Customer Reviews

Le Morte D'Arthur: Complete, Unabridged, Illustrated Edition

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The core story of Arthur: how he defeated the Saxons and saved the Britons is completely absent in this late Medieval canonical version of the Arthur story. What we have is an English re-telling of the tales the French told about him, ultimately going back to Welsh sources. Arthur is clearly portrayed as English in this re-telling, and has all the apparatus of a 15th Century monarch, such as Parliament, tournaments etc. In a sense, this book summarizes the whole cultural experience of the Middle Ages! This particular edition of the book is absolutely beautiful! It has nice, large print and is decorated brilliantly throughout with paintings of the legends with a lovely Medieval-Celtic-mysterious theme.
The main storytelling strategy employed is that of the unexpected: there are always knights, ladies, giants, wizards, sorceresses and strange beasts popping up, requiring the knights to take some kind of action.
The stories can get quite crude at times, both sexually and otherwise (the parts involving giants and maidens is quite disturbing actually!), and we have to throw out our traditionally held ideas of what knighthood is all about in order to appreciate what is really at work here. 'Gentle maidens' are not 'gentle' in the modern sense, but rather 'powerful/upper-class' and seem to have a penchant for slaying their enemies and causing just as much damage as the knights do: HARDLY the sterotype we are accustomed to regarding ladies in the time of 'knights in shining armour'. The 'sword' fights tend to end up with a grappling match on the ground where one knight finally removes the other's helmet and beheads him with a knife. This is raw and ready stuff, and it will show you to what degree children's books in our culture have led to a popular gross misunderstanding of the original tales.
The author, Malory, whoever exactly he was (and he CERTAINLY was NOT a criminal) must have thought of Arthur as an English hero deserving an English edition recounting his deeds. Researchers say that he stuck to re-telling the plot of the French stories, as if he thought he were getting at the 'truth behind the legend' to tell the 'true' story of Arthur. He seems to have had first hand experience in battle, as the fighting in the book is very realistic and he seems particularly interested in telling us about the thousands of fights in detail. A major part of the story is how Arthur conquers Rome: something that none of us would ever believe was there unless we had seen it written in the book! Merlin, believe it or not, dies (well, not exactly dies, but is out of the story anyways) near the very beginning of the book! Arthur has sex with anyone's wife he wants to! There are so many things in this book that you won't believe could ever have been written in this, THE tome of Chivalry! The Middle Ages is always in style, and it is always incredibly popular. This is the kind of book you can enjoy many times, and it is moreover REAL Medieval fantasy stuff, not the pulp-fiction-fantasy stuff so common at every bookstore. Read this book written by a real knight about 'real' knights! The spirit of the Middle Ages is one we can all enjoy and benefit from in our much more complex modern lives.

This is such a beautiful book to own. This really is the definitive King Arthur novel, honestly I wouldn't pick up any other version of the story, but this.
Hundreds of books have been written about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but this is just a must have.
Beautiful illustrations and in original fourm.

Sir Thomas Mallory was a great one to write the adventures of King Arthur and his knights - a knight himself, he led a life of intrigue and adventure, albeit not one that always lived up to the ideas of chivalry he penned at the heart of the Arthurian legends. Mallory did not invent Arthur; he is one of the principle medieval chroniclers, having time (he was in prison with nothing else to do, after all) to set down in prose stories he'd heard throughout his life. These were popular tales, not always told in the same way with the same details, as is true of most oral legends and transmitted stories, much to the later frustration of scholars and readers. The earliest printing of Mallory's stories had his authorship suppressed by Caxton, one of the better-known publishers of the time.

The earliest Arthurian legends date back as far as the late Roman times in Britain. Controversies abound, but many have settled on a late Roman or Romano-British general named Arturius - however, given the linguistic nature of the name (it is derivative of ruler or leader), it is impossible to know if this was in fact a name or a title, and the legends may be compilations of the acts of many leaders bearing the name. There was also a Welsh leader with the name/title Arddu, 'Dark One', who is sometimes conflated into Arthurian legend. Arthur was celebrated in the pre-Norman times for the order and stability he represented; Arthur was celebrated in post-Norman times for his campaigns against Saxons. Arthur continues to be an intriguing character, today reminiscent of ancient mysteries as well as pagan and new age ideas as well.

In any event, Mallory doesn't attach specific dates to his tales. The book actually consists of many tales. The first is entitled 'The Tale of King Arthur', which introduces the figures of Merlin, Gawain, Uwayne, Pellinore, Morgan le Fay (the Celtic war goddess Morgana, dressed up as Arthur's sister) and others, and includes the sword-in-the-stone event. While this text has been modernised by Keith Baines, there are certain crucial lines left in Mallory's English, including this most famous one:

Whoso pulleth oute this swerd of this stone and anvyld is rightwys kynge borne of all Brytaygne

Following this tale, Mallory includes many of the famous tales in Arthurian legend as stories more or less complete in themselves, but still linking to the other tales. 'The Tale of Sir Lancelot du Lake' is a knight's tale indeed, with no fewer than twenty horseback duels back-to-back. 'The Tale of Sir Gareth' is a similar spirited tale, less well known. 'The Book of Sir Tristram of Lyoness' makes Tristram and Iseult, famous by other writers as well, into lovers, this time with a more happy ending than usual. The lesser known 'Tale of Arthur and Lucius' describes battles and skirmishes with the emperor, but never really captured popular imagination.

