King Arthur and His Knights

by James Knowles

Sir James Knowle's tale of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Tale is resurrected in this ornate children's edition. Intricate black-and-white drawings of knights, damsels and wizards add to the mystery and folklore of Sir Arthur.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Arthurian, Historical Fiction, Mythology, Adventure

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1923

About the author

Sir James Knowles was an English architect and editor.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was able to read this by myself so apparently I'm an 'advanced' reader. Take that, middle school accelerated reader tests!

Anyhow, when I was younger I really liked this book. Exciting fights, quests to save princesses, rescuing villages from giants, etc. It was a lot of fun.

Now that I'm older it seems more like the story of a bunch of sociopaths wandering the countryside and picking fights with each other because their 'honor' demands it.

Okay, that's an exaggeration. The cannibalistic giants needed to be killed and plenty of the false knights were really evil. But that doesn't change the fact that even the good knights pick fights with each other whenever they don't recognize each other (and then hugging and crying when they do).

And there's very little characterization. Galahad's incorruptibly pure, Key is a coward, Gawain is hot-headed and Lancelot is a boss but everyone else seems to be roughly the same character.

That being said, I did enjoy rereading it if only for the nostalgia and because my knowledge of European history and geography is better so I know where more of these people are from and where the stories are taking place.

And a side note that I found funny. When I was a kid I thought this was actual history. Despite the preface talking about how it's all legends, morality tales and chivalric romances. I think I realized I was wrong about the same time I realized that the Soviet Union didn't exist anymore. Ah young, dumb me.

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommended for fans of Arthurian lore.

Inspired by the 19th century popularity of Tennyson’s Idylls of the King (the introduction makes much of the author’s friendship with Tennyson), this retelling is based on Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. I grew up on the Malory edition edited by Pollard (with Arthur Rackham’s wonderful illustrations), so these two books ought to be quite similar. Are they? Hmm. I haven’t read my old book in a while – though it’s now available free from archive.org: https://archive.org/details/ofkingart...

From a quick perusal – yes, there’s a similarity, but not so much that it’s not worthwhile to read both books. Both update and abridge the text, making it bit easier for a modern audience to read, while maintaining the medieval flavor of the language.

Even if the text were identical, this edition would be worthwhile just for the illustrations. Louis Rhead was an extremely popular illustrator, up until the 1920s, and the images here show why. He does a great job of meshing the romantic style of the day with historical detail and Celtic design elements. Absolutely gorgeous.

Revisiting the content for the first time in many years reminds one how many layers have been laid over the original legends. While the illustrations reflect the romance and chivalry that we expect from these stories, the stories themselves are another thing. These are not stories that reflect the romantic ideals of the 19th century, and certainly not the attitudes of the 21st. The attitudes displayed here are literally right out of the middle ages. His knights pay lip service to honor and courtesy, and not much more. These are petty, jealous, violent men. They quarrel constantly and for no reason. It’s dishonorable to kill your own brother, but pretty much anyone else is fair game. Women are frequently treated as property. Combat is the expected way to resolve any dispute, and a way to prove one’s worth. (Although noble blood is also expected to ‘tell’ – a low-born boy who shows talent at knightly pursuit must, of course, actually be a knight’s bastard.) These attitudes are woven in with a mystical/magical view of Christianity which is also very alien to a modern conception of the religion. It’s fascinating!

Aside from giving an accurate glimpse into the culture and issues of another time, this book would also lend itself quite well to a drinking game. A shot every time someone’s head is either ‘smote’ directly off or cleaved in two, would get you wasted pretty quickly! ;-)

A copy of this Dover e-book edition was provided by NetGalley - which affects my opinion not at all. THANKS!

[Joe Bruno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't be confused, one of the first significant books I read, as a grade-schooler, was an illustrated copy of "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Malory. I have been enchanted by the written Arthur stories ever since. I don't recall if the text was abridged or not, but there were engraved illustrations under onion-skin paper you had to lift to see. I also had a copy of "The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights" by Steinbeck that I fully enjoyed. So I am a fan of the Arthur tradition.

This though, is just not a strong enough stand alone work. It is selections from Malory's work, but except for the sword in the stone they are not the selections I would have hoped for. As a child "Le Morte d'Arthur" was about Arthur, and the things that happened to him. There were side stories and minor characters, but the whole thing started and ended with Arthur. I was anticipating the selections to be about that. This had more to do about Lancelot, and somehow not the dual nature of the character that I recall.

