King Arthur

by Michael St. John Parker

King Arthur - the name echoes loudly down the centuries, conjuring up rich images of mystery and power, chivalry and romance. But did he exist at all? Is he a mixture of several historical figures? What is the origin of those wonderful stories of the Round Table, of Excalibur and the Holy Grail, of Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere? Where were Camelot and Camlann? Did Arthur really make conquests from Iceland to the Alps? We shall never really know - but we can examine the facts of the legends in search of the shadow of Arthur looming large behind every record of his time, yet never clearly seen (Morris, The Age of Arthur).

Genres: Arthurian, Nonfiction, History

29 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little guide with lots of illustrations from medieval manuscripts, the Pre-Raphaelites and evocative landscape photography. At 29 pages, it's a pamphlet rather than a book, but it's a little, colourful gem.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little guide. Nothing really new if you have read a good selection of books about Arthur, but has some nice pictures.

[Elise Edmonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little guide to King Arthur. A bit light on detail. Well presented.

[Leila Mota · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive how a very short book can convey so much relevant information, and yet in this case it does. I wasn't expecting it. I don't remember when I bought it. Maybe when I went to Winchester and found a piece of the Round Table on a castle wall. As usual, I buy this kind of book to know a little more about what I'm seeing. In this case, it goes farther, because it's been a long, long time since I've got hooked by the Arthurian legends. I even studied a little bit of it in college. I found that there many facts that I didn't know, I mean, information about the legend's sources, which you can pursue if you want to deepen your knowledge.

[Helen Pugsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have decided this information sticks to me like typhlon. Still a very informationive book.

[Lafrog8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this guide from my bookshelf for background reading - we were watching "The Last Kingdom" TV series and King Arthur stories are primarily set just before (when the Saxons where the invaders).
Good reading and interesting facts about the mystery/history surrounding King Arthur.
While reading the book, I realised that this was purchased in Winchester non only where a lot of "The Last Kingdom" is set but also where my future husband proposed to me (book was purchased that weekend, which is sweet really).

[Coenraad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Pitkin guide is presented as elegantly as all the others in the series. It is well laid out and beautifully illustrated. The text provides a readable ánd scholarly overview of the story and stories about King Arthur: what is the possible historical background? How has the corpus of stories developed and morphed over time? We are given enough food for thought to embark on our own quest in the mystical, mythical land of Arthur.

Die geskiedenis van Koning Arthur is in mistiek en onsekerheid gehul. Hierdie Pitkin Guide voorsien 'n elegante inleiding tot die problematiek, leesbaar én insigryk, met pragtige ilkustrasies en foto's wat die leser verlei om self 'n avontuur te onderneem in dié misterieuse storiewêreld.