Product Description

A novel about the court of King Arthur, which was the basis for the movie "Camelot".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41697 in Books
• Published on: 1987-07-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 639 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780441627400
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Review
Quartet of novels by T.H. White, published in a single volume in 1958. The quartet comprises The Sword in the Stone (1938), The Queen of Air and Darkness--first published as The Witch in the Wood (1939)--The Ill-Made Knight (1940), and The Candle in the Wind (published in the composite volume, 1958). The series is a retelling of the Arthurian legend, from Arthur's birth to the end of his reign, and is based largely on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur. After White's death, a conclusion to The Once and Future King was found among his papers; it was published in 1977 as The Book of Merlyn. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

From AudioFile
What pleasures await in this exceptional production of T.H. White's classic retelling of the tales of King Arthur and Sir Kay and Merlin and the Sword and Round Table in magical once-upon-a-time England. For those who have never read these five books, prepare to be surprised by their adultness, their laugh-out-loud humor and tongue-in-cheek commentary on modern life; for those who know them well, prepare to be delighted with Neville Jason's transcendent reading. The lovely timbre of his narrative voice, his rhythmic, easy pacing and host of individual characterizations transport listeners into White's weird and wonderful otherworld as quickly as Alice slipped through the looking glass. This long production is so entrancing that one wishes it would never end. The beautiful packaging and helpful notes add to the satisfaction. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Literature at it's Finest
I choose to review The Once and Future King by T.H. White, as I consider it the finest specimen of British Literature that has ever been written. I was 17 the first time I read this novel, and I was clearly too young to fully appreciate it. I worry that perhaps now, at age 23, I am still too young. A book with this much depth reminds you just how young you are, no matter your age. It showed me that there is a range of emotions which can only be felt during one's final days.

When people think about the subject of this book, the legend of King Arthur, very few would realize that it is a tragedy. The book which originally captured this legend in it's fullest is called Le Morte D'Arthur, or "The Death of Arthur". What I mean to say is, even at it's origin, the legend of King Arthur is a tragedy. In that respect, T.H. White brought nothing new to the legend, he just refined it to a level of beauty without measure.

Many readers feel that the first quarter of the book -which deals with the Merlyn's tutoring of young Arthur- is it's finest section. I think it suffices to say that it has the most mass appeal. While we will be moved by tragedy and depth in the later parts of the books; we come to appreciate White's grasp of humor and characterization in the beginning. But, I worry that the style of humor is so unique and subtle that many people just won't see it. But even without humor, there is enough adventure and wonder in the first part to entertain most readers.

The section dealing with Arthur as a child is the only part in which we are allowed to see Arthur's thoughts and feelings. White transitions from a first-person perspective to a third-person perspective in the next 3/4 of the book. We are left to guess Arthur's feelings while he is at his highest and lowest. We can sense his pride as he commands a table of the 150 best knights in the world. He is admirably able to use them to right all of the world's -perceived- wrongs. The stories of the famous knights are simply enthralling; and we read about each conquest and tournament with bright eyes and young souls. Without realizing it, we are transformed into men and women with tremendous courage as we fully buy into Arthur's vision for a better world and a better man. It is a fantastic feeling, I promise you.

Conversely, we can sense Arthur's despair as his innovative idea of justice must be used to prosecute his dear wife Guinevere and his best friend Lancelot for having an affair with each other. In bitter irony, we read about the code of justice that Arthur created to make the world a better place; then we watch helplessly as it is used to bring the tragedy of King Arthur to fruition.

The final fourth of the book is my favorite, although it is the darkest part. I refuse to ruin the plot for you, but it suffices to say that the legend of King Arthur would not be a tragedy if not for the final 4th of the book. It's almost not fair that we should have to read about such an amazing man (our hero!) fall so far from grace. But, this is the beautiful and tragic legend, and White writes about it with a style of writing as grand as the castles contained in the novel.

The Once and Future King has a hold on me that I won't soon shake. It is no wonder that so many people read this voluminous book over and over. It inspires us. It encourages us. Each time we hold on to our integrity in the face of a world without integrity...we honor King Arthur and his innovative code of ethics which you can bring back to life by reading this wonderful story.

Love it or hate it
As this is my favorite book, I couldn't help but take a look at all the reviews. It seems to me people either love it (4 or 5 stars) or hate it (1 star to remarks of minus 50). This may be very confusing to prospective buyers. It's very simple, folks:
if you're looking for accurate, 'historic' information on King Arthur or the Middle Ages, if you're the type that likes to finish a book in an hour's reading, if you're only interested in fantasy/action packed novels of the 'Lord of the Rings' type (also an excellent book by the way), if you don't like vast, almost poetic descriptions of landscapes, seasons, moods, etc., or if you simply don't like complicated storylines, then steer clear of this book. There are many other novels which will give you far better value for money. For the others: it takes empathy and erudition to fully grasp the depth of this book. Empathy will make you love it when you're young and erudition when you are older and wiser. Added plus: each time you read it you'll discover something new. For the details, I refer to other reviews...

Wonderful, don't miss it
"The Once and Future King" is children's fantasy as it should be, a delightful read for both kids and adults. Author T. H. White manages to mingle the humorous and the sad portions of the King Arthur story successfully, and he never talks down to his audience or tries to oversimplify the events. The result is a wonderfully entertaining book that never slows down, one that's both amusing and serious.

I won't try to summarize the entire book. Suffice to say, White covers the entire story of King Arthur's life and remains pretty faithful to the traditional version of events throughout the book. What's really amazing, though, is the way that he captures the spirit of the times, making you feel like you're actually in England during the Middle Ages, watching the tournaments and quests and battles yourself. His descriptions are beautiful without ever being unnecessarily lengthy, his characters seem to come alive (especially Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot), and his handling of some of the classic scenes is unforgettable.