I found this 1956 copy at a thrift shop down the street. I think I paid a buck for it. It was a neat little copy and brought certain things to memory. But listen, if you want to read about Arthur, borrow a copy of "Le Morte d'Arthur" from the library. If you find you enjoy reading the style that book is written and enjoy the stories and the way the action goes then finish it and research some other Arthur stories that are out there. People have been telling and retelling these stories for centuries. This little collection of selections makes little sense on its own. It is unsatisfying to someone who knows the Arthur stories and a bad starting point for someone who does not.

[Deborah Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a pre-teen, and it certainly got me hooked on the legends of King Arthur. It is a fairly "sanitized" version, all knights and lovely ladies, with some magical creatures including the famous Merlin. Since then I have graduated to reading the darker tales, such as "the Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, which doEs much to fill in the details of the time including the worship of the Mother Goddess, the conflict between the so-called pagans of the time and the Christian Church. The love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere, far from being purely platonic as told by Lodor Merchant, was a true love affair which destroyed the lives of the three people there entwined. The lives of the priestesses, Morgaine Le Fey, her mother, and her three sisters, are more fully explored, as are their machinations which were to bring about the tragedies at the Court of Camelot.

[Susy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Streamlined Malory stories, compiled for older children, this is a good intro into Arthurian legend and tales for older children (pre-teen).

Anyone older should really just get La Morte d'Arthur.

[Ronald Kelland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. This is a tough read. I read this aloud with my son as the audience. I chose this as I thought that it would be more accessible than diving into Mallory, and it probably is, but that still does not make it easy. It is written in archaic English and is in a style that will not be familiar to people today. There were many stops in the reading so that I could explain what was going on to my son. He understood a surprising amount of it, but there were times he, and I, we're very confused. There is a lot of smoting, 10 year old bots love smoting. My criticism comes not from the language or the style, it is more due to the content itself, I hesitate to use the word plot, as there is nary a plot at times. There are a lot of disjointed passages and the passage of time is confusing, p,yes there is an awful lot of coincidence going through the book. Now, before the purists jump on me, I do recognize that this book is based on numerous oral and written traditions. I am very curious to learn where the traditions end and Knowles contributions begin. It is a challenging read, but worth it.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this because I had never really read any King Arthur/Knights of the Round Table/Camelot books and wanted to know what it was all about. This was just a compilation of stories, mostly backgrounds of how King Arthur and his knights came to be and was based on the original Arthur story, Morte de Arthur. I really enjoyed the stories and learning the backgrounds of all the knights like Lancelot and Galahad, and also Merlin, etc. They did kinda start to sound the same by the end, and also it was very straightforward, juvenile writing, but fun.

[Nebuchanezer · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as i wanted to enjoy this book, i found it mostly to be very repetitive. The majority of the book seems to consist of good knight sees damsel in distress from bad knight, knights fight, good knight wins repeat ad infinitum. Only the improvement towards the end (quest for the Holy Grail onwards) saved this book from being truly dull

[Kidsbookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son and I read this version of King Arthur at the same time; thank goodness we have 2 copies of the book! He's LOVED it from the very first story. He was so excited to be able to read this.

I enjoyed the introduction, and brushed up on my early history of England and the UK at the same time.

King Arthur stories are Must Reads, and this one is great for kids and middle-schoolers.

[Shannen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can handle the old English, but connecting the story arc from one scene to the next was pretty rough, making it feel like the same scene repeated again and again. Some guy has his honor tested, he goes off to kill either that person, or an entire town. He enters another town all battered and bruised, repeat ad nauseam.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was amazed at how often everyone "smote" one another. I like the Arthur stories, but it can be a bit repetitive after a while. A lot of damsels wandering through the forest and then of course the "smiting".

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

i started and quit this book so many times but i have finally made it to the end!

this being my introduction to Arthurian Legend was unfortunate but after a YouTube video quickly explaining the history and the main plot points of the legend, this read a bit easier. the book's pacing is punishing but mostly due to how the Arthurian Legend is only somewhat about Arthur and more his various random knights. The first few chapters and the last few chapters were significantly better than the entire middle 200 pages but what can i say, i think Lancelot is the most interesting.

things that stuck out to me:
love the explanations of Stonehenge:
"The giants of old brought them from the
furthest coast of Africa, and placed them in Ireland while they lived in that country: and their design was to make baths in them, for use in time of grievous illness.
For if they washed the stones and put the sick into the water, it certainly healed them, as also it did them that were wounded in battle; and there is no stone among them but hath the same virtue still."
"But when they sought to move the stones, the strength of all the army was in vain, until Merlin, laughing at their failures, contrived machines of wondrous cunning, which took them down with ease, and placed them in the ships."
"Then was the monument called "Stonehenge," which stands, as all men know, upon the plain of Salisbury to this very day."


