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King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Hardbound abridged edition 184 pages, "Dean's Classics" from Dean & Son Ltd.
Paperback
Published July 16, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
dnf
November 3, 2022no thanks dnf
June 13, 2020
Found in the course of a lockdown clear-out this book was with some of my mother's stuff so perhaps it belonged to her. There's no dust jacket with it and no details of when it was published so i can't date it. According to the back cover it's book number twelve from 50 of "Dean's Classics", other titles include Robinson Crusoe, Kidnapped, and The Three Musketeers. These are what we would call "classics', and from reading this i think they are books intended for children.
There can be no definitive version of the King Arthur stories and this works as a good as introduction as any. It's got the key moments that i've seen in every version i've read or programme or film i've seen; the sword in the stone, the round table, the quest for the Holy Grail, Lancelot and Guinevere and the return of Excalibur to the lake at Arthur's request just before his death.
The events seem to take place in the same period as most Robin Hood myths are set, the knights are clearly medieval knights given the description of the armour and that they are called knights at all. There's jousting and tilting, and there are castles, lots of castles. The knights are mostly noble and the women all fair and delicate just waiting for their knight to arrive and the villains get their comeuppance, eventually. It's a good way to tell a children's story.
All in all, i think it's a good way to hear the stories and it entertained me. The language is perhaps quite deliberately figured and archaic and i tripped over a few phrases. There are a tremendous amount of French words, almost all the Knights with names describing them use French words to do so, again medieval I think it places the writing of the stories perhaps in the late 19thCE though making the language deliberately old-fashioned is perhaps a device to place our imagination back even further in time so perhaps it was written in 1979. In a way i don't want to know.
There can be no definitive version of the King Arthur stories and this works as a good as introduction as any. It's got the key moments that i've seen in every version i've read or programme or film i've seen; the sword in the stone, the round table, the quest for the Holy Grail, Lancelot and Guinevere and the return of Excalibur to the lake at Arthur's request just before his death.
The events seem to take place in the same period as most Robin Hood myths are set, the knights are clearly medieval knights given the description of the armour and that they are called knights at all. There's jousting and tilting, and there are castles, lots of castles. The knights are mostly noble and the women all fair and delicate just waiting for their knight to arrive and the villains get their comeuppance, eventually. It's a good way to tell a children's story.
All in all, i think it's a good way to hear the stories and it entertained me. The language is perhaps quite deliberately figured and archaic and i tripped over a few phrases. There are a tremendous amount of French words, almost all the Knights with names describing them use French words to do so, again medieval I think it places the writing of the stories perhaps in the late 19thCE though making the language deliberately old-fashioned is perhaps a device to place our imagination back even further in time so perhaps it was written in 1979. In a way i don't want to know.
December 18, 2025
Review:
Ok, this was my first book in connection with the Arthurian Legend, and I did enjoy it. I found the beginning very entertaining, sometimes funny, and quite interesting, however, towards the end, it just kept getting sadder and sadder.
The writing is very good and it tells the story well, though it never gets into to much detail, since there is so much that have to be said.
Summary:
The book starts where King Arthur is born and then it tells all the stories of bravery and fellowship until it ends with King Arthur's death.
I mentioned that the ending is sad, and here's why: throughout the book we read about the Knights of the Round Table, how much they cared for each other an looked out for each other. And then, towards the end, everything starts falling apart and the Fellowship breaks with Knight turning against Knight. Lancelot and Queens Guinevere's stoy is also much more tragic than I ever anticipated.
Age:
I understand that this version was written for children, but I think tbat it is good for any age and if you want an introduction to the Legend, this is your book.
Final Thoughts:
Would I read it again? I don't know. Maybe. Probably.
Ok, this was my first book in connection with the Arthurian Legend, and I did enjoy it. I found the beginning very entertaining, sometimes funny, and quite interesting, however, towards the end, it just kept getting sadder and sadder.
The writing is very good and it tells the story well, though it never gets into to much detail, since there is so much that have to be said.
Summary:
The book starts where King Arthur is born and then it tells all the stories of bravery and fellowship until it ends with King Arthur's death.
I mentioned that the ending is sad, and here's why: throughout the book we read about the Knights of the Round Table, how much they cared for each other an looked out for each other. And then, towards the end, everything starts falling apart and the Fellowship breaks with Knight turning against Knight. Lancelot and Queens Guinevere's stoy is also much more tragic than I ever anticipated.
Age:
I understand that this version was written for children, but I think tbat it is good for any age and if you want an introduction to the Legend, this is your book.
Final Thoughts:
Would I read it again? I don't know. Maybe. Probably.
December 4, 2017
The classical tales of the knights of the round table retold for children. As a childrens book it is pretty good, and it is understandable why Briggs has gone for most family friendly versions of these tales. But for adults, there are better versions. Still a pleasant read :-)
January 17, 2019
Short, sweet, well witten.
February 1, 2013
This retelling of the classic Arthurian Legends is excellent. Despite it being a book for children, and written ages ago (no copyright date available), it is gripping and easy to read but with an extensive use of vocabulary requiring a dictionary (unless you already know what a fortalice, a carrack, a blazon, a seneschal, or samite is). The tales include enough detail from the original to inform and entertain as well as give the reader something more to think about. Especially the part about the quest for the Holy Grail. That's the whole point of the legends to begin with, isn't it?
November 22, 2012
Very enjoyable book, retold for young readers, but not too simplisticly. I really enjoyed the characters who were so good, noble and brave. Exciting adventures and romantic tales of married ladies and courageous knights. Wonderful!
February 8, 2014
Shoddily written stories that are repetitive and can guarantee to bore the pants of you and all you hold dear.
Some interesting stories, if they were told better, and potentially some useful instances of human nature.
But I hated it. It sucked.
Some interesting stories, if they were told better, and potentially some useful instances of human nature.
But I hated it. It sucked.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews