterly journal started in Fall 1983, lasted for four regular
- issues to Summer 1984 before the publisher folded. Two more issues
- came out, but are not generally available. It had some excellent
- articles, and was well illustrated for a non-color production.
- Surviving copies may be collector's items.
-
-
- 6. Arthurian references (fictional)
- ------------------------------------
-
- Barr, Mike and Brian Bolland. _Camelot 3000_, 1981, DC Comics. 12
- issue limited series later bound into a trade paperback. Rides the
- fine lines between clever and stupid, inspired and tacky. Futuristic
- story about a reincarnated (and ethnically mixed) Round Table, aliens,
- etc.
-
- Coney, Michael Greatrex, _Fang, the Gnome_. (Signet/New American
- Library, ISBN 0-451-15847-4). The main characters are Fang, Nyneve,
- Avalona (the non-human who teaches Nyneve) and Merlin (Avalona's son).
- Arthurian characters who appear: Tristam and Iseult, Arthur, and
- Galahad - with the other characters appearing only in "the Game"
- played by Nyneve, Avalona and Merlin. The Game is used to enter an
- alternate reality and influence the characters there. Eventually the
- other reality merges with that of Earth and the Arthurian story
- becomes a reality.
-
- Cherryh, C.J., _Port Eternity_ (DAW Books, New York, c1982). Science
- fiction novel with arthurian elements and references.
-
- Cooper, Susan, _Over Sea, Under Stone_, _The Dark Is Rising_, _The
- Green Witch_, _The Grey King_, _Silver on the Tree_. Celtic derived
- fantasy, some references to Arthur. While these are "children's
- books," they present good reading for adults as well.
-
- Davies, Robertson, _The Lyre of Orpheus_.
-
- Drake, David, _The Dragon Lord_, (Berkeley Pub. Group, 1979. ISBN
- 0-399-12380-6). This is about an Irish soldier fighting in Arthur's
- army. All the usual characters are there, fairly prominently, but they
- are not the protagonists.
-
- Kay, Guy Gavriel, _The Summer Tree_, _The Wandering Fire_ and _The
- Darkest Road_. Also known collectively as "The Fionavar Tapestry."
- Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere are, in various forms, called back to
- assist in defeating The Unraveller in the one True World, Fionavar.
- In addition, the tale is steeped in Celtic mythology and part of the
- fun is matching characters back to specific myths and legends.
-
- Knowles, Sir James, _The Legends of King Arthur and his Knights_,
- (London, New York: Warne and Co., 1895).
-
- Laubenthal, Sanders Anne. _Excalibur_ (Ballantine Books, 1973 ISBN
- 0-345- 25635-23-195). Present day fiction concerning the current
- Pendragon, a Welsh archaelogist, searching for Excalibur in Mobile,
- Alabama (where legend says Prince Madoc of Wales hid it after Arthur's
- final defeat) while another takes a Grail quest at the same time.
- Morgan and Morgause oppose them. There is a strong Celtic flavor to
- the conflict. Out of print.
-
- Lewis, C.S., _That Hideous Strength_ (part of a three book set).
- While it does have much non-Arthurian material, it does deal a good
- bit with the line of the Pendragons and one of the characters is the
- awakened Merlinus Ambrosius.
-
- Saberhagen, Fred. _Dominion_. Dracula and Merlin have a longstanding
- feud that threatens to undermine their resistance to the real source
- of trouble -- Nimue. Set in modern day, this book is readable if a
- bit ambiguous.
-
- Spenser, Edmund, _The Faerie Queene_. An excellent work and is
- Arthurian at least in some of its sections, and should be
- comprehensible to anyone who can read Malory.
-
- Vance, Jack, _Suldrun's Garden_, _The Green Pearl_, _Madouc_ (New York
- : Berkeley Publishing Group, c1983/c1985/c1989). Collectively known
- as the _Lyonesse_, and the first book is sometimes titled
- _Lyonesse_. These books are written so as to involve themselves in the
- origin of the round table and one or two of the knights found in
- Arthurian legend.
-
- Walton, Evangeline, _Prince of Annwn_, _The Children of Llyr_, _The
- Song of Rhiannon_ and _The Island of the Mighty_ (Del Rey, 1970).