Mallory saves the best for last, with three major tales - 'The Tale of the Sangreal', the Holy Grail; 'The Book of Sir Launcelot and Queen Gwynevere'; and finally, 'Le Morte D'Arthur'. The tale of the Holy Grail continues into the present day in various fashions; here is contains strange glosses of the Old and New Testaments, as well as a good number of miracles, as one would expect from the Grail. The last tale, the death of Arthur, is probably the most famous, and the best written.

Even though an English knight, the courtly fashion was after a French design for many centuries after the Norman conquest, and this French influence in notable in the stories, from their titles to their plots and characterisations, including the places Mallory uses.

This edition is illustrated beautifully by Anna-Marie Ferguson who studied art at Southampton College, and is known for similar graphic representations in collections of fairy tales, a literary form not dissimilar to the Aruthurian saga. John Matthews has provided a good edition of the text of Mallory, complete and unabridged here.

Arthur lives on into the modern world and beyond.

Knights...wizards...fair ladies...castles...magic.
We've all grown up with it and we've always loved such tales. The Arthur Legend will always be among my favourites and one of the most popular and familiar stories ever. Sir Thomas Malory tells this fantastic legend from beginning to end in beautiful language. Le Morte D'Arthur is everything-- action, adventure, romance, fantasy, drama...and it's full of good old-fashioned lessons and morals. It's a beautiful reminder of forgotten ways, countries, people and events that are brought to life in our imaginations. I certainly would recommend this book to anyone who loves classic legends, exciting characters and epic wars and love stories. Also to anyone who is very patient. It can take a long time to get through 896 pages.

This is the most comprehensive and beautifully written account of the Arthurian saga. It traverses the entirety of Arthur's exploit filled life from birth to his "death", as well as the stories of the most illustrious knights of the Round Table. There is not a single piece of the Arthurian legend (or history to some people) that is not recounted and recounted masterfully. It contains everything, numerous tournaments, conquests of Roman emperors, the tale of the Siege Perilous, and of course, the quest for the Holy Grail. This book will immerse you in the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table to the point where you can hear the swords clashing.

Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur is the culmination of twenty one smaller books written by Malory while incarcerated during the late fifteenth century. Little else in known about Malory himself, however, this romance of Old England draws its material from accounts and legends of chivalrous English Kings, and today inspires and entertains creative minds of all backgrounds. Legend has it that the adult King Arthur is based on a Roman General who claimed lordship over the Anglicans after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. Verifiable facts regarding the historical origins of King Arthur and his knights, if there are any, are very scarce. For this reason, as well as speculation regarding how much of Malory's work is factually based, it is near impossible to discern fact from fiction in Arthurian Legend. This same conundrum holds true for other anonymous or unknown Arthurian authors as well.
As the title implies, Le Morte D'Arthur describes in great detail the life and death of King Arthur of Camelot; it also gives an account of the lives and intertwining relationships of King Arthur's knights, lords, women, and other members of his court. Themes central in Le Morte D'Arthur are chivalry, honor, loyalty to one's King, Country and God (in that order), as well as what the aforementioned traits are not. In his work, Malory provides a plethora of examples to illustrate these themes.
At the time it was penned, there were several kings in Briton. In the eighth book, it is clear that loyalty in Arthurian times was paramount. Queen Elizabeth of Liones, upon dying to bear her lord's son inquires of her lord (the king)'s well-being. She is more concerned with her king's life than her own. Elizabeth was more than a wife and queen, she was also her king's humble servant. In the first chapter, Tristram's father, King Meliodas, is hunting when he comes under the spell of a `lady [not his wife the Queen] [...] and he was taken prisioner (238).' As time persisted, his wife `waxed great with child [...](238)' and missed her lord. Taking a gentlewoman (midwife) with her, she races into the forest to find her lord. Queen Elizabeth did not make it far into the woods before going into labor:

When ye see my lord [,] [...] recommend me unto him, and tell him what pains I endure here for his love [,] [...] and that I am full sorry to depart out of this world from him [.] (239)

