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Bibliography of King Arthur

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This is a bibliography of works about King Arthur, his related world, family, friends or enemies. This bibliography includes works that are notable or are by notable authors.

Contents

6th century

  • De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae by Gildas, mentions Battle of Mons Badonicus, but famously neglects to mention Arthur

    • 9th century

  • Historia Britonum attributed to Nennius

    • Latin

  • Annales Cambriae, Anonymous

    • Welsh

  • Preiddeu Annwfn attributed to Taliesin
  • "Pa Gur yv y Porthaur" or "Who is the gatekeeper?" 10th century. (Cei Sir Kay's battle with the Cath Palug is mentioned.)
  • Englynion y Beddau or Stanzas of the graves 9th or 10th century. (Arthur's grave site is a mystery)

    • Latin

  • The Legend of St. Goeznovius c. 1019
    (Saxon resurgence when Arthur is "recalled from the actions of the world" may be reference to his immortality. Vortigern mentioned)

    • Welsh

  • Trioedd Ynys Prydein (Triads of the Isle of Britain) 11th–14th century. (Twelve triads referring to Arthur. Others mention (Mabon) and Drystan (Tristan), etc.)
  • Trioedd y meirch (The Triads of the Horses) (Mentions the horse names of Cei (Sir Kay), Gwalchmai's horse Ceincaled.)
  • Tri Thlws ar Ddeg Ynys Prydain (Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain) 15th-16th century
  • Pedwar marchog ar hugain llys (Twenty-four Knights of Arthur's Court) 15th-16th century) Mentions the sword Caledfwlch and the spear Rhongomiant

    • Welsh

  • Culhwch and Olwen, Anonymous, c. 1100

    • Latin

  • Vita Sancti Cadoc by Lifris of Llancarfan c. 1061-1104
    (Arthur wants to ravish Gwladys whom Gundliauc elopes with, but aids them by Kay and Bedivere's counsel. St. Cadoc harbors a killer of Arthur's men and pays cattle as recompense, but they transform into bundles of ferns.)
  • Vita Sancti Carannog c. 1100 (At Arthur's requests, Carantoc tames a dragon. Cato (=Kay) is depicted as feeding it.)
  • Vita Sancti Euflami c. 1100 (Arthur cannot defeat dragon, but Efflam causes it to plunge from a rock through prayer)
  • Vita Sancti Paternus c. 1120s (Mentions Arthur and Caradoc)
  • Gesta Regnum Anglorum by William of Malmesbury 1125 (Arthur wears image of Mary; Discovery of Gawain's tomb.)
  • Historia Anglorum by Henry of Huntingdon 1129 (Mentions Arthur)
  • Vita Santi Gildae by Caradoc of Llancarfan c. 1120-1130 (early version of Malegant-Guenivere abduction narrative.)
  • Works of Geoffrey of Monmouth
  • Historia Regum Britanniae c. 1136-8
  • Vita Merlini c. 1140
  • Life of Saint Kentigern by Jocelyn of Furness c. 1185 (Contains a version of the legend of Merlin, here called Lailoken)
  • Vita Sancti Illtud c. 1190s (Illtud came across from Brittany to visit his cousin Arthur's court. King Mark mentioned.)

    • French and Anglo-Norman

  • Roman de Brut by Wace c. 1155 (an Anglo-Norman verse reworking of Historia Regum Britanniae)
  • Tristan by Thomas of Britain c. 1170s
  • Tristan by Béroul c. 1170s
  • Folie Tristan d'Oxford, c. 1175–1200
  • The Lais of Marie de France c. 1170s
  • Lanval
  • Chevrefoil c. 1170s (an episode of the Tristan and Iseult story)
  • The poems of Chrétien de Troyes
  • Erec and Enide c. 1170s
  • Cligés c. 1170s
  • Yvain, the Knight of the Lion c. 1180s
  • Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart c. 1180s
  • Perceval, le Conte du Graal c. 1190
  • Tristan mentioned but non-extant
  • The poems of Robert de Boron
  • Joseph d'Arimathie
  • Merlin
  • Perceval
  • Lai du Cor by Robert Biket. (Caradoc succeeds in drinking from horn, proves wife's chastity.)
  • La Mantel Mautaillé. (Caradoc's wife passes chastity test by wearing ill-fitting mantel.)

    • German

  • Tristan by Eilhart von Oberge c. 1170s
  • Lanzelet by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven late 12th century (a rendering of a lost French tale of Lancelot that likely predates Chrétien de Troyes's famous Lancelot or the Knight of the Cart. Ulrich von Zatzikhoven obtained a copy of the original book in 1194 and translated the work from French into German.)
  • The poems of Hartmann von Aue
  • Iwein, late 12th century (German adaptation of Chrétien's Erec and Enide)
  • Erec, late 12th century (expanded reworking of Chrétien's Erec and Enide)

