The Mammoth Book of King Arthur

by Mike Ashley (Editor)

In this truly mammoth guide, Mike Ashley analyzes and explicates the line between the real Arthurian world and the legends that surround it. Ashley gives us a firm identity not only for King Arthur, but also for Merlin, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table—as well as identifying all the major Arthurian sites. He traces the development of each of the legends and shows how they were related to events happening at the time, bringing a new dimension of realism to the magical Arthurian world. Ashley also offers new and little known information on Arthur—including a fascinating link to the present royal family and the likelihood that Arthurian legends arose from the exploits of not just one man but at least four. With over 700 pages, this is the most complete single-volume guide to Arthurian legend and history.

Genres: Arthurian, History, Nonfiction, Mythology, Reference, Anthologies, Historical

704 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Michael Raymond Donald Ashley is the author and editor of over sixty books that in total have sold over a million copies worldwide. He lives in Chatham, Kent.

Reviews

[Aenea Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book goes into incredible detail when it comes to tracing the legends back to their (supposed) historicity. It can be tough to read, and I think it helps to be already familiar with the general setting and major characters of the Arthurian Legend.
If you want to know where the fiction drew from facts, this book is a good source.
However, I would not recommend it to people unfamiliar with both the Arthurian Legend and English History, because it is quite a lot to digest and might overwhelm with its elaboration.

But if knowing the romances is not enough for you, and you want to dive deeper into the background, this is a well-researched and comprehensive guidebook.

[Tedders · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome reference.

While I laboured long and hard to get through the first half, full of old names that circle back, and place I needed to google, it was well worth the effort. The third makes for excellent cliff's notes on the growth and representations of the mythos up to the Victorian era. Finally the third part is a goodreads list waiting to happen.

My copy will promptly be run through with a highlighter.

[Arthurianmaiden · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is an essay that analize firt the idea of Arthur as an historical figure and then his legends. At the end it has a little dictionary of names. I've noticed that there are some mistakes (there is even the awful mistake of saying Mordred is the son of Morgana... it is something I really can't stand and the reason why my rating is so low).
The good thing is that it has a nice list of arthurian movies and modern arthurian authors.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It... ah.... wasn't what I expected.

I thought this would be another anthology of short stories, this time around the theme of King Arthur, as Mike Ashley has done with many others in the 'Mammoth' series. Instead, we get an encyclopedia on the history of all things King Arthur - the back story of Roman Briton, the Dark Ages, the possible historical contenders, word and name entomologies and how they evolved, the authors with had a major hand in developing the legend of the years, character sheets, time lines, battle field maps, and more.

So, definitely a good source if you are thinking of writing your own King Arthur story and are looking for source material.

[Ailed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very comprehensive, well-researched book about the origins of the Arthurian legend, its historical context, and evolution. Some of the chapters are specifically about certain characters or elements and how they evolved and became part of the Arthurian literature. For example, there is a chapter about Tristan and Isolde and how it was interpreted and adapted by various authors.
It also adds references to English translations for the myths and stories that are mentioned, which I found very helpful, and a brief who's who at the end that can come in handy in the absence of Norris's Arthurian Encyclopedia.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview and summary.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good resource but not a compelling read.

[T.A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say I thought this would be a collection of stories and instead it was a detail discussion of the history behind the legend, which if I'd read the blur I would have known! So not really what I was expecting or what I enjoy reading but there were some interesting details so if you want to see the truth behind the myth it is worth a read.

[Edileide Bodenhausen]

Absolutely interesting and fascinating reading

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ploughing my way through the opening chapters on Ancient Britain. Heavy list of past rules and pretenders as battle for power was never greater it would seem.

[Buryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

a LOT of name dropping of past Kings, etc... but a very thorough source for all things Arthurian.

[Annette Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've thoroughly enjoyed dipping into this book from time-to-time, furthering my knowledge and interest in both the literary and real King Arthur.

[a · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mammoth Book of King Arthur definitely lives up to its promise of being the most complete Arthurian sourcebook ever.

[Traveller]

Oh no! Is this book out of print? It seems to be out of stock everywhere, and Amazon has only a used copy...