Books with title King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table Treasury

This is the story of one of the most magical legends, that of King Arthur and his noble nights of the Round Table. It all begins when young Arthur meets the wise Merlin and fulfils his destiny, by easily extracting a charmed sword that none could lift, and becoming King of the land. Read about the fascinating adventures of King Arthur and the valiant Knights of the Realm as they set forth on their quest for the Holy Grail, right until the Last Battle.

Wizards and knights! Queens and quests! The tales of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table are legendary favorites whose appeal transcends time. This gorgeously illustrated collection–unavailable for decades–combines the work of renowned illustrator Gustaf Tenggren with captivating storytelling, and reignites the magic of an age long ago and far away.

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table! What magic is in the words! How they carry us straight to the days of chivalry, to the witchcraft of Merlin, to the wonderful deeds of Lancelot and Perceval and Galahad, to the Quest for the Holy Grail, to all that "glorious company, the flower of men," as Tennyson has called the king and his companions! Down through the ages the stories have come to us, one of the few great romances which, like the tales of Homer, are as fresh and vivid to-day as when men first recited them in court and camp and cottage. Other great kings and paladins are lost in the dim shadows of long-past centuries, but Arthur still reigns in Camelot and his knights still ride forth to seek the Grail.

The tales of King Arthur and his Knights are of Celtic origin. In olden times, it was the custom of minstrels and story-tellers to travel through the land from court to court, telling of tales of chivalry and heroism, and for many centuries the tales of King Arthur formed the stock from which the story-teller drew. In this way the stories came to be handed down from father to son, in Brittany as well as in Wales and England. One of the most famous of the books compiled by old English writers was the “Historia Britonum,” which was written (in Latin) by Geoffrey, Bishop of Asaph. It contained an account of a war which King Arthur waged in Western Europe, but made no mention of the Holy Grail. From this and other books of romances compiled in England, and very largely, too, from books of French romances, Sir Thomas Malory obtained the material for his “Morte d’Arthur,” which was written in 1470. This is the most famous of the early books of Arthurian legend, and it is from the “Morte d’Arthur” that most of the stories in this book are taken.