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Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!faqserv
From: tittle@zmall.com (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.books,alt.legend.king-arthur,alt.mythology,alt.answers,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: Arthurian Booklist (rec.arts.books)
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Summary: This is a periodically posted informational post about books
that are related to the story of King Arthur and Camelot. It
includes novels, poems, research, and a few related stories.
X-Last-Updated: 1997/02/21
Originator: faqserv@penguin-lust.MIT.EDU
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Archive-name: books/arthurian
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URL: http://www.zmall.com/bmm/books-faq/arthurian.html
Last-modified: 20 Feb 1997
Arthurian Booklist
This is a reading list involving the Arthurian legend. For its
original inception, I would like to thank the readers of the old
Camelot mailing list (no longer in circulation). I wrote a good many
of the original reviews when I was a member, but since then a number
of people have submitted additional references for inclusion into this
list. The very latest copy of this file may be found at the above
listed URL.
Hey check these out! Nice!
* http://dc.smu.edu/Arthuriana/.
* http://www.lib.montana.edu/~slainte/intart.html
* http://calvin.stemnet.nf.ca/~djohnsto/arthur.html
* http://dcwww.mediasvcs.smu.edu/Arthuriana/Bibliography/
There are a number of very obscure references in here, especially with
respect to historic works and research. Check out your library's
Interlibrary Loan: chances are that you'll be able to get ahold of a
reference this way even if your local library itself doesn't have it.
Talk to the librarian! That's what they are there for!
My criterion for these books is that it be concerned with the Arthur
legend in some way. I have several categories:
* Fiction: novelizations of the Camelot legend, or novels that use
significant elements of the legend.
* Poetry: poetic renditions of the legend.
* Non-Fiction and research: includes research into the origin of the
legends, speculation on who the original characters might have
been, studies and critiques of medieval sources, literary
criticism, etc.
* Medieval and Early Texts: original or modern translations of texts
written before 16th century or so (an arbitrary divison point I
used).
* Periodicals: references that appear in magazines and articles.
These are typically research notes.
* Arthurian references: novelizations that use the legend in a minor
way or as secondary characters.
* Celtic Fiction: reworkings (novelizations) of traditional Celtic
stories. I suppose I could have a category for research into
celtic fiction, but the ones I consider relevant are in the
non-fiction and research section above.
* Organizations: finally, I provide a list of organizations dealing
with the Camelot legend. This is not exhaustive; in fact, it's
rather incomplete and I would love more information.
In general, related stories are acceptable (such as Tristam and
Iseult). Stories in other time periods are acceptable as long as they
still center on the Arthur myth (Kennealy's _Hawk's Gray Feather_) or
are talking about his return (_Sir Machinery_ and others). References
to Arthurian elements are also acceptable, but I do not put all of
them in (a complete listing would be very large!); only the ones that
seem interesting. The Celtic works are included, because many of them
apparently provide an early genesis for the Arthurian stories, and
others are stories derived from minor characters in the Arthurian
stories (or perhaps the other way around, characters from well known
stories got honorable mention in these later stories --- who can
tell?).
Disclaimer: I have not vouched for the accuracy of each and every
entry in this list. If you find mistakes or have additional
information on a reference, by all means, let me know. I likewise
appreciate any additions to this list. Send them to the addresses at
the end of this posting.
Also please note that for some books their mere inclusion into this
bibliography constitutes a spoiler of sorts. Don't say you haven't
been warned!
Thanks to: Kurt Anderson, Shannon Appel (of the now defunct Camelot
mailing list), Ed Aubry, Landen Bain, Richard Barber, Ron Bean, Leanne
Bereznak, Wendy Betts, John Brannick, Mike Castle, Peter Chubb, Ben
Cohen, Denis Constales, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, Peter Davis, James Drew,
Gary D. Duzan, Harry Erwin, A.T. Fear, Scott Federhen, Margaret Martin
Gardiner, Roger Gardiner, Susan Gere, Todd Goldberg, Mark Edward
Harris, Steve Hartwell, Cameron Hayne, Sandra Hereld, Peter Janes, Tim
Johnson, Ray Kaiser, Peter Kumaschow, Jane Lean, Grace Lee, David
Lester, David Librik, Dave Linton, William D.B. Loos, Linda Malcor,
Melchar, Kevin McGuire, Alex Martelli, Francis Muir, Rick Myers,
Patrick Nielsen-Hayden, Terry O'Brien, Lisa Padol, Kimberly
Passarella, Robert Paulsen, Charles Power, Craig Presson, Stephen
Reimer, David Salley, Dale Schierbeck, William Smith, Steve Thomas,
Scott Vandenbe, Peter Van Heusden, Janet Walz, Nick Westgate, Tom
Wicklund, Darren Williams, Jean Wilson, Mary Winters, Erick "a six
foot hobbit," and MJ aka "classic bitch" for their help in putting
this list together.
This compilation is Copyright 1994-1996 by Cindy Tittle Moore. All
rights reserved.
_________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
* Fiction
* Poetry
* Non-fiction and research
* Medieval and early texts
* Periodicals
* Arthurian references (fictional)
* Celtic fiction
* Organizations
_________________________________________________________________
Fiction
_Arthur Sex #7: The Erotic Adventures of King Arthur. Castle of Ill
Repute: Part one of two_. This is a comic book. More issues? It is
actually fairly faithful to Malory. Unsure whom to credit.
_The Romance of King Arthur_ (Mayflower, 1979. Reprint of 1917
Edition. ISBN 08317-7460-6.)
ab Hugh, Dafydd. _Arthur War Lord_ (Avon Books, 1994. ISBN
0-380-77028-8.) Part one of two. Two present day people find
themselves catapulted back in time, replaying events at Camelot with
history at stake.
Anderson, Poul. _Three Hearts and Three Lions_. Riverdale: Baen
Publishing Enterprises, 1993 (First published 1953).
Ashe, Geoffrey. _The Finger and the Moon_. St. Albans: Panther Books,
1975 (First published: Great Britain: William Heinemann, 1973).
Geoffrey makes himself a character in this one. He organizes a
ritual/play based on the Grail myth. (There's more to it than that, of
course.)
Ashley, Mike, _The Pendragon Chronicles_ (Peter Bedrick Books, New
York, 1991. ISBN 0-87226-228-6. paperback.) Anthology includes stories
by Andre Norton, John Steinback and Jane Yolen.
Ashley, Mike. _The Camelot Chronicles_. New York: Caroll & Graf
Publishers, 1992. Another anthology by the author of The Pendragon
Chronicles. Van Asten, Gail. _The Blind Knight_. New York: Ace Books,
1988.
Attanasio, A. A. _Kingdom of the Grail_. New York: HarperCollins,
1992.
Barthelme, Donald. _The King_. New York, London, Victoria, Toronto,
Auckland: Penguin Books: 1992 (First published in the USA by Harper &
Row, 1990).
Berger, Thomas, _Arthur Rex_. This retelling of the Arthur legend is
somewhat reminiscent of the movie "Excalibur" in feel.
Blaylock, James P. _The Paper Grail_. New York: Berkley Publishing
Group, 1992 (First published: 1991). Bond, Nancy. _A String in the
Harp_. New York: Penguin Books, 1987 (First published by Atheneum in
1976).
Borowsky, Marvin, _The Queen's Knight_ (Random House, New York, 1955 -
probably out of print). An interesting Arthur, who begins as a
middle-aged bumpkin, crowned to be a puppet to a group of regents. All
in all, this novel is somewhat uneven but quite readable.
Bradley, Marion Zimmer, _The Mists of Avalon_ (Del Rey. Ballantine
Books, New York, 1982. ISBN 0-345-35049-9. Hardcover and trade
paperback.) A female oriented and positive rendition of the Arthurian
legend. Considerably more sympathetic to pagan religions (although
depicted as modern neopaganism) than to Christianity.
Bradley, Marion Zimmer, _The Forest House_. Prequel to the Mists of
Avalon. Penguin Books, 1995. ISBN 0-670-84454-3 (hc) 0-451-45424-3
(pb).
Bradshaw, Gillian, _Hawk of May_, _Kingdom of Summer_, _In Winter's
Shadow_ (Menthuen Paperbacks, Great Britain also Signet Books, 1980
also hardcover by Simon and Schuster.) The first book is the story of
Gwalchmai, one of Arthur's Knights; the last is told by Guinevere.
_Down the Long Wind_ is the single book volume version of the three
books.
Bulfinch, Thomas, _Age of Chivalry: or, King Arthur and His Knights_
(John D. Morris, Philadelphia, 1898, many reprints). Published in
their own right, also found in Bulfinch's. Contains long summaries of
the Camelot legends and of the French Charlemagne legends.
Burnham, Jeremy, and Trevor Ray. _Raven_. London: Corgi
Books/Carousel, 1977.
Cabell, James Branch. _Jurgen, a Comedy of Justice_. 1919.
Canning, Victor. _The Crimson Chalice_. Originally published as _La
Leggenda del Calice Cremisi_. Translated by Patrizia Rognoni, Codice
Libro 22 006 CN, Casa Editrice Nord S.r.l., via Rubens 25, 20148
Milano, Italia; Copyright by Victor Canning 1976, 1977, 1978, and for
the Italian edition by the publisher in 1990 (first edition, of the
Italian translation, June 1990). An "Arthur as Celtic Chieftain" book,
with nice twists.
Carlsen, Chris. _Berserker: The Bull Chief_. London: Sphere Books,
1977.
Carmichael, Douglas, _Pendragon: an Historical Novel_ (Blackwater
Press, New York, dist. by Exposition Press, 1977). Arthurian romances
-- adaptions.
Chant, Joy. _The High Kings_. Toronto, New York, London, Sydney,
Auckland: Bantam Books, 1985 (First printing 1983).
Chapman, Vera, _The King's Damosel_, _The Green Knight_, and _King
Arther's Daughter_. Out of print.
Christian, Catherine, _The Pendragon_ (Warner Books, 1978.) A story
told by Bedivere in his old age recalling the golden days of Camelot.
Unfortunately this results in a lackluster story. Aside from the
intrusiveness of the story framed by Bedivere's old age, it's a decent
retelling. Takes the "Celts reclaiming Romanized Britain" slant.
