The Romance of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Sir Thomas Malory, Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
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DESCRIPTION: Hardback with Dust Jacket: 501 pages. Publisher: Weathervane Books; (1977). Dimensions: 9¼ x 6½ x 1¾ inches; 2¼ pounds.This vigorous, eloquent epic tale of valor is noted for having been written in the best English prose of the Fifteenth Century. The accompanying illustrations are, of course, a perfect example of the best illustrations of any century. The characters will be familiar: Lancelot and Guinevere, Tristan and Isolde, for this is the definitive account of the Arthurian legends, and Pollard's is the definitive abridgement. His preface says:
The story of King Arthur and his knights is one of the greatest that men have ever made, greater by far than that of Charlemagne, which had come into fashion a little earlier, greater perhaps even than the tale of Troy, already some 2,000 years old, which for some centuries it eclipsed. It is through the fifteenth century prose of Sir Thomas Mallory, in which homeliness and nobility go hand in hand, that it holds its place in our hearts. But the story itself was the outcome of the second half of the twelfth century and the beginning of the thirteenth, the days of England’s Henry II and his three turbulent sons Geoffrey, Richard Coeur de Lion, and John.
In the days when the Arthurian romances were coming into existence, violence, cruelty, and luxury were rampant. But the greatness of these evils called forth some great virtues to counter them. This story bears traces of these and is penetrated to its very core by the special virtues of days in which men were content to live dangerously, carrying their lives in their in their hands and willing to lay them down lightly rather than break the rules of the game or be faithless to work or friend. This is the special, illustrated edition with 32 illustrations (illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 16 color, 16 black + white).
CONDITION: VERY GOOD. Unread hardcover with shelf and age worn dustjacket (in mylar sleeve). Weathervane Books (1977) 501 pages. This is the special, illustrated edition with 32 illustrations (illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 16 color, 16 black + white). Book has clearly never been read, however the dustjacket does evidence significant shelf and age wear. Starting with the "good news", the inside of the book is pristine. The pages are clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. We would note however that the top surface of the closed page edges does show slight age-yellowing and associated faint "age dinge" (visible of course only when book is closed, not to individual pages, only to the mass of closed page edges, sometimes referred to as the "page block"). The "not so good" news is that the dustjacket does evidence some shelfwear. First, the dustjacket is edgeworn, evidencing mild "crinkling" and very mild abrasive rubbing at the spine head, the spine heel, and the dustjacket "tips" (the open corners of the dustjacket, top and bottom, front and back). Though there's no major tears in the dustjacket, there are two very small closed (neatly mended) edge tears. One is a 1/4 inch closed edge tear to the bottom edge of the back side of the dustjacket near the spine heel. The second is a 1/2 inch closed edge tear to the top edge of the front side of the dustjacket near the open corner. In close proximity to this edge tear there is a also a (neatly repaired) 1/4 inch "u" shaped chip (missing piece), likewise at the top edge of the dustjacket near the open corner. These are all pretty small blemishes (but we list them for sake of transparency), and both closed edge tears and the single small chip have been carefully repaired from the underside of the dustjacket, and touched up with an oil-based sharpie, minimizing the prominence of these superficial cosmetic blemishes. Though these are by and large minor, superficial cosmetic blemishes, we encased the dustjacket in a new mylar sleeve to arrest any further wear to the dustjacket. We'd also note that the back inside dustjacket flap evidently was once folded/trapped inside the book, and so there's a vertical crease in it from top to bottom (of course, this is the back inside flap, and so is only noticed if you remove the dustjacket and examine the inside of the back flap). Last, the dustjacket is age-tanned at the edges, and shows a sprinkling of light-tan colored age speckles (known as "foxing"). If you remove the dustjacket and turn it upside down (inside out), the age-speckles are more prominent from the underside. Beneath the dustjacket the full cloth corners are clean and without notable blemish. Given the edge wear and somewhat dingy appearance of the dustjacket, it might lack the "sex appeal" of a "shelf trophy". Nonetheless for those not concerned with whether the book will or will not enhance their social status or intellectual reputation, it is otherwise clean and unread copy of a real classic. This vigorous, eloquent epic tale of valor is noted for having been written in the best English prose of the Fifteenth Century. The accompanying illustrations are, of course, a perfect example of the best illustrations of any century. The characters will be familiar: Lancelot and Guinevere, Tristan and Isolde, for this is the definitive account of the Arthurian legends, and Pollard's is the definitive abridgement. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! Meticulous and accurate descriptions! Selling rare and out-of-print ancient history books on-line since 1997. We accept returns for any reason within 30 days! #1292g.
