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Once and Future King
by T.H. White
ISBN: 0399105972
ISBN-13: 9780399105975
Format: Hardcover
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Summary
When it was first published in its entirety in 1958, T.H. White's masterly, incomparable, vastly entertaining epic novel about King Arthur and his round table was hailed by critics as an instant classic. And so it became; widely acknowledged as one of the definitive works of the fantasy genre, THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING is a retelling of the Arthurian legend that is at once both comic and political, enchanting and educational. While it works on one level as a highly entertaining saga of knights, battles, magic, and heroes, the novel also presents a conscientiously researched historical interpretation of the round table as a civilizing force that brought England out of the Dark Ages through the notion of chivalry. Divided into four books (originally published separately) which detail Arthur's boyhood, the building of his empire, his doomed friendship with Lancelot, and his undoing through the boy Mordred, White's novel re-imagines several of these well-known characters in unconventional ways, painting Arthur as sweet and in many ways simple, Lancelot as a complex and deeply troubled man with an ugly face, and several older knights of the table as sympathetic or even comic Good Old Boys, blundering amiably around in creaky armor as they support their young king without entirely understanding him.
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Media Reviews
"...woven together with literary genius, archeological authority, and a freshness which is as bright as the dawn and the memories we associate with a golden age. It is hard to say at which level White's greatness is most special." -- Erwin D. Canham
-- Christian Science Monitor
"This ambitious work, so long in the building, now stands complete. It will long remain a memorial to an author who is at once civilized, learned, witty and humane."
-- Times Literary Supplement
"White's book is an extraordinary achievement in that he has told the familiar story with almost complete fidelity to the main plot and characters of Malory, and yet has made the well-worn Matter of Britain more exciting, and the tragedy more apparent, than they have ever been before. His success is due to a happy blend of imagination, scholarly research, psychological insight and humor." -- J. R. Cameron
-- Humanities Association Bulletin
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Putnam Pub Group
Published date: 1958
Size: 6 x 8.75 inches
Weight: 1.7 pounds
Publisher's Notes
The world's greatest fantasy classic is the magical epic of King Arthur and his shining Camelot, of Merlyn and Guinevere, of beasts who talk and men who fly, of wizardry and war. It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad. It is the fantasy masterpiece by which all others are judged.
Other Editions
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The Once and Future King
T. H. White
Putnam Adult, 1958-08-25. Hardcover. Good. Former Library book with usual stamps, stickers and plastic jacket. Corners show slight wear otherwise pages are clean and unmarked. great customer service. ( more information) Offered by MnNiceBooks (United States)
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Once and Future King
White, T.H
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1958. Book Club (BCE/BOMC). Hard Cover. Very Good/Good. Type: y BOOK CLUB HARDCOVER. 677 pages. Very good hardcover in good dust jacket. Moderate dust jacket wear, 2" and two 1" dust jacket tears. Binding tight, pages clean & bright. CONTENTS: The Sword in the Stone; The Queen of Air and Darkness; The Ill-Made Knight; The Candle in the Wind. "The whole world knows and loves this book. It is the magical epic of King Arthur and his shining Camelot; of Merlin and Owl and Guinevere; of beasts who talk and men who fly, of wizardry and war. It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad. It is the fantasy masterpiece by which all others are judged." "The Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T.H. White. It was first published in 1958 and is mostly a composite of earlier works. The title comes from the supposed inscription of the marker over King Arthur's grave: HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS -- 'Here lies Arthur, the once and future king.' T.H. White uses "The Once and Future King" as his own personal view of the ideal society. The book, most of which "takes place on the isle of Gramarye," chronicles the raising and education of King Arthur, his rule as a king, and the romance between his best knight Sir Lancelot and his Queen Guinevere (which he spells Guenever). It ends immediately prior to King Arthur's final battle against his illegitimate son Mordred. Though White admits his book's source material is loosely derived from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (The Death of Arthur), he creates a personal reinterpretation of the epic events, filling them with renewed meaning for a world enduring the Second World War. The book is divided into four parts: The Sword in the Stone (1938); The Queen of Air and Darkness (1939) (published separately in somewhat different form as The Witch in the Wood); The Ill-Made Knight (1940); The Candle in the Wind (First published in the composite edition, 1958) A final part called The Book of Merlyn was published separately (ISBN 0-292-70769-X) following White's death. It chronicles Arthur's final lessons from Merlyn before his death, although some parts of it were incorporated into the final editions of the previous books. One often quoted passage from the book is the story which the badger calls his "dissertation," a retelling of the Creation story from Genesis. Perhaps most striking about White's work is how he reinterprets the traditional Arthurian characters, often giving them motivations or traits more complex or even contradictory to those in earlier versions of the legend. For example: Arthur is a well-intentioned king as trained by Merlyn, but it seems that his greatest flaw is his inability to adapt once Merlyn leaves him. As such, he comes off as well-meaning yet rather ineffectual. Lancelot is no longer the handsome knight typical in the romantic legends but is instead portrayed as the ugliest of that lot. He seeks to overcome his flaws through full devotion towards becoming Arthur's greatest knight. Merlyn lives through time backwards, making him a bumbling yet wise old man who is getting younger. It is also interesting to note that White allows Thomas Malory to have a cameo appearance towards the end of the final book. Also of note is White's treatment of historical characters and kings as mythological within this world that he creates. In addition, due to his living backwards, Merlyn makes many anachronistic allusions to events in more recent times; of note are references to the Second World War, telegraphs, tanks, and 'an Austrian who plunged the civilized world into misery and chaos'. Walt Disney made a very loose adaptation of The Sword in the Stone in 1963. This movie reflects more the sense of humour of Disney's team of animators than White. Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's 1960 musical Camelot (which was made into a movie in 1967) is also based on The Once and Future King, and features White's idea of having Thomas Malory make a cameo appearance at the end." -- Wikipedia ( more information) Offered by Yesterday's Muse (United States)
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The Once and Future King (Qty: 13)
White, T. H
Putnam Adult, 1958-08-25. Hardcover. New/New. New Hardback Book - Inventory Mark - No Tears - No Creases - Ships Now! ( more information) Offered by Callseller.com (United States)
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4)
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The Once and Future King [Hardcover]
T. H. White
minor stain to page edge - otherwise a brand new clean unead copy - enjoy ( more information) Offered by Twice Sold Tales (United States)
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5)
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The Once and Future King [Hardcover]
T. H. White
slight tear to edge of dust jacket - otherwise a brand new clean unread copy - enjoy ( more information) Offered by Twice Sold Tales (United States)
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The Once and Future King (Qty: 4)
White, T. H
Putnam Adult. Hardcover. 0399105972 We sell only brand new merchandise! . New. ( more information) Offered by Robin Pugh's Nest of Treasures (United States)
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The Once and Future King (Qty: 2)
White, T. H
Putnam Adult. Hardcover. 0399105972 We sell only brand new merchandise! . New. ( more information) Offered by Robin Pugh's Nest of Treasures (United States)
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The Once and Future King [Hardcover] by T. H. White
T. H. White
Putnam Adult, 1958-08-25. Hardcover. Like New. Hardcover without dust jacket in like new condition, clean and tightly bound. Ships next business day from Oklahoma. ( more information) Offered by Abbyz Attic (United States)
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The Once and Future King
T. H. White
Hardcover. Brand New, Never Used, Perfect Condition. Orders take 5-7 days to process and ship. ( more information) Offered by PapaMedia.com (United States)
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