Cochran, Molly and Warren Murphy. _The Forever King_. Tor Books, 1993.
ISBN 0-812-51716-4. The return of Arthur to present day, woven in with
the story as it happened long ago. Beautifully told.
David, Peter, _Knight Life_ (Ace Fantasy, 1987.) A comedic book about
Arthur's return in modern day.
Davies, Robertson. _Lyre of Orpheus_. London, New York, Victoria,
Ontario, Aukland: Penguin Books, 1989. First published: Canada:
Macmillan of Canada, 1988.
Davies, Robertson. _The Rebel Angels_. Middlesex, New York, Victoria,
Ontario, Auckland, 1983. Copyright Robertson Davies, 1981.
Davies, Robertson. _What's Bred in the Bone_. London, New York,
Victoria, Ontario, Aukland: Penguin Books,1986. First published in the
United States of America by Viking Penguin, 1985. First published in
Canada by Macmillan of Canada, 1985.
Dickinson, Peter. _The Changes Trilogy_. New York: Dell, 1986.
Includes _The Weathermonger_, _Heartsease_, and _The Devil's
Children_. Merlin is used as a McGuffin to explain why the world no
longer has modern technology.
Eliot, T. S. _The Waste Land_. 1922.
Endersby, Clive. _Read All About It!_ Toronto, New York, London,
Sydney, Aukland: Methuen, 1981.
Erskine, John, _Galahad, Enough of His Life to Explain His Reputation_
(Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, 1926 - certainly out of print)
Ford, John M. _The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History_. New York:
Avon Books, 1985 (First published: 1983).
Finkel, George, _The Twilight Province_ (London: Angus & Robinson,
1967.) This is an excellent "young adult" tale about a late Roman,
northern Arthur based on the Bamburgh Castle, Newcastle/Tyne area of
northeastern Britain.
Fraser, Antonia, _King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table_
(Illustrated by Rebecca Fraser, Knopf, Random House, New York, 1970).
First published under title: _King Arthur_. Retellings of seventeen
tales about King Arthur, Lancelot, Gawaine, Tristram, and other
knights of the Round Table. Juvenile.
French, Allen, _Sir Marrok, a tale of the days of King Arthur_ (The
Century Co., New York, 1902).
Frith, Henry, _King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table_ (G.
Routledge and Sons, London/New York, 1884).
Frost, William Henry, _The Court of King Arthur; Stories from the land
of the Round Table_ (Illustrated by Sydney Richmond Burleigh, C.
Scribners Sons, New York, 1903).
Garner, Alan. _The Moon of Gomrath_. New York: Ballentine Books, 1981.
(First published: London: William Collins, 1963).
Garner, Alan.. _The Weirdstone of Brisingamen: A Tale of Alderley_.
London: William Collins, 1960; rev. ed. Harmondsworth, Middlesex:
Penguin Books, 1963.
Gash, Jonathan [John Grant]. _The Grail Tree_. New York, London,
Victoria, Ontario, Auckland: Penguin Books, 1988 (First published:
London: William Collins, 1979).
Gemmell, David. _Ghost King_ and _Last Sword of Power_. A fictional
account of the life and times of Arthur, bearing little resemblance to
the usual myths.
Gloag, John, _Artorius Rex_ (New York: St. Martin's, 1977.) This is
the final volume in a late Roman trilogy with two "pre-Arthurian"
novels titled _The Caesar of the Narrow Seas_ and _The Eagles Depart_.
_Artorius Rex_ is another Romano-Celtic tale which attempts a
historical reconstruction.
Godwin, Parke, _The Last Rainbow_, _Fire Lord_, _Beloved Exile_
(Bantam). The characters are terrific, the sense of time and place eye
opening. Arthur in the beginning is a native officer in the Roman
legions guarding the northern borders. First published as short
stories in _Fantastic_ Sept. 1977, and in _The Fire When it Comes_
(Garden City, Doubleday 1984).
Godwin, Parke, _Invitation to Camelot_ (Ace, 1988.) An anthology
including stories by Tanith Lee, Morgan Llywelyn, Elizabeth
Scarborough and Jane Yolen.
Greeley, Andrew M. _he Magic Cup: An Irish Legend_. New York: Warner
Books, 1979 (First published: New York: McGraw- Hill, 1979).
Griffiths, Paul. _The Lay of Sir Tristam_. London: Chatto & Windus,
1991. ISBN 07011 3570 0. A very exciting book which at best can be
described as meta-fiction. It takes on the whole problematic that the
Arthurian/Tristam tradition presents.
Gross, Gwen, _Knights of the Round Table_ (Illustrated by Norman
Green, Random House, New York, 1985).
Haar (Hoar?), J. T. _King Arthur_ (New York: Crane Russak, c.1967,
1975.)
Haldeman, Linda. _The Lastborn of Elvinwood_. Garden City, NY:
Doubleday, 1978.
Hanratty, Peter, _The Book of Mordred_ and _The Last Knight of Albion_
(Ace Fantasy and Bluejay Books. ISBNs 0-441-07018-3 and 0-312-94271-8.
Paperback and trade paperback.) A retelling of the Arthurian legend in
a bizarre mix of modern and ancient times.
Hanson, Charles Henry, _Stories of the Days of King Arthur_ (With
illustrations by Gustave Dore, T. Nelson, London/Edinbugh/New York,
1898).
Hastings, Selina, _Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady_ (Lothrop, Lee &
Shepard Books, New York, 1985). ISBN 0-7445-0295-0. This is
beautifully illustrated. The inside cover says that a version of _Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight_ is also available by the same author.
Hawke, Simon [Nicholas Yermakov], _The Wizard of 4th Street (1987)_,
_The Wizard of Whitechapel (1988)_, _The Wizard of Sunset Strip
(1989)_, _The Wizard of Rue Morge (1990)_, _The Samurai Wizard
(1991)_, _The Wizard of Santa Fe (1991)_, _The Wizard of Camelot_
(1993). New York, Warner Books. Premise: There was a magical alien
species which bred with humans long, long ago. The descendants of
these unions were humans with magical abilities. Merlin was a
half-breed, as was Morgan LeFay. Since magic and technology cannot
co-exist, magic went dormant as technology increased. After the fall
of technology, magic returned and Merlin revived. Unfortunately, the
alien species discovered that Necromancy produces powerful magic and
they are now known as demons. Merlin has to recruit and train magical
humans to thwart their plans. Appearances by Merlin, Morgan Le Fay and
Mordred.
Heller, Julek and Dierdre Headon. _King Arthur & His Knights_. Fiction
which draws on a variety of sources including, but not limited to
Chretien de Troyes' Arthurian Romances & Malory's Morte D'Arthur.
Dragons' World Ltd. 1990 ISBN 1850281149.
Hollick, Helen. _Kingmaking_, _Pendragon's Banner_, a third book due
in June 1997 to complete the trilogy.
Humble, William F. _A Tale of Arthur_ (Anthony Blond, London, 1967).
Hunter, Jim. _Percival and the Presence of God_. London and Boston:
Faber and Faber, 1978.
Jeter, K. W. _Morlock Night_. New York: DAW Books, 1979.
Johnson, Barbara Ferry. _Lionors_. New York: 1975.
Jones, Courtway, _In the Shadow of the Oak King_. It apparently tries
to tell the story in a historically 'realistic' setting (i.e., without
grafting the high middle ages onto sixth century Britain).
Jones, Courtway. _The Witch of the North_. New York: Simon and
Schuster, 1994. Copyright: 1992. Sequel to _In the Shadow of the Oak
King_.
Jones, Mary J., _Avalon_ (The Naiad Press, ISBN: 0-941483-96-7, 1991).
This is set in the closing days of King Arthur's reign and mostly
concerns the Lady of the Lake at that time (Argante, from Layamon) her
predecessor is Nimue), with some recounting of her childhood.
Definitely a feminist reading, and not as well done as _Mist of
Avalon_, for example. It is also curiously incomplete. More books may
be planned.
Kane, Gil and John Jakes. _Excalibur!_. No relation to film of same
name and approximate year.
Karr, Phyllis Ann. _The Idylls of the Queen_. New York: Ace Books,
1982.
Katz, Welwyn Wilton, _The Third Magic_ (Groundwood Books/Douglas &
McIntyre, ISBN (bound): 0-88899-068-5 (pbk): 0-88899-126-6, 1988). A
"young adult" book, this one has one of the more imaginative
retellings of the Arthurian legend.
Kennealy, Patricia, _The Hawk's Gray Feather_, _The Oak Above the
Kings_, and _The Hedge of Mist_. (ROC (division of Penguin Books),
ISBN 0-451-45053-1, 1990). Builds upon the world of _The Silver
Branch_, _The Copper Crown_ and _The Throne of Scone_ in which the
Sidhe were aliens. This book is set much earlier. A good fantasy/SF
blend.
Kuncewicz, Maria. _Tristan: A Novel_. New York: George Braziller,
1974.
Landis, Arthur H. _Camelot in Orbit_. New York: DAW Books, 1978. Also
_Home--To Avalon_ (1982), _The Majick of Camelot_ (1981), _A World
Called Camelot_ (1976), all published by DAW Books.
Lanier, Sidney, ed., _King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table_,
(Grosset & Dunlap, 1950. ISBN 0-448-06016-7.) A reasonable children's
version. The Scribner, New York edition is illustrated by N.C. Wyeth.
Original copyright in 1924.
Lang, Andrew, _Tales of the Round Table_ (London, New York : Longmans,
Green, 1923). Based on the tales in the _Book of Romance_ edited by
Andrew Lang.
Latymer, Baron Francis Burdett Thomas Coutts-Nevill, _The Romance of
King Arthur_, (London, John Lane; New York, John Lange Co. 1907).
Laubenthal, Sanders Anne. _Excalibur_. (Publication data not
available, it hit paperback about 1974 or 1975). Arthurian magic in a
modern setting. Incorporates sword and grail symbology with tarot
magic. Very original, and a real page-turner.
Laumer, Keith. _A Trace of Memory_. Turns out to be very much
Arthurian about halfway through. Difficult to say more without
spoilers. First published as a serial in Amazing Stories in about 1963
and reprinted since.
