Robin Hood/King Arthur's Knights

Howard Pyle delivers yet another splendid book which recaptures the enchantment and chivalry of the legend of Kind Arthur and his knights. Some have complained of the archaic english, but I love it. It only adds to the magic of Pyle's story. This book is filled with the adventures of noble knights, and it does an amazing job of keeping your interest. Somehow, even after many previous jousts and sword matches, Pyle makes each one more interesting than the last. I also love the "moral of the story" section he does at the end of most major book divisions. He did not do that in the other Pyle book I have read (The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood), and I very much liked them. In such he made allegories of Excalibur and its sheath (to God's Truth and faith), and does likewise with many things, always wishing to teach to us some truth through his writings about Arthur and his knights. I also loved the oath of the knights of the Round Table: "And this was the covenant of their Knighthood of the Round Table: That they would be gentle unto the weak; that they would be courageous unto the strong; that they would be terrible unto the wicked and the evil-doer that they would defend the helpless who should call upon them for aid; that all women should be held unto them sacred; that they would stand unto the defence of one another whensoever such defence should be required; that they would be merciful unto all men; that they would be gentle of deed, true in friendship, and faithful in love. This was their covenant, and unto it each knight sware upon the cross of his sword, and in witness thereof did kiss the hilt thereof." This except, I think, well sums up this book, in which these oaths are held, and if they are not, retribution always follows swiftly. In the land of Camelot, good deeds before God are of highest value, and wicked deeds are always subject to disapproval and punishment.

Although Howard Pyle was born in Delaware, he is best known as purveyor of myth and legend to several generation of British and American children -- and their parents. Published in 1902, THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS (Unabridged) is probably the most comprehensive of the Arthurian legends available in one volume--certainly the most comprehensive for kids. We follow Arthur during his "Sword in the Stone" period, then on to adulthood with a nod at the romantic complications that the play/movie "Camelot" focused on, then later an older Arthur and his followers articulate the legend of the grail (spoofed by Monty Python and reverently presented by a score of other writers). Although 1902 was just past the end of the "Decadent" movement in English arts and literature, this volume displays no cloying irony or clever design a la Aubrey Beardsley. It was, after all, meant for children, although very small children should have it read to them by an understanding sibling or adult. In fact, what I appreciate most about it is its full-body quality that appeals to me as an adult just as it did as a child. Is calling this tome "unabridged" a mere marketing ploy? Unfortunately not. So many kids' books -- this one included -- have been abridged, then dumbed down, and frequently illustated so profusely that they come across more as a kind of black-and-white Classics Comic than the real thing. And rarely does the book jacket or publishing page admit as much! Of course, I'm not totally averse to abridging a long and challenging work for the sake of the children, and there have been a couple of intelligent shortenings of Pyle's work. But the publishers of this book wisely chose to indicate it is unabridged -- a novel exception these days and a happy one. When we're dealing with cultural history and myth this seminal, it's best not to gloss over the details and the nuances of interpersonal relations that give the Arthurian legend such "oomph" even today. A note on the quality of the physical book itself: it is extraordinary, really about halfway in workmanship between an ordinary hardbound book meant to mass readership and the much more expensive Folio Society type of book with its art papers and commissioned drawings. THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS (Unabridged) has smoothly-trimmed pages, beginning to be a rarity in this age of sloppy, pseudo-deckle cuts. The type font is accessible and attractive and there's enough room to make reading it a pleasure but not so much that it screams "Kid stuff." The spine is bound in quarter-round buckram, not synthetic fabric or cardboard. There's even a ribbon marker included. At this price, I doubt any publisher using USA presses could make much of a profit; this version was printed in China. (There are some people who object to buying/receiving made-in-Mainland-China goods, so the potential gift-giver might think about that beforehand.) But for the money -- and even for more money -- y

A wonderful book! It has adventure on every page. I could not put it down. I like knights and adventure and this book has it all. It is also nice because it's not really simple language or a tiny vocabulary, because I like challenges. Also, it doesn't repeat iself, and you don't guess what happens as soon as you start it. I like it a lot, and I wish I could give it more than 5 stars! I recommend this book as one of my favorite books!

At the turn of the century, Howard Pyle turned his considerable talent as a storyteller to writing tales of the Round Table. When I glance at my Grail Lore books, his name jumps out at me again and again. Not only is he a wonderful storyteller, he does some of the most amazing illustrations for each tale.Born before the US Civil War in Wilmington Delaware, he was enchanted by storybooks and the drawings such as Grimm's Faerytales and that influence is clear in his books. So Pyle set about in his twenties to pen stories of Pirates, Robin Hood and Arthur and his knight. His love of these tales was brought to bear as he created "grown-up" storybooks. This is one of my favourite of his works. The illustrations of Arthur, Merline and the Knights of the Table are brilliant. It covers the early tales of Arthur, as his identity was discovered by performing the Miracle of the Sword, then moves on to Arthur's winning of his Queen. He gives stories of Merlin, Sir Pellias, Sir Gawain and others in this amazing storybook for lovers of Grail Lore.No Grail Library Collection should be without it.

This book transports the older child into a world of magic, knights and ladies. The main focus is King Arthur, but also features Merlin, and some of King Arthurs Knights. This book provides an excellent opportunity to expand an older childs vocabulary as the author has clearly researched and included elements from King Arthurs time. I read this book aloud to my ten year old daughter and sometimes my wife and we all loved the spirit and adventure. Be aware that this book is not "politically correct" (written in 1903!). There are some really wicked women that torment King Arthur and his knights, and the knights themselves are not always "shining" to todays standards. I am now ordering the next in the series to continue with the adventure!