The Search for King Arthur

A highly and colorfully illustrated, romantic and innocuous retelling of the most popular bits of the Arthurian legend. A useful feature might be a combination chronology and select bibliography from 1200 BC to the present, placing the primary renditions in time and in relation to each other. Also published as The Quest for King Arthur by Griffin House, London (1995). Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

YA?Beginning with Artorius the Dux Bellorum, Lord of Battles, Day weaves fact and myth, politics and religion, literature and art into a readable, entertaining, structured account that breathes life into the Arthurian legends. Dragons, Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, Excalibur, Camelot, the Round Table, Guinevere and Lancelot, the quest for the Holy Grail, the Last Battle, and the Isle of Avalon are all traced and put into historical context. Over 170 reproductions, many of them works by Arthur Rackham, Alan Lee, Walter Crane, and Aubrey Beardsley, provide a visual history of Arthurian illustration. Teens seeking information for reports or who have an interest in illustration and/or mythology can dip into a specific chapter or submerge themselves in one of the world's greatest myths.?Barbara Hawkins, Oakton High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Day is a popular and wonderfully eclectic writer with more than 30 books to his credit on such topics as mythology, fantasy, heraldry, alchemy, and natural history. Each of these realms of knowledge, as well as Day's adept storytelling skills, comes into play in this fresh interpretation of the legend of King Arthur. Day carefully sorts facts from fancy as he traces the historical roots of King Arthur to the fifth-century champion Artorius Dux Bellorum and then analyzes the social and political forces that turned him into one of the "world's most popular heroes." Day retells many key Arthurian legends, paying special attention to Merlin the Magician, reputed to be the prophetic and supernatural offspring of a virgin nun and a demon, and the source of the mystical aura surrounding the tales of King Arthur. Day's illuminating and thoroughly enjoyable narrative is enhanced by more than 170 luscious full-color illustrations by such celebrated artists as Gustave Doreand Arthur Rackham as well as contemporary illustrator Alan Lee. The only complaint is that these artists are credited in a list at the back of the book. Captions would have been much more appropriate. Donna Seaman