School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-The perennial fascination with the stories of King Arthur and his knights dates from the early Middle Ages and continues to the present. In this volume, Crossley-Holland has gathered bits of the legends and pieces of medieval writing to immerse readers in images from the Matter of Britain. He begins with short essays on knighthood, chivalry, and Geoffrey of Monmouth, the 12th-century Welsh priest who first wrote of Arthur, but there is no clear organization to the rest of the volume. Gawain, Guinevere, Lancelot, Mordred, and Merlin all have a few pages devoted to them, interspersed with essays that cover food and clothing, the Crusades, courtly love, etc. All are profusely illustrated in bright color with full-page pictures or page decorations. Occasional snippets of medieval writing such as carols, poems, or "how to" advice on dressing a lord or serving as a butler lend variety to the writing, but seem to be placed randomly throughout the text. The last piece discusses the difficulty of uncovering the "Historical Arthur," a figure from a much earlier time than the stories that place him in the medieval period. An index aids in finding specific pieces. This volume serves as a companion to any version of the stories, for those who want to sort out characters and for background information as they read.-Connie C. Rockman, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Liberally studded with sophisticated paintings and miniatures, this comprehensive trove of Arthuriana will delight young readers with a taste for history. Crossley-Holland (Storm) utilizes an encyclopedia-like format, devoting a few pages to "Knights, Knighthood and Chivalry," a spread to "The Thirteen Treasures of Britain," a page to the Crusades, etc. He introduces key characters, describes daily life for lords and ladies and their servants; he quotes Chaucer on outfitting a knight, and gives lessons from the Book of Nurture on being a proper butler ("Never huff and puff bad breath up your master's nose"). The eminently browsable structure meets its match in Crossley-Holland's dramatic prose style: "Powerful and attractive, mysterious, vulnerable, and vengefulÄlike lake waters, the Lady of the Lake is all of these things." Elsewhere, he describes Geoffrey of Monmouth's History as "a kind of best-selling, patriotic, historical novel." Malone (The Magic Flute) borrows medieval and Renaissance subjects and compositions, but while his palette is rich with blues and greens and golds, his sensibility is definitely contemporary, particularly his use of space. Lavish with detail, both his full-spread paintings and his spot illustrations are ripe with mystery and romance. If ever a book could ignite a passion for Camelot, this is it. Ages 10-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
In this illustrated compendium of Arthurian information, the author discusses the probable historical king and describes other connections between the legends and known facts. Although the volume includes useful information about customs, as well as descriptions of many of the characters and events in the tales, a haphazard organization makes the volume seem disjointed. Ind. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 5^-7. A handsome compendium of information, legend, and brief excerpts from medieval works, this book presents a veritable collage of materials related to King Arthur. A full-page illustration of Lancelot's unrequited love, Elaine of Astolat, faces a few paragraphs summarizing her story. The next spread identifies in a few lines each, "The Leading Ladies" of the legends. Then a page, entitled "Dressing Your Lord," consists of four paragraphs beginning "Humbly ask your lord to come and stand or sit beside the fire, where it is warm." The information is identified only by the words "Book of Nurture: John Russell." Peter Malone's paintings add distinction to the eclectic text with their glowing heraldic colors and rather dreamlike interpretations of people and settings. Readers hoping to research Arthurian material will find the disorganization and lack of bibliography or source notes trying. However, readers enamored of the period and the lore may enjoy dipping into this beautifully illustrated book. --Carolyn Phelan