Lawhead, Stephen, _Taliesin_, _Merlin_, _Arthur_ (Avon Books, plus
British and Australian printings. 1988). Lawhead is an excellent
writer and these stories make a very good read. Be warned, _Arthur_
gets dragged down by a somewhat stridently Christian slant, in a tale
that differs substantially from the first two books. _Pendragon_ has
been just released, 1994.
Lerner, Alan J. and Frederick Lowe. _Camelot_. 1961.
Lodge, David. _Small World_. New York: Warner Communications, 1986.
First published: 1984. It's Arthurian in the same way as Lyre of
Orpheus, but deals with Perceval.
McDermott, Gerald, _The Knight of the Lion_ (New York : Four Winds
Press, c1979). Juvenile: a retelling of the adventures of Sir Yvain
and his faithful lion, as the young knight goes through several trials
to prove himsself worthy of a great triumph.
McGowen, Tom, _Sir Machinery_ (Folet Publishing Company, Chicago,
1970. ISBN 0-695-40167-X hardback, 0-695-80167-8 trade paperback.) An
amusing children's tale set in modern days. Based upon the notion that
King Arthur will come back to save Britain again.
McKay, David. _Bulfinch's Age of Chivalry or King Arthur and His
Knights_. Revised by J. Loughran Scott. Philadelphia.
McKenzie, Nancy. _The Child Queen_. (Del Rey, 1994. ISBN
0-345-38244-7.) The sequel, _The High Queen_ is planned. A well
written tale from Guinevere's point of view. The setting and feel is
similar to Mary Stewart's, although some details differ. Lancelot is
in this version, and very well done.
Marshall, Edison, _The Pagan King_ (Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday,
1959).
Matthews, John, ed., _An Arthurian Reader: Selections from Arthurian
Legend, Scholarship, and Story_ (Aquarian Press, Sterling Publishing
Company, New York, 1988).
Monaco, Richard, _Parsival or a Knight's Tale_, _The Grail War_, _The
Final Quest_ (1983), _Blood and Dreams_ (1985) (Berkley Books, New
York, ISBN 0-425-05143-9, etc.).
Munn, H. Warner, _Merlin's Godson_ (1st Ballantine Books ed. New York:
Ballantine Books, c1976). Originally published as 2 separate works:
_King of the World's Edge_ and _The Ship from Atlantis_.
Munn, H. Warner, _Merlin's Ring_, (New York, Ballantine Books [1974]).
Sequel or related to _Merlin's Godson_.
Newell, William Wells, _King Arthur and the table round : tales
chiefly after the Old French of Crestien of Troyes : with an account
of Arthurian romance, and notes_ (1897).
Newman, Sharan, _Guinevere_, _Guinevere, The Chessboard Queen_, and
_Guinevere Evermore_, (Bantam, 1981. ISBN: 0-553-20354-1). A haunting
fairy-tale rendition of Guinevere's childhood, marriage to Arthur, and
participation in the events of Camelot. GtCQ was released in hardcover
and then went out of print. Strangely, it does not appear to have been
available in paper though the other two are currently available in
trade paperback.
Norton, Andre [Alice Mary Norton]. _Here Abide Monsters_. New York:
Atheneum, 1973.
Norton, Andre, _Merlin's Mirror_ (Daw Books, 1975.) Merlin is a half-
breed: human and space alien, and the war between light and darkness
is recast into a war between two space going races. The premise is
bizarre, but Norton makes it work well.
Norton, Andre. _Steel Magic_. Cleveland: Collins-World, 1965; New
York: Archway, 1978.
Nye, Robert. _Merlin_, 1975? Humorous and baudy account of the life of
the mage.
Percy, Walker. _Lancelot_. New York: Avon, 1978 (by arrangement with
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, the first publisher).
Peters, Elizabeth [Barbara Gross Mertz]. _The Camelot Caper_. New
York: Tom Doherty Associates: 1988 (First published: New York:
Meredith Press, 1969).
Phelan, Laurel. _Guinevere_ (Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster, ISBN
0-671-52611-1). Written by Guinevere's "reincarnation", a well told
story.
Philip, Neil. _The tale of Sir Gawain_ (illustrated by Charles
Keeping. New York : Philomel Books, 1987).
Phillifent, John T. _Life with Lancelot_. New York: Ace Books, 1973.
Bound with William Barton, Hunting on Kunderer, as an Ace Double.
Powers, Tim, _The Drawing of the Dark_. Ambrosius and the Fisher-King.
Powers, Tim. _Last Call_. New York: Avon Books, 1993 (Published in
hardcover by William Morrow and Co., Copyright Tim Powers, 1992).
Powys, John Cowper. _A Glastonbury Romance_. New York: Simon and
Schuster, 1932; London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1933.
Price, Anthony. _Our Man in Camelot_. New York: Warner Books, 1988.
First published: London: Victor Gollancz, 1975. Espionage thriller,
well researched.
Price, Robert, _The Last Pendragon_ (Walker and Co. NY 1991) Telling
of Bedwyr, last of the Knights after the Fall, and Irion, son of
Mordred, and the Saxon threat to what's left of old Britain. Arthur
himself appears only in the prolog. "Tactics" oriented.
Pyle, Howard, _The story of King Arthur and his knights_ (New York :
C. Scribner's Sons, 1904, c1903). Classic.
Riordan, James. _Tales of King Arthur_ (Hamlyn, London, 1982). ISBN
0600-35352-4. An illustrated version of several classic tales.
Robbins, Ruth. _Taliesin and King Arthur_. Berkeley: Parnassus Press,
1970.
Robert, Dorothy James. _The Enchanted Cup_. New York: Apple-
Century-Crofts, 1953.
Rubin, Michael. "Days of Legend." Song. 4 Feb. 1987, rev. 3 Apr. 1993.
St. John, Nicole [Norma Johnston]. _Guinever's Gift_. New York: Random
House, 1977. An archaeologist and his assistants recreate the
Arthurian love triangle.
Sampson, Fay, _Daughter of Tintagel_. Headline Book Publishing,
London, U.K. ISBN 0-7472-3894-4. This is a omnibus volume of 5
separate volumes: _Wise Woman's Telling_, _White Nun's Telling_,
_Black Smith's Telling_, _Taliesin's Telling_, _Herself_. Here's what
the book jacket reads: The bards have sung this tale the length and
breadth of Britain. The story of the momentous birth of the legendary
Arthur - the story of the fear, hate and love between him and his
half-sister Morgan the Fay. But never before have there been five
tellings, each by a witness to the mythical events: Gwennol Far-Sight,
Morgan's childhood nurse and a wise woman in the ways of sacred pagan
magic. Luned, the young white nun, who fears her own soul has been
contamined by Morgan's passions. Teilo, who was once a proud and
powerful Smith of the Old Religion, condemned to live as a woman
amongst Morgan's maids, because of his unwise ambition. The bard
Taliesin, bred to sing of war and red slaughter and glorious death.
And finally Morgan the Fay herself speaks, the Goddess, the witch,
whose story has shape-shifted down the centuries, a force for
destruction or a force for healing...?
Seare, Nicholas, _Rude Tales and Glorious_ (Clarkson N. Potter, Inc.,
New York, 1983. Hardback). [Out of Print] Classic rendition. Title
says it all. This is a retelling of the Arthurian tales. Merlin is a
two bit con artist/pimp, Gwen is a whore that enjoys giving out free
samples, Arthur is Merlin's assistant. It is a riot. Seare is a pen
name for a well known author as yet unrevealed. Speculation centers on
Rodney Whitaker (source William Poundstone, Biggest Secrets).
Service, Pamela F., _Winter of Magic's Return_, _Tomorrow's Magic_
(Atheneum, New York, 1987). Five hundred years after the Devastation
destroys modern civilization, the young Merlin and two friends succeed
in bringing back King Arthur to Britain in the grip of a nuclear
winter and together they struggle to build a new and better society
despite the evil plotting of Morgan Le Fay. Juvenile fiction.
Shwartz, Susan, _The Grail of Hearts_ (New York: Tor Books, 1992, ISBN
0-312-85176-6/hardcover). Arthurian; also concerned with the Parsifal
legend and the Wandering Jew, whom Shwartz portrays as a woman.
Sobol, Donald J. _Greta the Strong_. Chicago, Follet Publishing, 1970.
Stone, Eugenia, _Page boy for King Arthur_, (illustrated by Rafaello
Busoni. Chicago : Follett Publishing Co., c1949).
Stone, Eugenia, _Squire for King Arthur_, (illustrated by Rafaello
Busoni. Chicago : Follett Pub. Co., 1955).
Stafford, Greg, and others. _King Arthur Pendragon_. (Chaosium Inc.,
950-A 56th Street, Oakland, CA 94608. ISBN: 0-933635-59-1.) Other
books in the same series: _The Boy King_, by Greg Stafford, ISBN
0-933635-78-8; _The King Arthur Companion_, by Phyllis Ann Karr, ISBN
0-993635-17-6; _Knights Adventurous_, by Greg Stafford, ISBN
0-933635-70-2. This is part of an excellent role playing game, but the
books are worth reading by themselves as well. There are several books
the game is made of, purchaseable separately. Most of it is a very
detailed glossary of people in the various versions of the saga (with
primacy to Mallory's), but almost half of it is spent on similar
glossaries of notable places, of special "things", and many other
fascinating tidbits, such as an attempt at a self-consistent
chronology of Arthur's reign, and so on.
Steinbeck, John, _The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights_ (Del
Rey. Paperback.) Rendition of Le Morte D'Arthur into modern day
English. Not complete.
Stewart, Mary, _The Crystal Cave_, _The Hollow Hills_, _The Last
Enchantment_, and _The Wicked Day_ (Fawcett Crest.) A modern retelling
of the legend, almost classic in their own right. The first three are
narrated by Merlin, and the last in third person.
Stone, Brian, translater. _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_. (Penguin
Books, many reprints. c1959. ISBN 0-14-044092-5.) Beautiful
translation.
Sutcliff, Rosemary, _Sword at Sunset_ (Coward-McCann, Inc, New York,
1963. Hardcover and paperback available.) A telling of Arthur as he
might actually have been, a local Celtic warlord.
