The Discovery of the Grail [Hardcover]

Andrew Sinclair (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1998

This fascinating and definitive history traces the origins of the Holy Grail myth, investigating claims of its discovery in Palestine, Wales and the Byzantine Empire. 6 photos. 2 maps.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In writing "the first complete history of the Grail," Sinclair (The Sword and the Grail) demonstrates his familiarity with the copious literature about holy relics from the Byzantine Empire to Carl Jung with numerous allusions to religion, myth and history. He writes of the Grail's many manifestations: the chalice of the Last Supper, used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch the blood of Christ; the Holy Lance; the Pentecostal tongues of fire; the dish bearing the bloody head of St. John the Baptist; the cornucopia; the philosopher's stone; the Ark of the Covenant. Offering no precise definition, Sinclair is free to trace Grail history with an eclectic choice of holy relics, using ancient chronicles, medieval epics, Celtic Arthurian legends and representations of religious art as source material. He describes the past uses of the relics of the crucifixion, including the perversion of such relics by the Nazis. For Sinclair, the Grail is ultimately "a symbol of each person's direct approach to the divine light." In part because his subject is so amorphous, in part because he assumes a vast store of knowledge on rather obscure figures and terms, Sinclair's narrative will be daunting to the general reader. Nor is the writing always elegant ("Himmler enthused about the legends of King Arthur..."). No one, however, can doubt Sinclair's religious fervor and the sincerity of his deeply personal quest.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

According to British historian Sinclair (Jerusalem: The Endless Crusade, LJ 9/15/95), the Grail is any "reliquary with a sacred purpose" and "may be present as a heavenly stone or a severed head...as a fish or a dove with the host in its beak." With this loose definition in hand, Sinclair traces the history and evolution of the Grail from pre-Christian mythology to the alchemical writings of Carl Jung. Through readings of texts as diverse as Virgil's Aeneid, Dante's Divine Comedy, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Sinclair asserts that the search for the Grail is deeply embedded in literature other than the traditional Grail tales of Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur. Unfortunately, the book is unsure whether it wants to be pop psychology, literary history, or a New Age religious tract. Simplistic pronouncements like "To attain the ever-changing Grail was to search deep within and so to reach out to a personal path to God" bring Sinclair's work closer to the ethereal musings of Deepak Chopra than a serious study of the Grail. Not recommended.?Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Westerville P.L., OH
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 307 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078670604X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786706044
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,242,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well written with some slow spots, March 22, 2003

By 

A. BOWMAN (Bensalem, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Discovery of the Grail (Hardcover)

Andrew Sinclair obviously knows his material and I found the book excellenty researched with tons of facts, names and dates. it did tend to drag sometimes but never for any long period of time. My only problem with the book is that the author tends to dismiss some alternative theories a little too easily.