The Arthurian Companion (Pendragon Fiction) [Paperback]

Phyllis Ann Karr (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pendragon Fiction | Publication Date: April 15, 2001

Written in a warm and entertaining style, The Arthurian Companion contains over one thousand entries, cross-referenced, annotated, and carefully revised for the second edition. It is an alphabetical guide to the "who's who" of Arthurian legend, a "what's what" of famous Arthurian weapons and artifacts, and a "where's where" of geographical locations appearing in Arthurian literature. An extensive chronology of King Arthur's reign is included. The Arthurian Companion is an invaluable reference for researchers and for lovers of medieval romance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Arthurian Companion is one of those rarely found reference books that one wants to read from cover to cover." -- American Reference Books Annual

About the Author

Phyllis Ann Karr has written many recent works of fiction, including MY LADY QUIXOTE, LADY SUSAN, FROSTFLOWER AND THORN, MEADOWSONG, PEROLA, THE ELOPEMENT, WILDRAITH'S LAST BATTLE, FROSTFLOWER AND WINDBOURNE, and AT AMBERLEAF FAIR. readers of THE ARTHURIAN COMPANION will find two of her works of special interest: her Arhturian murder mystery, IDYLLS OF THE QUEEN, and her whimsical authurian tale, THE FOLLIES OF SIR HARALD. A freelance writher, the author was born in a Navy hospital in Oakland, California, and was raised in the northwest tip of Indiana. She currently resides with her husband, Clifford Alfred Hoyt, in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, a long county without a single traffic light.

Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Green Knight Publishing; 2 edition (April 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1928999131
• ISBN-13: 978-1928999133
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,222,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing sourcebook, November 6, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Arthurian Companion (Pendragon Fiction) (Paperback)

Phyllis Ann Karr, the author of the excellent "Idylls of the Queen," provides the Arthuriana fan with a well-structured and intelligent encyclopedia, going from earliest myths and legends to the later, polished versions that we usually encounter first.

She covers places and names, characters and events in the assorted legends, in informative but not overdone entries. Several different interpretations of, for example, Morgan le Fay are covered in her entry, coming from the assorted sources. Gaps in information are usually acknowledged by the author, and she provides the reader with speculation as to origins and meanings.

The body of information is mind-bogglingly enormous; I can only speculate how long it took Karr to get it all whipped into a neat, well-written book of only six hundred pages. Her writing is often made lengthy simply by the enormous amount of material to be compressed. In addition, she often says, "I think" or "I found," which oddly is not irritating, but rather creates the feeling that the reader is simply listening to a learned scholar speak out loud. It feels very thorough, filling out every character's background and experiences -- yes, even the insignificant ones.

Like all Green Knight Press books I've purchased, this book has nice sturdy paper, clean text and a strong binding; like most of their books, it also has a great cover.

Any fan of Arthurian lore or fiction must read this book, for the sake of insight into characters large and small in books that you read.