Sutcliff, Rosemary, _The Light Beyond the Forest_ (1979) and _The
Sword in the Circle_ (1981) (London: Bodley Head.) You can see from
the dates that these are somewhat later than her adult novel _Sword at
Sunset_. They are technically "young adult" titles.
Sutcliff, Rosemary, _The road to Camlann_ (1st ed. New York : Dutton,
1982). The evil Mordred, plotting against his father King Arthur,
implicates the Queen and Sir Lancelot in treachery and brings about
the downfall of Camelot and the Round Table. "Young adult."
Sutcliff, Rosemary. _The Lantern Bearers_. New York: Henry Z. Walck,
1959. Prequel to _Sword at Sunset_.
Sutcliff, Rosemary. _ristan and Iseult._ Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
1991 (First published: 1971).
Sutcliff, Rosemary and Taylor, Anna. _Drustan the Wanderer: A Novel
Based on the Legend of Tristan and Isolde_. Harlow, England: Longman,
1971; New York: Saturday Review Press, 1972.
Sutcliff, Rosemary and Taylor, _Keith_. Bard. New York: Ace Books,
1981. Portions of this novel appeared in Fanstastic Stories, 1975,
published under the pseudonym Dennis More.
Talbott, Hudson, _King Arthur : The Sword in the Stone_ (New York :
Books of Wonder, 1991).
Tolstoy, Nikolai, _The Coming of the King: A Novel of Merlin_ (Bantam
Books, 1989. Trade paperback.) Very closely based on the Welsh
mabinogion -- poetry rendered into prose. Makes no attempt at
"realism": the grotesquely fantastic has its day here. Lyrical
writing, worth reading. Long.
Treece, Henry, _The Great Captains_ (New York: Random House, 1956.)
This is another sort of Celtic late Roman novel with characters such
as Artos the Bear/Artorius, dux bellorum, Bedwyr, Cie, Medrawt, and
Drostan. An excellent story, but not one for the squeamish.
Troughton, Joanna, _Sir Gawain and the loathly damsel_ (retold and
illustrated by Joanna Troughton. 1st ed. New York : Dutton, 1972).
Adapted from an anonymous fifteenth-century poem, The Weddynge of Sir
Gawen and Dame Ragnell: in order to obtain the answer to a riddle that
will save King Arthur's life, Sir Gawain must marry the ugliest maiden
in the world. Juvenile.
Turner, Roy. _King of the Lordless Country_. London: Dennis Dobson,
1971.
Turton, Godfrey, _The Emperor Arthur_, (Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday,
1967). This is another late Roman historical reconstruction. Highly
recommended.
Twain, Mark, _A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court_ (many
editions).
Vansittart, Peter. _Lancelot: A Novel_. London: Peter Owen, 1978. Also
_Perceval_; London: Peter Owen, 1988.
Viney, Jane. _The Bright-Helmed One_. London: Robert Hale, 1975.
White, Terence Hanbury, _The Once and Future King_ and _The Book of
Merlin_ (Berkley Books, ISBNs: 0-425-06310-0 & 0-425-07282-7,
respectively. Original copyrights in 1939 and 1940). A retelling of
the legend from the earliest stories. More comedic than some of the
other versions. Be warned, _The Book of Merlin_ was published in 1977,
13 years after T.H. White's death and it contradicts and rehashes many
themes and stories from TOFK.
White, T.H. _The Sword in the Stone_ (orig. published in 1938). The
first book in TOFK. This is followed by _The Witch in the Wood_, _The
Ill-Made Knight_, and last _The Candle in the Wind_. All these
together comprise TOFK; the last was never published separately.
Whyte, Jack. _Sky Stone_. Toronto: Penguin Books, 1992. ISBN
0-14-017050-2. The second book in the series, _The Singing Sword_ has
just been released in hard-cover. He is Canadian and seems to be
taking a stance very similar to Mary Stewart in incorporating Roman
history into the legend.
Williams, Charles. _War in Heaven_. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans,
1970 (First published in 1930).
Wolf, Joan, _The Road to Avalon_ (Onyx Novels, a subdivision of
Penguin Books.) A romantic retelling, casting familiar characters into
startlingly different relationships.
Woolley, Persia, _Child of the Northern Spring_, _Queen of the Summer
Stars_, _Guinevere: The Legend in Autumn_ (Poseidon Press, New York,
London, Toronto, etc.) The story of the life of Guinivere, from her
point of view.
Yolen, Jane, _The Dragon's Boy_ (Harper and Row, New York, 1990).
Children's fiction. Young Arthur meets a dragon and comes to accept
him as a friend and mentor.
Yolen, Jane, _Merlin's Booke: Thirteen Stories and Poems about the
Arch-Mage_ (Berkley Publishing Group, Ace Fantasy, New York, 1986).
Zelazny, Roger. _The Courts of Chaos_. 1978.
Zelazny, Roger. _The Guns of Avalon_. 1972.
Zelazny, Roger "The Last Defender of Camelot." In _The Last Defender
of Camelot_. New York: Pocket Books, 1980, pp. 271-94.
Poetry
_Lancelot of the Laik_. A Scottish metrical romance, about 1490-1500
A.D. Re-edited from a manuscript in the Cambridge University Library,
with an introd., notes, and glossarial index, by W. W. Skeat. London,
New York, Published for the Early English Text Society by the Oxford
University Press [1965].
_Orkneyinga Saga_, c1200 (unknown Icelandic Author). The Isles of
Orkney are of course the famed home of Lot, Morgause, Gawain, Mordred,
etc.
Arnold, Mathew. _Tristram and Iseult_.
Beroul. _The Romance of Tristan_. c1150.
Carley, James P., introduction. _Mathew Arnold and William Morris_
(_Arthurian Poets_ series, Woodbridge, Suffolk, and Rochester, NY:
Boydell Press 1990, ISBN: 0-85115-544-8). Arnold's "Tristram and
Iseult" is the first modern English retelling of the Tristram legend,
a melancholy interpretation of the theme; Morris' different approach
apparent in the rich sensuality of his "The Defence of Guenevere."
Carley, James P., ed., introduction. _A.C. Swinburne_ (_Arthurian
Poets_ series, ISBN: 0-85115-546-4). Some of Swinburne's most
important poetry recreates the Arthurian legends from a modern
perspective. Includes _Tristram of Lyonesse_.
Carley, James P., ed., introduction. _E.A. Robinson_ (_Arthurian Poets_
series, ISBN: 0-85115-545-6). Robinson's Arthurian poems, published
between 1917 and 1927 won him a Pulitzer Prize.
Dodds, David, ed., introduction. _Charles William_ (_Arthurian Poets_
series, ISBN: 0-88115-291-0). Contains _Taliessin through Logres_ and
_The Region of the Summer Stars_, as well as twenty-four of William's
earlier poems on Arthurian themes from his collection _The Advent of
Galahad_ (many never published before), and fragments designed to form
a sequel to _Region_ which also appear for the first time.
Geoffrey of Monmouth _Vita Merlini_ [Life of Merlin]. Verse.
Heath-Stubbs. _Artorius. A Heroic Poem in Four Books and Eight
Episodes_. (London: Enitharmon Press, 1973. ISBN 901111-39-2). Hard to
find.
Hole, Richard, _Arthur; or, The northern enchantment_ (GGJ and J
Robinson, London, 1798). A poetical romance, in seven books.
Lewis. _Arthurian Torso_. Oxford, 1948. Reprinted.
Lupack, Alan, ed., _Arthur, the Greatest King: an Anthology of Modern
Arthurian Poems_ (forword by Raymond H. Thompson, Garland, New York,
1988).
Lytton, Baron Edward Bulwer, _King Arthur_ (London, Henry Colburn,
1849).
Maynadier, Howard, _The Arthur of the English Poets_ (Boston, New
York, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1907).
Morris, William. _The Defence of Guenevere_.
Robinson, Edwin Arlington, "Merlin"(1917), "Lancelot"(1920) and
"Tristram"(1927). Verse retelling of the Arthur legend. The last one
won the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for poetry.
Swinburne, A.C. _Tristram of Lyonesse_. And others.
Tennyson, Lord Alfred, _Idylls of the King_ (Signet, 1961.)
Williams, Charles. _Taliessin Through Logres_, _The Region of the
Summer Stars_ (Eerdmans, 1974). Original printings through Oxford
University Press, 1938.
About the _Arthurian Poets_ series: A volume on John Masefield is in
preparation. All the volumes contain the complete Arthurian poetry of
each author; for example, the Charles Williams volume has much
previously unpublished poetry.
Non-fiction and research
"Bulletin of Bibliography" (July-Sept. 1981, 38(3):128-138,149).
Contains an Arthurian bibliography.
Modern language association of America, _A bibliography of critical
Arthurian literature_ (New York City).
Modern Language Association of America. Arthurian Group. _A
bibliography of Arthurian critical literature_ (v.1-2;
1922/29-1930/35, New York).
_The Fall of Camelot_ (by the editors of Time-Life Books, Time-Life
Books, Alexandria, VA [USA], 1986).
Alcock, Leslie, _Arthur's Britain_ (Penguin Press, 1971). Documentary
evidence of King Arthur's historical existence. Alcock has also
published much work concerning archaelogical excavations of
Glastonbury (speculated site of Camelot).
Allen, Philip Schuyler. _King Arthur & His Knights A Noble and Joyous
History_. A collection of stories based on Malory. Rand Mcnally & Co.
1995 ISBN 1-56619-791-0.
Andronik, Catherine M., _Quest for a King: Searching for the Real King
Arthur_ (Atheneum, New York, 1989). Surveys the legends surrounding
King Arthur and examines the historical evidence behind them.
Ashe, Geoffrey, _King Arthur's Avalon: The Story of Glastonbury_
(Dutton, New York, 1958, reprinted). Glastonbury is the legendary
Avalon, site of Arthur's grave and source of much fanciful speculation
and scholarly interest. The author reveals Glastonbury's distinctive
character in the dark ages as the meeting place of Saxon and Celt; the
glory of its Abbey as the center of English and medieval civilization;
and the significance of its legends in the mystical theory of the Holy
Grail -- a primary factor in the development of European religious
thought.