Merlin and the other magic existing alongside Christianity was interesting, yet again only witches are considered evil. However, Merlin is not as altruistic as my impression of him was...and he got his due in the end.
The Christian elements feel forced at times.

Love the Sword in the Stone lore, love the psuedo-history of Arthur conquering so much. However, the writing was so poor and so "and Then this happened, and Then this happened" that it was not enjoyable.

There seemed to be some sex and violence that certain modern audiences would deem offensive (not me though lol) but i was shocked at the graphic decapitations throughout.

Was not prepared for Lancelot to describe Galahad as "demure as a dove"

I think theres a level of homoeroticism that appears in fantasy or other previously "male-dominated" genres that perhaps became a strong element here. Men are obsessed with men.

they really waited til the last chapter for the juicy bits :(

Guinevere and Lancelot punished for adultery makes sense but im sorry Arthur was a chosen one with hardly any interesting elements

[Gonzalo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read as part of a reading club at my old gaming group. Our purpose is to read “Appendix N” books, or more broadly books that inspired RPGs. There’s a trick here because to the best of my knowledge Sir James Knowles’ book is not cited as inspiration in any RPG. However, it is a retelling of Mallory’s “Hoole book”, so I guess it still counts.

The retelling is peculiar in two ways. First, because, at least my edition was sold as a children’s book. Louis Rhead’s illustrations are great, if not terribly accurate from a historical point of view, rather Wagnerian in my opinion. The Lancelot Speed ones I have seen online seem to be much better in that regard. But I digress. Illustrations aside, Mallory’s is not a children’s book, and neither is Knowles’. There is violence aplenty even if I got the impression the relationships between Tristram and Isould, Lancelot and Genevieve, and, the rape of Igerna, are less explicit than elsewhere (I have not double checked Mallory for this review).

The other peculiarity, which certainly does not make it more kid friendly is its language choice. The book is written (in my non-native opinion) in a Victorian imitation of Early Modern English. While this probably makes it more difficult to read than Pyle or White, it is perhaps a good introduction to Mallory.

And at the end of the day, this is all this book is, a version of Mallory’s. Again, without having double checked the original source, I believe all the Arthur section are more or less “rightly sized” and I would argue the last chapter “La Morte D’Artur” is particularly good. The other chapters suffer from some of the same problems the original book had: action jumps from place to place to place and from knight to knight very quickly, which might be compounded with the fact Knowles’ book is much shorter than Mallory’s without too much benefit of modern punctuation (more space between sections of a chapter that are clearly not correlated anyone?). Some stories feel (and are) definitively shorter: Tristram, Lancelot, the Grail Quest…But for all it flaws, I read it in less than a month, while the “Hoole book” took me two years (with plenty of breaks and restarts but two years).

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is a mixed bag. Its a collection of the core King Arthur legend from Malory's "canon" version (Malory's version is itself a fixup of previous and alternate tales from all over time and place - Arthurian lore is way too complicated for me to really dive into). At times the book suffers from blandness as characters go from one place to another and do things in a rather flat, artificially archaic English prose. Other times this is the best part of the book and it has a regal, old world sense of story telling. Many times this prose is outright hilarious as characters inexplicably lop off heads, duel or kidnap random ladies or knights wandering about - it brings Monty Python's Holy Grail to mind as being hilarious in a different way, that the arbitrary violence and randomness of the movie is sometimes a quite a literal adaptation of things as they seem to happen in this book. This artificially archaic English prose is both the best and the worst thing about this book, as many many times it was difficult to interpret. But English has changed a lot since this book was published in 1860 and this book uses 16th century pronouns and inflections with more 18th-19th century definitions for words. The trouble is it doesn't make use of any of the word play or inventiveness from that wide selection of time. If you are fluent in Shakespeare, this book will probably read like a washing machine instruction manual but with a liberal amount of jousting, distressed ladies and beheadings.