Even in the face of death, and uncertainty for the life of the child, Queen Elizabeth was primarily concerned with the wellbeing of her king.
In all of circumstances, the noblest of persons in Le Morte D'Arthur are always loyal to their kings.
Books XV-XVII, Pp. 205-270 in the second volume, hold the conclusion of King Arthur's quest for the Sangreal, or The Holy Grail. After being commissioned by God, King Arthur summons his most elite, loyal knights to aid in his quest. What unfolds in those three books could be called the greatest story of chivalrous bravery in Romantic Literature. Knowing full well that only the purest, chaste of all the knights could find the Sangreal and bring it home to Camelot, the knights waged tremendous battles, searched tirelessly, some even died, to uphold their holy covenant with their king, their God, and their holy quest.
At the time Malory was writing Le Morte D'Arthur, he had to imagine that only the most wealthy would be reading his work, for the simple fact that they were the only people who could afford to learn to read. This edition targets a more mature, educated audience, judging by the subject matter, language, and tone of the work.
From this is sprung an illustration of the differences between one hundred years of style and editing. At some point in one's life, I recommend reading Le Morte D'Arthur. It would be best if the reader is a little older, a little wiser, when the book is read. A targeted, more educated audience would better appreciate the plot complexities and historical/religious/contemporary themes of the work. As with any literary work, it is best to always acquire the most recent edition in order to read a more modern translation.



-Ben Taylor

I'm no expert on Malory, but I do have a fair amount of experience in comparing modern redactions of Arthurian texts as an interested amateur. I have nothing bad to say about this text. While it is not up to my current gold standard--that which appears in the Norton Critical Edition--neither is it as basely unworthy as I consider the Keith Baines bastardization of Malory to be.

My chief reason for logging in here is to comment on the illustrations. I'm frankly surprised at the great amount of positive response to the illustrations for this volume. To make it clear, since Amazon has a habit of mixing and matching reviews for all editions, regardless that they may differ greatly--this is in regard to the John Matthews-edited "Le Morte D'Arthur," with illustrations by Anna Marie Ferguson. I find Ferguson's illustrations serviceable at best. They attempt to be pretty in a soft-focus, New Age way that's appropriate to tarot decks (which, coincidentally, she has also illustrated) and the kind of pretty, feel-good art people buy at Target and Michaels to go with their decor. To be perfectly fair, most Arthur-art ultimately has this quality--of tending to be more illustratively pretty than graphically representative of the events in the text.

This is all a matter of personal taste and preference, I suppose. For what it's worth, my favorite illustrators for the stories are N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, and, on account of his deliberate attempt to be strange and different, Aubrey Beardsley.

The Bible is the most sold book in print. Unfortunately, a bit of garbage is the second Malleus Maleficarum. However, I wonder if this book comes in third. One wonders if Thomas Malory had any idea how this book would still be a steady seller today? Ah, to the days of writing what you WANTED, in the manner you wanted without an editor coming in and telling you need to remove 20,000 words!

This book has been reprinted endless and one can see why it will continue to be so. And considering all this was writing by hand, not in WORD, it must have taken years to finish. Of course, these days more of his works are translated, but that does not dim the power of his imagery or the wonder of the tales he created. Face it, if Arthur were around he would call Malory his PR man!

Le Morte D' Arthur is likely the best known and most influential work of the Fifteenth Century. The whole Camelot mania began with this book and continues to this day. Why, because it raising values we all would like to achieve, at time when chivalry, honour and justice were valued.

This one volume, complete and unabridged edition is superbly illustrated. A Grail Lore Library is incomplete without a copy. I am sure, even the avid lore addict would love a new copy as a gift for likely is old one is well used.

Having enjoyed Arthurian legend in modern retelling, I thought it behove me to go back to an early source. If you are expecting a rousing good story in the style of Mists of Avalon, or Mary Stewarts quartet, or even the Once and future king/The sword in the Stone, you will be quite let down. If you want bare, basic recitation of events (mostly repeating in pattern) then the book is what to expect.

What a disappointment. Vast tracts of the story are just about Sir, X,Y or Z encountering Sir A, B, C in some forest, jousting like boars, either killing one, or coming to a gentleman's agreement that the loser go to King Arthur's court. Incredibly tedious, no character generation, England seems spotted by bored knights just looking for a joust with convenient castles just dotted about.
At the least the beginnign about Arthur was intriguing, thought the Roman Emperor stuff stretches credibility even in fiction.
The book shows us that medieval chivlary was not as portrayed in modern retellings. Knights such as Tristram sleep around, get into love triangles etc. Horses are killed deliberately in battle, the only form of entertainment seems to be jousting, and few deeds seem to be of intrinsic good worth, in the modern sense. Even Tristram, a so called great love story, falls into the formulaic element I describe above. Everynight seems for the duration of his moment in the book to be passing good, and be the best in the world. Tristram kills a hundred knights in one day by hand, again not credible and not even written with any sense of epic. His love story with Isould does not capture the reader, I simply don't care about him or Isould.

There is nothing like a modern novel ( perhaps to be expected as this is touted as the first thing approaching a modern novel ), no character generation, no motivation etc.
I remember Monty Python's spoof of this, a bunch of crazy English actors (but well educated) prancing around jousting and carousing. They meant the movie as a spoof, but were not too far from the book in many respects.

What a shame!