Ashe, Geoffrey, _From Caesar to Arthur_ (London: Collins, 1960).
Ashe, Geoffrey, et al, _Quest for Arthur's Britain_ (Granada, London;
Praeger, New York, 1968; reprinted with new introduction in 1987).
Ashe, Geoffrey, _King Arthur in Fact and Fiction_ (NY: Nelson, c.1969,
1971.)
Ashe, Geoffrey, _Camelot and the Vision of Albion_ (London: Heinemann;
NY: St. Martin's, 1971.)
Ashe, Geoffrey, _King Arthur in Fact and Legend_ (first US edition,
Camden, New Jersey/T. Nelson, 1971).
Ashe, Geoffrey, "A certain very ancient book" _Speculum_ April, 1981,
pp.301-323.
Ashe, Geoffrey, _Kings and Queens of Early Britain_ (London: Methuen,
1982.)
Ashe, Geoffrey, _Avalonian Quest_ (London: Methuen, 1982; London:
Collins/Fontana, 1984.)
Ashe, Geoffrey, _Guidebook to Arthurian Britain_ (London: Longman's,
1980; London: Aquarian Press, 1983.)
Ashe, Geoffrey, _The Discovery of King Arthur_ (Guild, London, 1985.
ISBN N/A.) Provides convincing accounts of the historical roots of the
legends and of who the original Arthur actually was.
Ashe, Geoffrey, _The Landscape of King Arthur_ (Webb & Bower, Exeter;
M. Joseph, London, 1987).
Ashe, Geoffrey. _The Glastonbury Tor Maze_. (Gothic Image, 7 High
Street, Glastonbury, Somerset, 1988) Elsewhere Ashe refers back to
this originally 1977 short work as a source for the Grail ritual. 15
pages with maps.
Ashe, Geoffrey, _King Arthur: The Dream of a Golden Age_ (Thames and
Hudson, London, 1990).
Ashton, Graham, _The Realm of King Arthur_ (Dixon, Newport, Isle of
Wight, 1974).
Baigent, Michael, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. _Holy Blood, Holy
Grail_. (Corgi, 1993, ISBN 0-552-12138-X, many reprints.) What it did
was propose a revolutionary theory about what the "San Greal" was (a
deliberate distortion for "Sang Real", the bloodline of Jesus - not
just through lots of hints, such as the obvious reference through
"Fisher King" with the Greek connection of the fish for Jesus, as well
as the "I shall make you fishers of men" phrase in the Gospel, etc -
but also through meticulously detailed research). Not directly about
Arthur, but Arthur's connections with the Holy Grail myths are too
strong to ignore.
Barber, Richard. _The Arthurian Legends: An Illustrated Anthology_.
Here for the first time is a single volume featuring the power and
range of Arthurian literature from the beginnings to the present day.
Illustrated.
Barber, Richard, _Arthur of Albion: an introduction to the Arthurian
Literature and Legends of England_ (London: Boydell Press, 1961.)
Barber, Richard, _The Figure of Arthur_ (London: Longman's, 1972.)
This title surveys the Arthurian controversy, works over the early
sources, and ends up with Arthur as a modern British national hero.
Barber, Richard, _King Arthur; In Legend and History_ (Boydell Press,
Ipswich, 1973).
Barber, Richard, _King Arthur: Hero and Legend_ (Woodbridge, Suffolk,
and Rochester, NY: Boydell Press 1988, ISBN 0-85115-254-6). Current
version of _Arthur of Albion_.
Barber, Richard, ed., _Arthurian Literature_, vols. I-X. Diverse
papers and studies.
Bradley, Michael. _Holy Grail Across the Atlantic_. 1988. Bradley
carries on where Baigent, et al, leave off. As well as utilizing their
book, he directly cites further details about an apparent conspiracy
to introduce 'clue-books' in famous libraries in France and around
Europe, over many decades. Bradley traces the Holy Grail from 'Before
the Flood' - to Arthur - and from there across the Atlantic, - to Nova
Scotia - (before Columbus), its possible residence in Montreal for
many years, and then supposed return to Europe.
Braswell, Mary Flowers and John Bugge, eds. _The Arthurian Tradition.
Essays in Convergence_ (Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press,
1988. ISBN 0-8173-0347-2).
Brengle, Richard L., ed., _Arthur, King of Britain: History, Romance,
Chronicle & Criticism_, (Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1964).
With texts in modern English, from Gildas to Malory.
Bromwich, Rachel, ed., _The Arthur of the Welsh: the Arthurian Legend
in Medieval Welsh Literature_ (University of Wales Press, 1991).
Bromwich, Rachel. _Trioedd Ynys Predein_ (University of Wales Press,
1991.) A compilation of several Welsh sources for Medieval and earlier
story information, some dealing with Arthur. In English with the
sources also in Middle Welsh.
Cavendish, Richard. King Arthur & the Grail: The Arthurian Legends and
their Meaning. New York: Taplinger Publishing, 1985.
Chambers, Edmund Kerchever, _Arthur of Britain_ (Barnes and Nobel, New
York, 1964, original copyright 1927).
Clancy, Joseph P., _Pendragon: Arthur and his Britain_ (NY: Praeger,
1971). Examines historical evidence for the existence of King Arthur
and traces the growth of the Arthurian legend from the tenth century
to modern times.
Coghlan, Ronan, _The Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends_ (Rockport,
MA: Element, 1991. ISBN 1-85230-199-6.)
Cummins, W.A. _King Arthur's Place In Prehistory_. Alan Sutton
Publishing, 1992. ISBN 0-7509-0186-1 (hb) 0-7509-0664-2 (pb).
Darrah, John, _The Real Camelot: Paganism and the Arthurian Romances_
(Thames and Hudson, New York, 1981).
Davies, John Glyn, _The Apotheosis of Arthur_ (Llanfairfechan, N.
Wales, 1962). Reprint of a lecture delivered at the University of
Uppsala in 1926.
Dickinson, William Howship, _King Arthur in Cornwall_ (Longmans, Green
& Co., London/New York, 1900).
Downing, David C. _Planets in Peril: A Critical Study of C. S. Lewis's
Ransom Trilogy_. Amherst: U of Massachusetts P, 1992.
Dumezil, Georges, _Mythes et dieux des Germains_. Connects Arthurian
material with a Scythian heavy cavalry brigade based at Chester from
about 250 to 500. There are some relationships between Scythian and
Arthurian legends.
Dunning, R. W. _Arthur the King in the West_ (NY: St. Martins's,
1988). This is an argument for a "Cornish" King Arthur.
Entwistle, William James, _The Arthurian Legend in the Literatures of
the Spanish Peninsula_ (JM Den & Sons, New York/London/Toronto, 1925).
Evola, Julius, "The Mystery of the Grail and the Gibelin imperial
concept". Original in Italian; Yvonne Tortat's French translation "Le
Mystere du Graal et l'idee imperiale Gibeline" published by and
available from _Editions Traditionnelles_ (11 Quai St.-Michel, Paris).
This is Evola's integral traditionalist interpretation of the Grail
cycle.
Fife, Graeme, _Arthur the King: the Themes behind the Legends_ (NY:
Sterling Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-8069-8344-2.) The development of
Arthurian literature including the themes of chivalry, courtly love,
hunting, magic and the Holy Grail. Color, b/w illustrations.
Gardner, Edmund Garratt, _The Arthurian Legend in Italian Literature_
(JM Dent & Sons, London; EP Dutton & Co, New York, 1930).
Godwin, Malcolm. _The Holy Grail_. Viking Penguin books, 1994. ISBN
0-670-85128-0.
Goetink, Glenys. _Peredur: A Study of Welsh Traditions in the Grail
Legends_. Cardiff: U of Wales P, 1975.
Goldberg, Todd. C. Horak, R. Norwood, D. Markestein. _The Prince
Valiant Companion_. Mountain Home TN: Manuscript Press, 1992. Prince
Valiant is a Sunday newspaper comic strip (not a comic book) which
chronicles the life of a knight of King Arthur's roundtable. The
original full name of the comic strip was "Prince Valiant in the Days
of King Arthur" although the long title is seldom used anymore except
for books reprinting the original stories. The comic was by Harold
Foster and started in 1937, it is considered a masterpiece of comics
by experts and was fairly faithful to Arthurian legend and spirit. It
still runs today in many Sunday papers, syndicated by King Features,
under Foster's successor John Cullen Murphy. The strips have been
reprinted in numerous books and the story has been turned into
animated and live action movies. The book is a history of the strip
and its Arthurian stories.
Goodrich, Norma L., _King Arthur_ (Harper&Row, 1986. ISBN
0-06-097182-7.) Also wrote _Merlin_ (1987), _Guinevere_ (1989), and
_The Holy Grail_ (1990). Goodrich does a number of historical
"reconstructions", trying to piece together the possible events of the
period.
Gordon-Wise, Barbara Ann. _The Reclamation of a Queen: Guinevere in
Modern Fantasy_. New York, Westport, London: Greenwood P, 1991.
Guenon, Rene, in "Symbols of the sacred Science", Chapters III and IV
on the Grail, XXIV on Arthur and druidism, XLIV on "Lapsit Exillis",
and other occasional references. French original "Symboles de la
Science sacree" published by Gallimard, Paris ISBN 2-07-029752-7.
Guyer, Foster Erwin. _Chretien de Troyes: Inventor of the Modern
Novel_. New York: Record Press, 1957, 17 - 40.
Hibbert, Christopher, _The Search for King Arthur_ (London, 1972?)
Another one of the survey studies of the legend of Arthur.
Holmes, Urban Tigner. _Chretien de Troyes_. New York: Twayne
Publishers, 1970, 59 - 71.
Hopkins Andrea. _Chronicles of King Arthur_. Viking Penguin Books
1994. ISBN 0-670-85232-5.
Jaffray, Robert, _King Arthur and the Holy Grail_ an examination of
the early literature pertaining to the legends of King Arthur and of
the Holy Grail, together with a brief review of the theories relating
to the latter-intended... (New York, G.P. Putnam, 1928).
