The quest for the Holy Grail is one of the most important elements in the story of King Arthur. Yet even among the many interested in the stories of the Round Table, very few have read at first hand the medieval masterpieces whichover a period of some forty years, in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, together became the foundation of the legend of the Grail.These romances, full of bewildering contradictions and composed by a numberof different writers with very differ...

Perceforest is one of the largest and certainly the most extraordinary of the late Arthurian romances, and is almost completely unknown except to a handful of scholars. But it is a work of exceptional richness and importance, and has been justly described as "an encyclopaedia of 14th-century chivalry" and "a mine of folkloric motifs". Its contents are drawn not only from earlier Arthurian material, but also from romances about Alexander the Great, from Roman histories and from med...

The mysterious and haunting Grail makes its first appearance in literature in Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval at the end of the twelfth century. But Chrétien never finished his poem, leaving an unresolved story and an incomplete picture of the Grail. It was, however, far too attractive an idea to leave. Not only did it inspire quite separate works; his own unfinished poem was continued and finally completed by no fewer than four other writers.The Complete Story of the Grai...

Bertrand du Guesclin is one of the great French heroes of the Hundred Years War, his story every bit as remarkable as Joan of Arc's. The son of a minor Breton noble, he rose in the 1360s and '70s to become the Constable of France- a supreme military position, outranking even the princes of the blood royal. Through campaigns ranging from Brittany to Castile he achieved not only fame as a pre-eminent leader of Charles V's armies, but a dukedom in Spain, burial among the kings of France in th...

The Romance of Le Hem and The Tournament at Chauvency are eyewitness accounts of the famous tournaments held in 1278 at Le Hem on the banks of the Somme in north-eastern France, and in 1285 at Chauvency in Lorraine.Writtenwithin weeks of the events they describe, they record in vivid detail not only the jousts and the mêlées but also the entertainments and dramatic interludes which preceded, followed and embellished these festivals of martial sport. As Sarrasin makes clear, theatre ...

With the Trojan War over, Odysseus heads home, and the real challenge now begins in this historical adventure by the author of The Oracles of Troy.The armies of Troy have been defeated, and the city lies in ruins. His oath fulfilled, Odysseus can at last sail for Ithaca and the long-awaited reunion with his family. But the gods, who were once his allies, have turned against him.Exiled with the warrior Eperitus, he is thrust into a world of seductiv...

The epic story of Odysseus's journey home, the historical fantasy series finale by an author who has been called "a demi-god of the genre" ( The Catholic Herald).Odysseus has been to Hell and back. Deserted by the Gods, and now in bitter conflict with his friend Eperitus, times look bleak. He dreams of returning to his home; to Ithaca.But back on Ithaca things look little better. His son Telemachus and wife Penelope are besieged by a gang of suitor...

Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every childRediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this legendary edition of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table.King Arthur is one of the most famous kings, and best-known legends, ever. From the magical moment when Arthur releases the sword in the stone to the quest for the Holy Grail and the final tragedy of t...

The Mammoth Book of Arthurian Legends brings together many of the traditional stories about King Arthur along with several new interpretations of the legend to provide a complete picture of his birth, adventures, romance and fate. it traces Arthur's exploits to gain the sword Excalibur, the conflict with his half sister Morgan, the birth of his bastard son Mordred, and the shadowy influence and fate of Merlin.The collection also follows the adventures of many of Arthur's knights in...

The Romance of Arthur, James J. Wilhelm’s classic anthology of Arthurian literature, is an essential text for students of the medieval Romance tradition.This fully updated third edition presents a comprehensive reader, mapping the course of Arthurian literature, and is expanded to cover:key authors such as Chrétien de Troyes and Thomas of Britain, as well as Arthurian texts by women and more obscure sources for Arthurian romanceextensive coverage of...

A mysterious knight all in green arrives at King Arthur's court and issues a bizarre challenge. Gawain answers the knight but at what cost? This new translation brings all the poetic power of the original's extraordinary alliteration. In doing so it brings the saga vividly to life, and in a manner that demands to be read. One of the greatest stories of English literature from any period, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a magical medieval combination of the epic and the uncanny.

Enter a world of duels and jousting, where knights battle to protect the honour of fair maidens and defend King Arthur's castle. Knights meet in fellowship at Camelot, and are entertained with feasting and pageantry. Honour and chivalry are valued above all else, and courageous knights fight strange, unearthly foes to prove themselves worthy of a place at King Arthur's table. These ancient tales have been told since the fifth century when Welsh bards travelled the country entertaining lord...