[Bernice Puleng Mosala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t remember if I ever read this book as a child, but for as long as I can remember it’s been gathering dust in my house. Upon cracking it open, it smelt musky like only old books do. The tales are a bit disjointed as I believe they are a compilation of different segments from Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. Regardless, I loved each one. Every knight had a unique quest, often peppered with a love story and salted heavily with nobility and honour. There is mystery, magic and excitement, which is perfect for anyone with a taste of adventure. It might just be that I feel incredibly nostalgic lately, but I really enjoyed this book. A children’s book, yes, but aren’t we all just big kids trying to find our way through what the world calls “adulthood”.

[Michael Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

A much-needed abridgement of Thomas Malory's rambling archaic Le Morte D'Arthur, rearranged to make more sense and prune some dead language. The result is a delight, bringing the medieval tales of King Arthur to life while sacrificing little of the authenticity. In terms of writing, it's quite poor, but the fact that it was taken as fact for so many centuries makes it historically interesting, and the wide-eyed tales of honour, chivalry and adventure are so sincere that I enjoyed losing myself in them for a few hours.

[Administraktör · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pg 106. I'm way too busy to finish this book unfortunately. Maybe later I'll pick it back up. The old English is slowing my reading pace and I have to reread a page several times to understand what's going on, so much that I've found myself just completely losing the plot, barely understanding most of the events. Therefore I leave it for a time where I'm in a better headspace.

[Evan Blough · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can be summed as "arthur gets the sword an crown, 300 pages of knights jousting and randomly killing other knights, a worse adaptation of a monty python classic, and then death"

[Georgia Tromans]

“in you I have had mine earthly joy, and, if I had found you now so disposed, I had cast me to have had you into mine own realm.”

Sir Lancelot!!!!

[Caydon Dial · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good reiteration of one of history’s most famous English classics.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

So like pretty much every 11th grade student in the state of Michigan, I had to read the story "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" at some point. I remember reading it, and watching cartoons like Justice League and Gargoyles (who had elements borrowed from these stories) and thinking "Okay, I wonder what other fantastical adventures King Arthur had other than just these two stories I've heard of? So I can finally say now that I know of them, sort of.

I have to admit, I feel a bit let down. I made the mistake I have made before of listening to an Audiobook version which left me kind of confused and feeling left in the dust. I am very willing to actually give this book a second try with a physical copy in the future as a result. Part of the problem was the language (which is dated) and the other with the characters and the way they are written. It is almost like you are expected to come into this book knowing who half this people are. "Oh King Aflered of North Wales! I've heard of this guy before! No, his kingdom is next to Cameldown not Camelot! I totally know where they're going. Classic Aflered!" I almost wish I had a primer to read this book with, or a very well read college Professor to take breaks and converse with and ask questions to. It felt like a LOT of stuff was just thrown out and not explained.

So yeah, this book is definitely not some book you can casually listen to in Audiobook format, unless you're a scholar in Middle English Epics or something like that. I did enjoy some of the stories, and in some ways it made me nostalgic for my 11th Grade English teacher who explained what they all meant by this action or this character.

But I felt a lot like the experience was a little sour for me. I wish I could have taken the time, read the book and even read more background information on the book. I will definitely give this a re-read one day. You know, once I finish the other 400 books on my TBR pile.

[Jonn'e · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given this book as part of a set when I was a young girl. I don’t remember reading much of it then, but I have known some basics about the King Arthur legend all my life, so it’s possible that I got them from this book. Rereading it many years later with my 10-year-old son, I am very dissatisfied with this level of fiction.

I suppose it is a fair summary of many of the stories, but the characters are also one-dimensional, and the stories are also similar, that it takes much of the excitement out of the legend of King Arthur and his knights. At least, I suppose the basics are apparent: chivalry, honor, fairies, adventure. But I can’t believe my son quietly sat through the whole book and kept asking for it. To me, it really wasn’t worth finishing.

There is one story towards the end that was actually longer, more detailed, and more interesting than all the rest. That’s the story of Sir Gawaine and his betrayal of Pelleas. If all the stories could have been like this, the book would have been much more engaging.

Reading a book written so long ago about events that are set even longer ago, it is interesting to hear the motivations of some of the characters. At least reading the book gave us many opportunities for discussions about what people should have done or could have done to ameliorate their situations, instead of giving up or instead “doing the honorable thing.“

My final complaint about this book is that, since it is written for children, it glosses over the nastier aspects of people’s characters. For example, there is no mention of the betrayal of Guinevere. There is very slight indication of the evil of King Arthur’s sister. And even the story about how Merlin is the bewitched to give up his post and sail away, glosses over the unpleasant motivation of Nimue who did it to him.

[MeriBeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a direct reprint of the original Knowles book which itself was a reworking or compilation of Sir Thomas Mallory's stories about King Arthur. One needs to know this fact right from the start of the book as the language and writing style is very old fashioned, slightly florid, and sometimes difficult to read. Still for those who love Arthurian literature, this book will be a very good resource as it is an unabridged collection of Mallory's tales as retold by Knowles. It was a very popular book when first published, extremely popular on the resale market, so having a new edition published makes a lot of sense.

The stories are familiar from the many tellings and retellings of Arthur's story but these are the original tales, including some little known ones and the side stories of the lesser known members of Arthur's court. Because of the writing style, typical of the late 19th century when the book was first written, that familiarity comes in handy in keeping track of events and knowing what's happening. Still this is a good book for any fan of Arthurian Literature to have on their bookshelf.

Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Nonethousand Oberrhein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a glimpse of knighthood
The revised (with modernized syntax) text of Sir Malory still has the power to transport any reader to the world of errant knights, damsels in distress, and incredible portents. However, as the myth unfolds page after page, the presence of Editor R.T. Davies, arbitrary selecting excerpts and cutting out five sixth (as declared in the Introduction) of the original work, becomes cumbersome and somewhat annoying when entire secondary quests are redacted and summarized in unfulfilling notes a couple of lines long. While understanding the Editor’s goal to keep the reader focused on the most notorious arthurian characters, the errant knights ethusiasts are left longing for more.

[Agata · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

I can't say I was expecting a lot, I'm just a huge fan of Arthurian legends. It is obviously written a lot differently than a normal book today, it's just a bunch of myths and legens written together, it feels very unpersonal. Maybe like a fairytale, we can say. At times it could be a little boring because of it but I actually really enjoyed a bit, especially the last part. It definitely helped me a bit with my research about medieval literature and knight's stories. Also, the tale with Gareth and Lynette and their journey, they would be so perfect together. They definitely matured over time and she grew to like him which would be perfect for romance but he just chose her sister whom she just randomly saved from an evil knight and barely knew her.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved the stories of Arthur. This, in my opinion, is one of the better versions. It's not a modern novel, nor is it the very old Le Morte d'Arthur. It is a classic, a true tale. This particular edition in wonderfully illustrated. What I perhaps like best about it is the multitude of tales in it. It's not just the main plot arc of sword in stone, Guinevere, Black Knight, Holy Grail, and the war with Lancelot. It is all the little stories of each of Arthur's knights and the wonders they encounter. This is definitely something I will read to my future children. All children should grow up with fireside tales.

[Veleda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've joked that Thomas Malory wrote Le Morte d'Arthur before they invented characterization, and James Knowles doesn't improve on that in his retelling. Characters do things without any deep sense of why they are doing those things. This is a very dry telling of Arthurian legend, with little emotional depth.

Nonetheless, Knowles's work contains many less well known pieces of Arthurian legend, and so is valuable for that. And of course it has many familiar and well loved stories. Worth reading if you're already an Arthurian legend fan, but not likely to convert anyone.

[Aran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was mainly an 'okay' book for me. The prose was rather simplistic in that it did a lot more telling than showing, and sometimes the pacing was wonky. I never truly knew how much time was passing.

I also quickly got tired of the brothers almost or actually killing each other, knights killing other knights in general and regretting it, and knights realizing they had children.

There were some parts that I thought were cool (like Gawain getting judged by a court of all women) but it was mostly okay.

[Julio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un libro aburrido. Cuenta la historia de Arturo y sus caballeros, es cierto, pero quitándole la historia que todos conocemos (y que es interesante) queda un 80% de ociosidad caballeresca (llamada aventura en el libro) en que los caballeros no tienen otra cosa que hacer que buscar camorra una y otra vez, mientras las damiselas, que juegan un miserable rol en toda la historia (qué diferencia con la excelente Nieblas de Avalón) sólo esperan ser salvadas o morir de amor. Me costó acabar.

[Albert Meier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who could quibble with the stories of the Arthurian legend? The stories are great, but this edition suffers from its age. It aims to be a young adult adaptation, but it doesn't make the stories particularly accessible for a high school level reader. By the time one becomes comfortable with the form, most would prefer something closer to Malory's original. So, not the edition I'd chose first, but if it's what you have, read it with joy.