Jenkins, Elizabeth _The Mystery of King Arthur_ (NY: Coward, McCann &
Geoghegan, Inc., 1975; London: George Rainbird, 1975.) This is a
pictorial coffee book in the best sense of the word. It's the standard
survey through the material with contemporary illustrations ranging
from a photograph of the white horse at Uffington and the late Roman
cataphract from Dura-Europos proceeding through mediaeval
illustrations, many in colour and ending up with the Victorian
paintings of William Morris and Edward Burn Jones.
Jones, Bedwyr Lewis, _Arthur Y Cymry, The Welsh Arthur_ (University of
Wales Press, Cardiff, 1975). It discusses in great detail exactly what
information we have about Arthur, and -- more importantly -- considers
what kind of conclusions can be drawn about the real origins of these
sources.
Jones, William Lewis, _King Arthur in History and Legend_ (Cambridge,
Eng. University Press, 1911, 1914, 1933).
Jung, Emma and Marie-Louise von Franz, _The Grail Legend_ (Sigo Press,
1986. ISBN 0-938434-08-X.)
Karr, Phyllis Ann. _The King Arthur Companion_. Albany: Chaosium,
1983.
Kittregge, George Lyman, _Arthur and Gorlagon_ (Boston: Ginn and Co.,
1903).
Lacy, Norris J., ed, _The Arthurian Encyclopedia_ (ISBN:
0-85115-253-8). The first reference book to offer a comprehensive and
critical treatement of Arthurian topics. This work involves over 50
scholars and contains a wide range of entries in the arts and media;
Arthurian characters; history, legend and archaelogy; themes and
motifs; and a wealth of literature. Illustrated.
Lacy, Norris J. et. al. _The New Arthurian Encyclopedia_. Hamden, CT:
Garland, 1991. For some reason, this is harder to find than the
earlier version.
Lagorio, Valerie M. and Mildred Leake Day, eds., _King Arthur through
the Ages_ (New York:Garland Pub, 1990). Two volumes: one is almost
exclusively about medieval versions of the legend, the other is
focused on 19th and 20th century versions.
Lampo, Hubert and Pieter Paul Koster, _Arthur and the Grail_ (London:
Sidgwick & Jackson, 1988). Originally published in Dutch under
_Arthur_. Introduction by Colin Wilson.
Lewis, Charles Bertram. _Classical mythology and Arthurian romance_; a
study of the sources of Chrestien de Toryes' "Yvain" and other
Arthurian romances, by Charles Bertram Lewis. London, New York [etc.]
Pub. for St. Andrews university by H. Milford, Oxford university
press, 1932.
Lindsay, Jack, _Arthur and his times : Britain in the Dark Ages_
(London : Frederick Muller, c1958).
Littleton, C. Scott and Linda A. Malcor, _From Scythia to Camelot: A
Radical Reassessment of the Legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the
Round Table, and the Holy Grail_ (Garland Publishing, Inc., New York &
London, 1994). From Dr. Malcor "In this book my co-author and I argue
that the core of the Arthurian and Holy Grail traditions do not derive
from Celtic folklore and mythology, but rather from the folklore and
mythology of the Alans and the Sarmatians, Northeast-Iranian speaking
steppe nomads who invaded Europe in the final days of the Roman
Empire. Although this book contains a complete scholarly apparatus, we
have written it primarily to be enjoyed by the intelligent lay reader
who wants to spend a few evenings taking a new look at the origins of
Arthurian tradition."
Loomis, Richard. _The Development of Arthurian Romance_. New York:
Norton, 1970.
Loomis, Roger Sherman, _Arthurian Tradition and Chretien de Troyes_,
(New York, Columbia University Press [1949]).
Loomis, Roger Sherman, _Arthurian legends in medieval art_ (London,
Oxford University Press; New York, Modern Language Association of
America, 1938).
Loomis, Roger Sherman, _Arthurian literature in the Middle Ages: a
collaborative history_ (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1959).
Loomis, Roger Sherman, _Celtic myth and Arthurian romance_ (New York,
Columbia University Press, 1927, reprints).
Loomis, Roger Sherman, _Wales and the Arthurian legend_ (Cardiff,
University of Wales Press, 1956).
Loomis, Roger Sherman, _The Grail: from Celtic Myth to Christian
Symbol_ (Princeton: Princeton U. Press, 1991. ISBN 0-691-02075-2.)
McCarthy, Terrence, _An Introduction to Malory_ (ISBN: 0-85991-325-2).
Malory's approach to his material is discussed, as are his sources,
and his individual contribution; finally, Malory and his book are
placed in their historical context.
Mancoff, Debra, ed. _The Arthurian Revival. Essays on Form, Tradition,
and Transformation_ (New York: Garland Publishing, 1992. ISBN.
0-8153-0060-3.)
Markale, Jean, _King Arthur, King Of Kings_ (translated by Christine
Hauch. London ; New York : Gordon & Cremonesi, 1977). Originally
published as _Le roi Arthur et la societe celtique_.
Markale, Jean, _The Celts_. (First English Translation, 1993. Inner
Traditions.) Also by Markale: _Mithra-Varuna_ (1940), _Les Mythes
Romains_ (1942-47), _Loki_ (1948), _Les Dieux des Indo-Europe'ens_
(1952) Les Dieux des Germains (1959).
Markale, Jean. _King of the Celts_ (_Roi Arthur et la socie'te'
celtique_. American paperback edition.) (Inner Traditions
International, Ltd., One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 05767, 1994.)
A cheaper American edition. Easy reading, with a socialist slant.
Matthews, Caitlin and Marian Green. _The Grail Seeker's Companion: to
the Grail Quest in the Aquarian Age_. Northamptonshire: Thorsons
Publishing Group, 1986.
Matthews, Caitlin, _Arthur and the Sovereignty of Britain : King and
Goddess in the Mabinogion_ (illustrated by Chesca Potter. London,
England ; New York, N.Y., USA : Arkana, 1989).
Matthews, Caitlin and John. _The Arthurian Tarot_. Illustrated by
Miranda Grey. Northamptonshire: Thorsons Publishing Group, 1990.
Matthews, Caitlin, _The Arthurian Tarot: A Hallowquest Handbook_.
Northamptonshire: Thorsons Publishing Group, 1990.
Matthews, Caitlin, _Hallowquest: Tarot Magic and the Arthurian
Mysteries_. London: HarperCollins, 1990.
Matthews, Caitlin, _Taliesin: Shamanism and the Bardic Mysteries in
Britain and Ireland_. London: HarperCollins, 1991.
Matthews, Caitlin. _The Arthurian Tarot Course: A Quest for All
Seasons_. London: HarperCollins, 1993.
Matthews, John, _An Arthurian Legend_ (London: Aquarian Press, 1991.
ISBN 0-85030-909-3.)
Matthews, Caitlin and John, _The Arthurian Book of Days_ (New York :
Macmillan, c1990). Contains Arthurian events related to a particular
point in the year. Illustrated with copies of rare paintings and
illuminations.
Matthews, John, _The Elements of the Arthurian Tradition_. Who was
King Arthur? What is the Holy Grail? Who were the Fay Women of
Arthur's Court? What is the Fellowship of the Round Table? Who are the
Dwellers in Avalon? Answers these and other questions about the legend
of Arthur.
Matthews, John, _The Elements of the Grail Tradition_. Here, in vivid
historical detail, Matthews reveals the many facets of the Holy Grail
and its tradition. Includes explanations of the myth of the Fisher
King, the Four Hallows, the "Holiest Earth" of Glastonbury and the
Wasteland.
Matthews, John and Bob Stewart. _Warriors of Arthur_. Blandford Press.
First published in UK 1987. Paperback edition first published 1989.
detailed picture of culture, weapons and places associated with King
Arthur. ISBN 0-7137-2146-4.
Merriman, James Douglas. _The Flower of Kings: A Study of the
Arthurian Legend in England between 1485 and 1835_. Lawrence,
Manhattan, Wichita: UP of Kansas, 1973.
Meskys, Edmund R. Ed. _The Once and Future Arthur_. Center Harbor:
Niekas Publications, 1989.
Millar, Ronald William, _Will the real King Arthur please stand up?_
(London : Cassell, 1978).
Monell, Charles M., _Five hundred years of King Arthur_ ([Fullerton,
Calif.] : The Patrons of the Library, California State University,
Fullerton, c1987). The text is a lecture by Dr. Monell delivered at
the opening of the King Arthur exhibit at the California State
Library, Sacramento, on July 28, 1985 ... "--p. [3]. The article first
appeared in the July 1985 Bulletin of the California State Library
Foundation.
Morris, John, _The age of Arthur; a history of the British Isles from
350 to 650_ (New York, Scribner [1973]).
Nitze, William Albert, _Arthurian romance and modern poetry and music_
(Chicago, Ill., The University of Chicago Press [c1940]).
Phillips, Graham and Martin Keatman, _King Arthur: The True Story_
(Trafalgar Square, North Pomfret, Vermont 05043 c1994). Recounting the
accounts left by Bede, Gildas, Nennius, and Geoffry of Monmouth.
Tidbits on origins of characters such as Galahad, Lancelot, Percival
and Guinevere. Descriptions of the author's conclusions about the
original Camelot, Arthur's burial place, etc. Good reading.
Phillips, Graham. _The Search for the Grail_. First published by
Century in the UK 1995. ISBN 071-26-7533-7.
Pickford, Cedric Edward, Rex Last and Christine R. Barker, eds., _The
Arthurian Bibliography_ (Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] : D.S. Brewer ;
Totowa, N.J. : Biblio, -1983).
Ratcliffe, Eric, _The Great Arthurian Timeslip_ (Stevenage and Bungay
[Eng.] : ORE, 1978).
Ravenscroft, Trevor. _The Cup of Destiny_. An interpretation of
Eschenbach's Parsifal and interesting reading.
Reid, Margaret Jane Cornfute, _The Arthurian Legend_ (Edinburgh [etc.]
Oliver and Boyd [1938]).
Ritson, Joseph, _The life of King Arthur: from ancient historians and
authentic documents_ (London, Payne and Foss [etc.] 1825).
Robinson, Joseph Armitage, _Two Glastonbury legends: King Arthur and
St. Joseph of Arimathea_ (Cambridge [Eng.] The University Press,
1926).
Saklatvala, Beram, _Arthur, Roman Britain's Last Champion_ (Newton
Abbot: David & Charles, 1971.) An unconventional study of King Arthur.
Scherer, Margaret Roseman, _About the Round Table_, (New York, 1945).
Simpson, Roger, _Camelot Revisited: The Athurian Revival and Tennyson,
1800-1849_ ISBN: 0-85991-300-7. A study of the interest in Arthurian
literature in the early part of the nineteenth century. There is a
complete bibliography of early 19th-century Arthurian poetry, drama,
and prose fiction together with catalogues of paintings and
illustrated books.
Skene, William Forbes, author; Derek Bryce, ed., _Arthur and the
Britons in Wales and Scotland_ (Lampeter [Wales] : Llanerch
Enterprises, c1988).
Slocum, Sally K. ed. _Popular Arthurian Traditions_. Bowling Green:
Bowling Green State U, 1992.
Spivak, Charlotte. _Merlin's Daughters: Contemporary Women Writers of
Fantasy_. Westport: Greenwood P, 1987.
Starr, Nathan Comfort, _King Arthur today; the Arthurian legend in
English and American Literature, 1901-1953_, (Gainesville, University
of Florida Press 1954).
Stewart, R.J., ed. _The Book of Merlyn- Insights from the Merlin
conference_. Based on proceedings of London conference held June,
1986. Blandford Press, London. Originally published in hardback in the
UK, 1987. Merlin as the central theme, conference ranged over history,
legend, drama, psychology, story-telling, music, folklore, etc. ISBN
0-7137-2078-6.
Surtees, Scott Frederick, _Merlin and Arthur_, ([Hertford, S. Austin
and sons, printers], 1871).
Taylor, Beverly and Elisabeth Brewer, _The Return of King Arthur_ (DS
Brewer, Cambridge, 1983.) Contains an extensive bibliography in the
back.
Thompson, Raymond, _The Return From Avalon_ (Greenwood, Westport,
1985). This is an excellent recent study of modern Arthurian
literature.
Tolstoy, Nikolai, _The Quest for Merlin_ (Little, Brown, 1985. ISBN
0-316-85066-7.)
Treharne, R. F. (Reginald Francis), _The Glastonbury legends: Joseph
of Arimathea, the Holy Grail and King Arthur_, (London, Cresset P.,
1967).
Trevelyan, Marie, _The Land of Arthur, its Heroes and Heroines_,
(London, J. Hogg [pref. 1895]).
Vinaver, Eugene, _King Arthur's sword; or, The making of a medieval
romance_, (Manchester, Eng., John Rylands Library and the Manchester
University Press, 1958).
Vinaver, Eugene, _Malory_ ([1st ed.], reprinted with a new preface.
London, Clarendon P., 1970).
Warner, Sylvia Townsend. _T. H. White_. New York: Viking Press, 1968.
Whitaker, Muriel. _The Legends of King Arthur in Art_. ISBN
0-85991-306-6. This is a study of works of art inspired by legends of
King Arthur and his knights and produced over a period of nine
centuries in Europe and North America. It covers illuminated
manuscripts, printed books, sculpture, pavements, all paintings, easel
paintings, etc.
Whitehead, John, _Guardian of the Grail, a new light on the Arthurian
legend_, ([London] Jarrolds [1959]).
Wildman, S. G. _The Black Horses, English Inns and King Arthur_
(London: John Baker, 1971).
Williams, Charles and C.S. Lewis, _Arthurian Torso_. Two long essays.
The first, by Williams, is a lengthy history of the development of the
Arthurian legend, discussing the entry of the various great themes
(i.e., courtly love, the Grail, etc.) and how it affected the legend
that had existed to that point. The second, by Lewis, is an
indispensible guide to Williams' own Arthurian poems (cited in the
Poetry section). These essays, along with William's poems, can be
found in trade paperback from Eerdmans' Press, Grand Rapids.
Williams, Gwyn A. _Excalibur - The Search for Arthur_. Barnes & Noble
by arrangement with BBC Books, 1994 ISBN 1-56619-694-9.
Wood, Michael. _In Search of the Dark Ages_. (Facts On File
Publications, 1987) The guy who brought you _In Search of the Trojan
War_ does a comfortable job on Arthur with some insights over thirty
pages.
Zaddy, Z. P. _Chretien Studies_. Glasgow: U of Glasgow P, 1973, 1 -
71.
Medieval and early texts
_Gawain and the Grene Knight_. Many translations, including one by JRR
Tolkien (_Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_, Clarendon Press, Oxford,
1930).
_Lancelot of the Lake_. Available in pb from Oxford's "The World's
Classics" series. Anonymous, Arthurian cycle: _Lancelot of the Lake_,
_The Quest of the Holy Grail_, and _The Death of Arthur_. Available in
pb from Penguin. Most later Arthurian texts (especially Mallory) are
based on these, the same way most texts after Chretien derived from
Chretien. The first listed, the "short" or "non-cyclic prose
Lancelot," is a very interesting point in the development of the
legend: Lancelot is not yet involved in the Grail quest (indeed, it is
implied that it has already occurred by the time he comes to King
Arthur's court). The "cycle" is the first (existing) text, or set of
texts, to unite all the fundamental themes of the mythos. Also
available from Penguin is a single volume edition with two long poetic
"morts d'Artu," under the title _The Death Of King Arthur_. One is in
rhymed verse, the other in alliterative.
_The Death of King Arthur_. Trans. with an Intro. by James Cable.
London, New York, Victoria, Ontario, Aukland: Penguin Books, 1988.
(Translation of La Mort le Roi Artu).
_King Arthur's Death: The Middle English Stanzaic Morte Arthur and
Alliterative Morte Arthure_. Ed. Larry D. Benson. Exeter: U of Exeter,
1986. (There are translations of these)
_The Mabinogion_ (many translations.) The Mabinogion is the collection
of Welsh stories and legends, where elements of the Arthurian legend
can be found. These probably form the basis for the legend as we have
it today, though scholars seem to revise their opinions every now and
then.
Blackmore, Sir Richard, _An Heroick Poem_ (London, printed for Awnsham
and John Churchil, 1695). In ten books. Probably out of print.
Chretien de Troyes, _Arthurian Romances_ (Everyman's Library #698).
Various translations. He was a 12th century writer/poet and the single
most improtant influence on the development of the Arthurian mythos:
it was he who linked Lancelot to Guinevere and who introduced the
moral question of their affair (in _Lancelot, Or the Knight of the
Cart_) and it was quite possibly he who brought the story of the Grail
Quest to Arthur's court (in _Perceval_).
Chretien de Troyes, _Ywain, the Knight of the Lion_ (Translated by
Robert W. Ackermand and Frederick W. Lock, Unger, New York, 1957, plus
other translations).
Chretien de Troyes, _Perceval, The Story of the Grail_. (English
translation by Nigel Bryant, ISBN: 0-85991-224-8). The story of the
making of a knight in both worldly and spiritual terms, and the source
of some of the most dramatic and mysterious adventures of romance.
Dass, Nirmal, translator. _Avowing of King Arthur_. Lanham, MD: UP of
America, 1987. This is pretty strange at the end.
Day, Mildred Leake, translator. _De ortu Waluuanii nepotis Arturi_. In
_The Rise of Gawain, Nephew of Arthur_. New York: Garland Publishing,
1984.
Geoffrey of Monmouth (1100-1154), _History of the Kings of Britain_
(Penguin, 1966. ISBN 0-14-044170-0.) Twelfth century historian.
Monmouth, Geoffrey. Vita Merlini. _The life of Merlin_. Hunter's
library has a dual language version.
Jones, Prudence, translator. _Les Enfances Gauvain_. In Appendix 1 of
_Gawain: Knight of the Goddess_ by John Matthews. Wellingborough:
Aquarian Pr, 1990.
Le Clerc, Guillaume. _Fergus of Galloway: Knight of Arthur_. (Trans.
with an Intro, and notes by D.D.R. Owen. Rutlan: Charles E. Tuttle,
1991)
Malory, Sir Thomas, _Le Morte D'Arthur_ (many editions). The classic
15th century rendition of Arthurian legend according the French
tradition. About where Lancelot in his romantic, very French, form was
added, and where the search for the Grail was put in Christian terms.
Notes: Caxton (1422-1491) edited Morte D'Arthur and changed it quite a
bit in so doing. The original (non-edited-by-Caxton) version is
available from Oxford University Press under the title _Malory: Works_
(1973). In this edition, there are a number of loosely connected
stories: Caxton conflated some, elided others, and bound the whole
thing together under one theme: Arthur's tragedy. Furthermore, there
are various non-Malory versions of the _Morte Arthure_ and _Le Morte
Arthur_ c.1400 and c.1350 respectively. These were a part of the
impetus behind Malory's later version.
Matarosso, translator, _The Quest of the Holy Grail_ (Penguin, 1969.
ISBN 0-14-044220-0.)
Middleton, Christopher, _The famous historie of Chinon of England_ (to
which is added The assertion of King Arthure, translated by Richard
Robinson from Leland's Assertio inclytissimi Arturii, together with...
London, Pub. for the Early English Text Society by H. Milford, Oxford
University Press, 1925).
Nennius. _Historia Brittonum_ [The History of Britons] c858 orig.
published in Latin. The mention of Ambrosius has a lot of correlation
to what is later attributed by Geoffrey of Monmouth etc. to Merlin's
conception and it is central to Mary Stewart's version.
Sebastian Evans, trans. _The High History of the Holy Grail_. A
translation of Perlesvaus. Everyman's Library, Lond: JM Dent & Sons,
NY, EP Dutton & Co. 1936. There is likely a more recent translation
done in the 70s.
Stone, Brian, translator. _The Alliterative Morte Arthure_. In _King
Arthur's Death_. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1989. Paraphrased by John
Gardner in _The Alliterative Morte Arthure_. Carbondale: Southern
Illinois UP, 1971.
von dem Turlin, Heinrich. _The Crown_. Trans. J. W. Thomas. U of
Nebraska P, 1989. Version of the Grail quest, finally translated into
English.
von Strassburg, Gottfried, _Tristan_ (Penguin, 1960. ISBN
0-14-044098-4.)
