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Thread: King Arthur Books Question

  1. #1
    Registered User AARONDISNEY's Avatar
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    King Arthur Books Question

    I'm starting on "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White. Just wondering what other great King Arthur books there are out there...what are the best ones?

    Thanks for responding

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    Ditsy Pixie Niamh's Avatar
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    I'm assuming you read the Sword and the Stone First?

    Great King Arthur Books (but from Merlins perspective!) Is hte Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart. Best series i've ever read. are as follows...
    The Crystal Cave
    Teh Hollow Hills
    The Last Enchantment
    then there is also the book about Mordred which finishes off the series
    A Wicked Day.

    Also Helen Hollick Does a series. Its called the Pendragons Banner Trilogy. is good.Then theres
    Idylls to the King By Tennyson
    Le Morte D'Arthur by Malory
    Mists Of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
    Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court by Twain which is just a bit of fun...
    "Come away O human child!To the waters of the wild, With a faery hand in hand, For the worlds more full of weeping than you can understand."
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    Vincit Qui Se Vincit Virgil's Avatar
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    The very best is Le Morte D'Arthur by Malory.
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    Jealous Optimist Dori's Avatar
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    I have a book called Legends of King Arthur by Janyce L. Minnton. I liked it.
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    Pewter Pots! eyemaker's Avatar
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    Malory's Le Morte d' Arthur would be nicer..

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    rat in a strange garret Whifflingpin's Avatar
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    "The very best is Le Morte D'Arthur by Malory."

    That's a given - but Morte d'Arthur needs to be pretty heavily abridged to be readable.

    In fact, it is worth reading T H White's series, just to find out what Morte d' Arthur is all about.

    After that, I agree with Niamh, the Mary Stewart series provides a great rendering of the story, and weaves in strands from the rest of the Mediaeval Arthurian tapestry.

    I think "The Great Captains" by Henry Treece was the first book that I read that showed Arthur in proper historical context, rather than the high mediaevalism of Malory.
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  7. #7
    dum spiro, spero Nossa's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Virgil View Post
    The very best is Le Morte D'Arthur by Malory.
    I studied parts of that book last year, it wasn't that hard (a bit boring for me actually) but then again it was probably abridged as Whifflingpin said. So yeah, Thomas Malory is the one I know about anyways.
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  8. #8
    Registered User AARONDISNEY's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the input, guys. Sounds like if I wanna go on from the "Once and Future King" - I should go with Le Morte D'Arthur.

    Seems so far (I'm only into the first part of it 'The Sword In the Stone') It's a bit more comical than I had imagined it being, knowing very little of what to expect. The knight, King Pellinore, seems a little clumsy and mixed up. Or maybe it just starts off that way.

    Anyhow, thanks again for the advice!
    God bless!

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