The Arthurian Handbook (Second Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent survey of Arthurian literature for scholars
Review: If you want to know about the evolution of the Arthurian legends, from their basis in history to their literary evolution, this is a perfect book for you.

The book traces the history of tales through the most ancient works from Wales and Brittany, through the evolution of the stories by various authors -- Chretien de Troyes, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Thomas Malory, and even considers works from the nineteenth and twentieth century (Tennyson, the marvelous though largely unread works of Charles Williams, T.S. Eliot, T.H. White, and even Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

The book is an indispensable reference for keeping the legends straight in your mind, especially where there are differences of opinion (for instance, was the Grail a platter, a stone, or a chalice for the author).

The book is intended as a reference book, so it is not for someone looking to read a story or two -- it is meant to be a guide to understanding the literary development of the cycle.

As such, it is an indispensable guide to the various works out there.