- Modern reworkings of _The Mabinogion_. Excellently written. May be
- hard to find. Recently reissued in large tradeback.
-
- Wagner, Matt. _Mage: The Hero Discovered_, 1984. Comico Comics. 15
- issue mini-series reprinted into 5 MageBooks. Return of Arthur to
- present day. Good story, good artwork. Part one of a projected
- Trilogy. Wagner has delayed finishing the other two, tentatively
- titled _The Hero Defined_ and _The Hero Denied_, but rumors talk of a
- 1995 release.
-
- Wein, Elizabeth. _The Winter Prince_ (Atheneum, 1992). A young adult
- novel, told from the point of view of Mordraut (Mordred) about his
- love-hate relationship with his father Artos and his half-brother and
- sister.
-
- Zelazny, Roger. _The Last Defender of Camelot_. Anthology. Avon,
- 1988. ISBN 0-380-70316-5. Only the title story involves Lancelot and
- the Holy Grail; the rest of the book is science fiction.
-
-
- 7. Celtic fiction
- ------------------
-
- _Irish Fairy and Folk Tales_ (Dorset, 1986. ISBN 0-88029-073-0.)
-
- Alexander, Lloyd, _The Book of Three_, The Black Cauldron_, _Castle of
- Llyr_, _Taran Wanderer_, _The High King_. Based on Celtic mythology,
- these are excellent "children's" books.
-
- Bedier, Joseph, _Romance of Tristan & Iseult_ (Doubleday Anchor, 1945.)
-
- Flynn, Casey, _The Gods of Ireland_ (Bantam/Spectra). This is a
- series of books which retell the mythic cycle of Irish legends. The
- individual books are short and do stand alone, at least the first two
- do.
-
- Gantz, Jeffrey, _Early Irish Myths and Sagas_ (Penguin, 1981. ISBN
- 0-14-044-397-5.)
-
- Humphreys, Emyr, _The Taliesin Tradition_, (Black Raven, 1983. ISBN
- 0-85159-002-0.) Boring.
-
- Jackson, Kenneth, _A Celtic Miscellany_ (Penguin, 1951. ISBN
- 0-14-044247-2.)
-
- Jacobs, Joseph, _Celtic Fairy Tales_ (Dover, 1968. ISBN 0-486-21826-0.)
-
- Llywelyn, Morgan, _Red Branch_ (Ivy Books, Ballantine Books, 1989.
- ISBN: 0-8041-0591-X. Retells the story of the Irish warrior-hero:
- Cuchulain, the Hound of Ulster. Has also written _Grania_, _The Horse
- Goddess_, and _Lion of Ireland_.
-
- Paxson, Diana L., _The White Raven_ (Avon Books, 1988). Retelling
- of the Tristan/Iseult legend, from the point of view of Iseult's
- slave/maid. A pretty, romantic sort of tale.
-
- Peacock, Thomas Love. _The Misfortunes of Elphin_ (c1829; many
- reprints). An irreverent take on the Mabinogion.
-
- Rolleston, T.W., _Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race_ (Constable, 1911.
- recent reprint, no date. ISBN 0-09-467720-4)
-
- Weston, Jesse L. _From Ritual to Romance_ (Anchor, 1957.) A work on
- the grail.
-
- Yeats, Wm. Butler, _The Celtic Twilight_ (Signet, 1962.)
-
- Yeats, Wm. Butler and Lady Gregory, _A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend,
- and Folklore_ (Avenel Books, 1986. ISBN: 0-517-48904-X. Irish tales,
- plus the legend of Cuchulain.
-
-
- 8. Organizations
- -----------------
-
- The Camelot (electronic) Mailing List: contact the maintainer of the
- Camelot mailing list at camelot-request@castle.ed.ac.uk for more
- information on this unmoderated list. *NOTICE* This list is now
- defunct.
-
- For another electronic mailing list, try arthurnet@morgan.ucs.mun.ca.
- I am not sure of the subscription process, perhaps email to
- arthurnet-request@morgan.ucs.mun.ca.
-
- The International Arthurian Society. [address unverfied]
- Hans R. Runte
- Department of French
- Dalhousie University
- Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5
- Canada
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Cindy Tittle Moore
-
- Internet: tittle@netcom.com USMail: PO Box 4188, Irvine CA, 92716
-