PLEASE SEE IMAGES BELOW FOR JACKET DESCRIPTION(S) AND FOR PAGES OF PICTURES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK.
PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW.
REVIEW: This was originally written in the 15th century by a British knight known for his rendition of the Arthurian legends based mainly on French romances. It was completed about 1469 while he was imprisoned. Most scholars attribute him to a knight of Newbold Revel, Warwickshire, England. Born in 1410, he succeeded to his father's estates in 1434, became a member of Parliament in 1445, turned to outlawry about 1451, and spent most of the last years of his life in and out of prison on charges ranging from assault to extortion before finally dying while in Newgate Prison (London, England) in 1471. This special edition is illustrated with sixteen full color plates and sixteen black and white illustrations by work renown artist Arthur Rackham.
REVIEW: According to tradition, a rogue knight of the fifteenth century collated all the legends and songs surrounding the pre-Christian Welsh chieftain Arthur into a fascinating, rambling prose narrative. Since then it has inspired numerous artists while becoming the principal source for today's notions of chivalry and the Knights of the Round Table. Yet, for modern Americans, it's as difficult to hear as to read, despite all efforts by the brilliant Derek Jacobi in this judicious abridgment. The diction, somewhere between the English of Chaucer and Shakespeare, has been tastefully edited for comprehension, but the values and literary conventions have not. If anyone can bring such fare to life, Jacobi can--and does! Through him, we hear what once inspired the fantasies of young boys. All the psychological and moral complexities that are the author's chief concern are present, as well as the vigor and sonority of the writing. Further, Jacobi's beautiful oral expression smooths out the unevenness of the original and gives more life to the characters than Malory did. Jacobi brings out the full tragedy of Arthur's death and the dissolution of the Camelot ideal.
REVIEW: Edited and first published by William Caxton in 1485, Sir Thomas Malory's unique and splendid version of the Arthurian legend tells an immortal story of love, adventure, chivalry, treachery, and death. The story of King Arthur and his knights is one of the world's most famous and enduring legends, here vividly brought to life by beautiful illustrations. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham with sixteen full color plates and sixteen black and white illustrations.
REVIEW: I have loved the tales of Camelot since I was quite small. Due to this, several friends have asked me where they should begin. Over and over again, I recommend this book. The work might not be quite as majestic as Malory’s, but much easier to read and follow. This book renders the basic nobility of the tales, giving a good clue as to why they've been so popular for so long. The book is charming, moving, sad, happy, and everything else you could wish from Camelot. If you haven't read of Arthur before, begin here; if you want to remember why you loved these tales to begin with, read this, and you’ll find yourself provided with more than you would ever expect.
REVIEW: The Legends of King Arthur is literature that everyone should read at least once in his life. The Legends actually consists of hundreds of stories passed down for generations orally. Then somebody wrote it down, someone else read different ones of those and wrote his own. This way there are many different versions. Every chapter in this book is a story for itself, which have only a little to do with each other. The only character which is mentioned in every of those stories is King Arthur. He is the famous King of Logres, the holy realm. The story takes place in the 400s, when the Saxons invaded Britain. God thought that Britain will fall if he doesn't support them. So he decided to establish the Realm of Logres, which should be ruled by King Arthur. As soon as he began to rule Britain, most of the world's best knights were at his court. The most famous one is Sir Lancelot.
REVIEW: I have read so many King Arthur books and can't keep track of which ones I read. But this one I remember being quite enjoyable. It includes numerous King Arthur tales some you may know others may be new to you. This is an enjoyable and adventurous read whether you have ever read about King Arthur before or not. After reading this you’re bound to be captivated and find yourself searching for more King Arthur tales! I recommend not only this book but the many other ones that are out there also. After reading this one check out "The Squire's Tale" by Gerald Morris. It's a fun book about a boy named Terence and the famous Sir Gawain (in which you are or will become familiar with if you read "King Arthur and His Knight's of the Round Table").
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