Illustrated Encyclopedia of Arthurian Legends

by Ronan Coghlan

A study of Arthurian romance and legend which draws together the different strands of Arthurian myth, from sources as diverse as Geoffrey of Monmouth, Malory, Chretien de Troyes, the Mabinogion, and the English Gawain cycles.

Genres: Arthurian, Reference, Mythology, Nonfiction, History, Art, Medieval

Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often plundered and even plagiarised – frequently online and most notably in print by Mike Dixon-Kennedy in his Arthurian Myth and Legend: an A-Z of People and Places (1996) – this was the first really accessible dictionary of Arthurian personages, locales and other miscellanea. While not an academic publication the Encyclopaedia at least references most of its entries (unlike its main rival, mentioned above) while still striving to be user-friendly. This original edition includes full-page line drawings by Courtney Davis in a neo-Celtic style, but soon gave way to a fully-illustrated full-colour coffee-table edition which must have sold in even more numbers.

Entries are sometimes terse but rarely uninteresting, and relatively easy to cross-reference. There are family trees, some in variant versions from differing narrative traditions (for example Welsh, German or French); and a few maps, though these are rather basic. Coghlan, though an idiosyncratic author (his books range from Robin Hood to cryptozoology, from Sherlock Holmes to an excellent dictionary of Irish Christian names) is an enthusiastic Arthurian, no doubt aided by his stint as a dealer in secondhand and antiquarian books trading as Excalibur Books.

This is most useful as a ready-reference book for those more obscure Arthurian sites and personages, and its list of consulted books is still useful if now a little dated. As this is primarily a sourcebook of legends there is relatively little on literary works of more recent centuries, but Coghlan is strong on Arthuriana up to and including Malory, though he does include a few notices of later folklore and popular tales. Even for seasoned Arthurians there is much of interest here, and it’s consistently reliable (which is more than can be said for the Dixon-Kennedy rip-off).

http://wp.me/s2oNj1-encyclo

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thi is a great reference guide to have kicking around if you like Arthurian legends. Just having it from the library isn't good enough. I hope to own it one day because it is truly an encyclopaedia so it isn't something you can just read from start to finish though I tried. I found that I learned a lot and was often looking up things mentioned on Wikipedia as well to learn more if the references to a person/event were too brief.

[Ky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous book I bought used recently for my love of Arthurian legend. The art is gorgeous, and it does have a great compilation of names and places; however, for many of the names shown in here, only sparse information is given. But, this is more than worth purchasing just for the gorgeous cover and art, and the list of names to quickly search through when you want a reminder of who a certain Arthurian figure is. Use it more as a field guide to quickly refresh yourself on a person or as a launching stage to discover new figures and places. I do recommend it!

[Charis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends by Ronan Coghlan

In my earlier mad hunts through secondhand bookstores for every Arthurian tome I could find, I saw a foreword from John Matthews - and a desire to have a good compendium of Arthurian characters that I selected this book. Indeed, I'm grateful I did. Taking from sources including Geoffrey of Monmouth, The Mabinogion, and Chrétien de Troyes, there's a great mix of Celtic, Christian, and historical lore found here. Characters, artefacts, and locations can be found in this reference book. In my copy, presently lies roughly two-dozen sticky notes.

As an intro and reference book, The Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends is a great launching pad for Arthurian enthusiasts. It's excellent at starting one's journey in researching a character, per se. While each addition isn't especially extensive (except for major players such as Merlin or the Grail), one that had pages for each addition would be huge. (I mean, I'd buy it, but that's because I'm in this Arthurian journey for the long haul; as a means of dipping one's toes or needing a fleeting refresher, a catalogue this size does the trick.)

And that's all to say nothing of the illustrations by Courtney Davis, which are just gorgeous. I particularly love her take on Merlin's Madness.

In all, I would definitely recommend this title if you're into Arthurian lore, be it newly so or an old friend of the mythology. 3/5.

[Aenea Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it gives you a good overview of the contents of the Arthurian Legend, and includes pretty much all the persons and many places, I feel like it could have been more detailed.
But if you want to look up quickly who's who, it's a good choice.

[V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent reference guide with many tidbits even seasoned Arthurian legend readers may not know! considered & thorough without being so dense it becomes difficult to wade through. a lovely book!

[Andoni Mv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tqm Sir Gawain.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read and very informative of all the players of Arthurian legends. However it was literally an encyclopedia so it took a little bit to read.

[Michelle Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Formatted for people who love all things Arthurian, nice pictures, some good information. A reference for the pop culture of symbolism. If you want to know where the Lady of the Lake really came from, see my blog at www.whiteknightstudio.com. Read "The Lady of the Iron Sword". But all in all a nice book.

[Lucy Barnhouse]

This is a gorgeous book, offering an alphabetically-organized journey through the matter of Arthur from the fifth century to the nineteenth. As an adolescent besotted with the legends, I adored this volume. It is both more scholarly and more beautifully produced than some similar works, and it still holds a place on my shelves.

[Shimmywith4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for keeping track of all the characters. And explanations of how the same story can differ so much. On a personal note: reading a quote from a historian that a leader of my church is "Merlin reincarnated" was truly priceless and, I thought, the best part of the book;)

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of medieval literature or the Arthurian legend (I enjoy military and US history more than anything). This still an interesting book to read through and learn about the numerous tales and characters.

[Nick Pearson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite boring of a read--though I guess it is an encyclopedia! Informative IF you have context. I feel you'd get more out of this if you were very familiar with the source materials. If you haven't read the sources, you may find yourself a bit confused.

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't tell you how many times I have used this book as a reference. I only wish there were more information on some on the entries. Gret resource.

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It includes some good discussion of the more obscure knights and their adventures; but it was lacking in references and other sources. The audience clearly is not academic or college-level.

[Lilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference source!

[James Holt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustration, but the content would probably only interest an arthur fanatic or a scholar of medieval literature.

[Beryl Cost · Rating 5 out of 5]

perhaps not the most scholerly of books but i do love it. perhaps because it was a gift from my father when I was a girl.

[reveurdart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good and solid Encyclopaedic reference with a varied asortment of paintings and illustrations. One of my favourite Arthurian books.

[S. Paterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.