Wace and Layamon, _Arthurian Chronicles_, (with an introd. by Lucy
Allen Paton. London ; New York : Dent, Dutton, [1921?]).
Weston, Jessie L. translator. _The Awntyrs off Arthure_. In _Romance,
Vision, and Satire_. Boston: 1912.
Wirnt von Grafenberg. _Wigalois: The Knight of Fortune's Wheel_.
Trans. J. W. Thomas. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 1977. Wigalois is
Gawain's son.
Wolfram von Eschenbach, _Parsival_ (Penguin, 1980. ISBN
0-14-044361-4.) Allows great insight into the mind of Chivalry for
those with the patience. Modern translation of a medieval text.
Periodicals
John, Christopher. Rev. of Excalibur. Ares July, 1981, 21.
John, Christoper, Rev. of Knightriders. Ares July, 1981,
Lambides, Freya Reeves, pub., _Avalon to Camelot_ (Debra N. Mancoff,
ed.) A quarterly journal started in Fall 1983, lasted for four regular
issues to Summer 1984 before the publisher folded. Two more issues
came out, but are not generally available. It had some excellent
articles, and was well illustrated for a non-color production.
Surviving copies may be collector's items.
Arthurian references (fictional)
Barr, Mike and Brian Bolland. _Camelot 3000_, 1981, DC Comics. 12
issue limited series later bound into a trade paperback. Rides the
fine lines between clever and stupid, inspired and tacky. Futuristic
story about a reincarnated (and ethnically mixed) Round Table, aliens,
etc.
Cherryh, C.J., _Port Eternity_ (DAW Books, New York, c1982). Science
fiction novel with arthurian elements and references.
Coney, Michael Greatrex, _Fang, the Gnome_. (Signet/New American
Library, ISBN 0-451-15847-4). The main characters are Fang, Nyneve,
Avalona (the non-human who teaches Nyneve) and Merlin (Avalona's son).
Arthurian characters who appear: Tristam and Iseult, Arthur, and
Galahad - with the other characters appearing only in "the Game"
played by Nyneve, Avalona and Merlin. The Game is used to enter an
alternate reality and influence the characters there. Eventually the
other reality merges with that of Earth and the Arthurian story
becomes a reality.
Coney, Michael Greatrex. _King of the Scepter'd Isle_. New York,
London, Victoria, Ontario, Auckland: Penguin Books, 1990 (Previously
published in hardcover by NAL Books, no date given). The sequel to
Fang the Gnome.
Cooper, Susan, _Over Sea, Under Stone_, _The Dark Is Rising_, _The
Green Witch_, _The Grey King_, _Silver on the Tree_. Celtic derived
fantasy, some references to Arthur. While these are "juveniles" they
present good reading for adults as well.
Crow, Donna Fletcher. Glastonbury: _The Novel of Christian England_.
Wheaton: Good News, 1992. Has only 100 pages or so on Arthur's time.
Seems to be like Sarum - spanning the ages.
Davies, Robertson, _The Lyre of Orpheus_.
Drake, David, _The Dragon Lord_, (Berkeley Pub. Group, 1979. ISBN
0-399-12380-6). This is about an Irish soldier fighting in Arthur's
army. All the usual characters are there, fairly prominently, but they
are not the protagonists.
Kay, Guy Gavriel, _The Summer Tree_, _The Wandering Fire_ and _The
Darkest Road_. Also known collectively as "The Fionavar Tapestry."
Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere are, in various forms, called back to
assist in defeating The Unraveller in the one True World, Fionavar. In
addition, the tale is steeped in Celtic mythology and part of the fun
is matching characters back to specific myths and legends.
Knowles, Sir James, _The Legends of King Arthur and his Knights_,
(London, New York: Warne and Co., 1895).
Laubenthal, Sanders Anne. _Excalibur_ (Ballantine Books, 1973 ISBN
0-345- 25635-23-195). Present day fiction concerning the current
Pendragon, a Welsh archaelogist, searching for Excalibur in Mobile,
Alabama (where legend says Prince Madoc of Wales hid it after Arthur's
final defeat) while another takes a Grail quest at the same time.
Morgan and Morgause oppose them. There is a strong Celtic flavor to
the conflict. Out of print.
Lewis, C.S., _That Hideous Strength_ (part of a three book set). While
it does have much non-Arthurian material, it does deal a good bit with
the line of the Pendragons and one of the characters is the awakened
Merlinus Ambrosius.
Monroe, Douglas. _The 21 Lessons of Merlyn_.Llewellyn Publications,
St. Paul, MN, 1993 A study in druid magic and lore. It combines a
fictional tale with instructions on various druidic magic techniques.
ISBN 0-87542-496-1.
Saberhagen, Fred. _Dominion_. Dracula and Merlin have a longstanding
feud that threatens to undermine their resistance to the real source
of trouble -- Nimue. Set in modern day, this book is readable if a bit
ambiguous.
Spenser, Edmund, _The Faerie Queene_. An excellent work and is
Arthurian at least in some of its sections, and should be
comprehensible to anyone who can read Malory.
Vance, Jack, _Suldrun's Garden_, _The Green Pearl_, _Madouc_ (New York
: Berkeley Publishing Group, c1983/c1985/c1989). Collectively known as
the _Lyonesse_, and the first book is sometimes titled _Lyonesse_.
These books are written so as to involve themselves in the origin of
the round table and one or two of the knights found in Arthurian
legend.
Walton, Evangeline, _Prince of Annwn_, _The Children of Llyr_, _The
Song of Rhiannon_ and _The Island of the Mighty_ (Del Rey, 1970).
Modern reworkings of _The Mabinogion_. Excellently written. May be
hard to find. Recently reissued in large tradeback.
Wagner, Matt. _Mage: The Hero Discovered_, 1984. Comico Comics. 15
issue mini-series reprinted into 5 MageBooks. Return of Arthur to
present day. Good story, good artwork. Part one of a projected
Trilogy. Wagner has delayed finishing the other two, tentatively
titled _The Hero Defined_ and _The Hero Denied_, but rumors talk of a
1995 release.
Wein, Elizabeth. _The Winter Prince_ (Atheneum, 1992). A young adult
novel, told from the point of view of Mordraut (Mordred) about his
love-hate relationship with his father Artos and his half-brother and
sister.
Zelazny, Roger. _The Last Defender of Camelot_. Anthology. Avon, 1988.
ISBN 0-380-70316-5. Only the title story involves Lancelot and the
Holy Grail; the rest of the book is science fiction.
Celtic fiction
_Irish Fairy and Folk Tales_ (Dorset, 1986. ISBN 0-88029-073-0.)
Alexander, Lloyd, _The Book of Three_, _The Black Cauldron_, _Castle
of Llyr_, _Taran Wanderer_, _The High King_. Based on Celtic
mythology, these are excellent "children's" books.
Bedier, Joseph, _Romance of Tristan & Iseult_ (Doubleday Anchor,
1945.) As retold by Joseph Bedier. Trans. Hilaire Belloc. Completed by
Paul Rosenfeld. New York, Random House, 1965.
Flint, Kenneth C. _Riders of the Sidhe_, _Champions of the Sidhe_, _??_
which collectively are a retelling of the Irish myth of Lugh Lamfada.
_Isle of Destiny_ (Cuchulain), and _Cromm_ (horror with Celtic
mythology).
Flynn, Casey, _The Gods of Ireland_ (Bantam/Spectra). This is a series
of books which retell the mythic cycle of Irish legends. The
individual books are short and do stand alone, at least the first two
do.
Gantz, Jeffrey, _Early Irish Myths and Sagas_ (Penguin, 1981. ISBN
0-14-044-397-5.)
Garner, Alan. _The Owl Service_. New York: Ballentine Books, 1981
(First published: London and Glasgow: William Collins Sons & Company,
1967). Based on the Welsh tales of Llew Llaw Gyffes.
Humphreys, Emyr, _The Taliesin Tradition_, (Black Raven, 1983. ISBN
0-85159-002-0.) Boring.
Jackson, Kenneth, _A Celtic Miscellany_ (Penguin, 1951. ISBN
0-14-044247-2.)
Jacobs, Joseph, _Celtic Fairy Tales_ (Dover, 1968. ISBN
0-486-21826-0.)
Llywelyn, Morgan, _Red Branch_ (Ivy Books, Ballantine Books, 1989.
ISBN: 0-8041-0591-X. Retells the story of the Irish warrior-hero:
Cuchulain, the Hound of Ulster. Has also written _Grania_, _The Horse
Goddess_, _Lion of Ireland_ and _Bard_.
Paxson, Diana L., _The White Raven_ (Avon Books, 1988). Retelling of
the Tristan/Iseult legend, from the point of view of Iseult's
slave/maid. A pretty, romantic sort of tale. Set in Britain after the
collapse of King Arthur's peace.
Peacock, Thomas Love. _The Misfortunes of Elphin_ (c1829; many
reprints). An irreverent take on the Mabinogion.
Rolleston, T.W., _Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race_ (Constable,
1911. recent reprint, no date. ISBN 0-09-467720-4)
Weston, Jesse L. _From Ritual to Romance_ (Anchor, 1957.) A work on
the grail.
Yeats, Wm. Butler, _The Celtic Twilight_ (Signet, 1962.)
Yeats, Wm. Butler and Lady Gregory, _A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend,
and Folklore_ (Avenel Books, 1986. ISBN: 0-517-48904-X. Irish tales,
plus the legend of Cuchulain.
Organizations
I'm sure there are more than listed here. Please feel free to let me
know about more.
For another electronic mailing list, try arthurnet@morgan.ucs.mun.ca.
I am not sure of the subscription process, perhaps email to
arthurnet-request@morgan.ucs.mun.ca.
_The International Arthurian Society_
Hans R. Runte
Department of French
Dalhousie University
Canada
The Camelot Project at Robbins Library, sponsored by the University of
Rochester, is an electronic database of Arthurian texts, images,
bibliographies and basic information. Check it out!
_________________________________________________________________
Arthurian Booklist FAQ
Copyright 1994, 1995 by Cindy Tittle Moore, tittle@zmall.com
PO Box 4188, Irvine CA 92716