    • French, Anglo-Norman or Provençal

  • Roman de Fergus by Guillaume le Clerc 1190s/1200s
  • Jaufré c. 1180 or 1225 (Occitan verse)
  • Vengeance Raguidel c. 1200-1225 by Raoul (sometimes identified as Raoul de Houdenc)
  • Lancelot-Grail, Anonymous c. 1210s-1230s
  • Estoire del Saint Grail
  • Estoire de Merlin
  • Lancelot propre
  • Queste del Saint Graal
  • Mort Artu
  • Perlesvaus, Anonymous, c. 1210s
  • Prose Tristan by "Luce de Gat" (1230s) and "Helie de Boron" (c. 1240)
  • Roman de Silence by Heldrius de Cornwall c. 1260s
  • Post-Vulgate Cycle, Anonymous (begun 1230s, finished 1240s)
  • L’âtre périlleux, Anonymous (c. 1250)
  • Roman de Roi Artus aka Compilation by Rusticiano (Rustichello da Pisa); Franco-Italian, c. 1290s -1300
  • Gyron le courtois (A portion of the Compilation published 1501?)
  • Meliadus de Leonnoys (Another portion, published 1528 by Galliot du Pré, 1532 by Denys Janot)

    • German

  • Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg c. 1210s
  • Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach c. 1210s
  • Daniel von Blumenthal by Der Stricker c. 1220
  • Diu Crône Heinrich von dem Türlin
  • The poems of Der Pleier
  • Garel von dem blühenden Tal, c. 1230s or c. 1250-80
  • Tandareis und Flordibel c. 1250-80
  • Meleranz c. 1250-80
  • Der Mantel, once attributed to Heinrich von dem Türlin. (The "ill-fitting mantle" chastity test theme)

    • Norse

  • Brother Robert's prose renditions
  • Tristrams saga ok Ísöndar 1226 (Norse reworking Tristan by Thomas of Britain)
  • Ivens Saga 1226 (Norse reworking of Chrétien de Troyes' Yvain, the Knight of the Lion)
  • Erex Saga, perhaps originally by Robert. (Text probably changed in MS. transmission. A Norse reworking of Chrétien's Erec and Enide)
  • Möttuls saga, adaptation of the "ill-fitting mantle" story.
  • Strengleikar (Translations of lais mostly by Marie de France)
  • "Geitarlauf" (Translation of Chevrefoil)
  • "Januals ljóð" (Translation of Lanval)

    • English

  • Brut by Layamon (English reworking of Historia Regum Britanniae)
  • Sir Tristrem c. 1300 (English reworking of Tristan by Thomas of Britain)
  • Arthur and Merlin c. 1300

    • Dutch

  • Walewein en het schaakbord, by Penninc and Pieter Vostaert
  • Roman van Ferguut (translation and reworking of the Roman de Fergus)
  • The Lancelot-Compilatie (an adaptation of the Lancelot-Grail and other romances, 10 in all:)
  • Lanceloet
  • Perchevael
  • Morien (Moriaen)
  • Queeste vanden Grale
  • Wrake van Ragisel (Adaptation of Vengeance Raguidel)
  • Ridder metter mouwen ("The Knight with the Sleeve" )
  • Walewein ende Keye
  • Lanceloet en het hert met de witte voet ("Lancelot and the Stag with the White Foot")
  • Torec, by Jacob van Maerlant
  • Arturs doet

    • Hebrew

  • Melech Artu A Hebrew reworking of the Historia Regum Brittanie

    • Welsh

  • Brut y Brenhinedd, Welsh chronicle adaptation of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae
  • The Dream of Rhonabwy, Anonymous
  • The Black Book of Carmarthen, Anonymous (Mentions Arthur)

    • English

  • Alliterative Morte Arthure, Anonymous
  • Stanzaic Morte Arthur, Anonymous
  • The Avowyng of Arthur
  • The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle, Anonymous
  • The Awntyrs off Arthure, Anonymous
  • Sir Cleges (not closely related to Chrestien's Cliges; set in Uther Pendragon's court.)
  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by The Pearl Poet
  • Sir Launfal by Thomas Chestre (a remaking of the lai of Lanval)
  • Sir Libeaus Desconus
  • Yvain and Gawain
  • Sir Perceval of Galles
  • Lancelot of the Laik

    • Welsh

    (All dates for the Welsh compositions are controversial)

  • Mabinogion, Anonymous
  • Culhwch and Olwen (recorded)
  • The Welsh Romances
  • Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain
  • Geraint and Enid
  • Peredur, son of Efrawg

    • Italian

  • Tavola Rotonda, Anonymous

    • French

  • Perceforest, Anonymous

    • Catalan

  • La Faula by Guillem de Torroella

    • Greek

  • Presbys Hippotes (Greek reworking of part of Rustichello da Pisa's Compilations)

    • English

  • Arthur
  • Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
  • Prose Merlin
  • "King Arthur and King Cornwall"
  • Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle

    • Italian

  • Orlando Innamorato by Matteo Maria Boiardo
  • Tavola ritonda, Anonymous

    • Icelandic

  • Skikkju Rimur, (a rendition of the "ill-fitting mantle" story)

    • English

  • Arthur of Little Britain
  • The Greene Knight c. 1500
  • The Boy and the Mantle (ballad in the Percy folio, chastity test story of the "ill-fitting mantle" and the horn)
  • The Knightly Tale of Gologras and Gawain 1508
  • The Jeaste of Sir Gawain
  • The Misfortunes of Arthur by Thomas Hughes 1587
  • The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser 1590

    • Welsh

  • Tristan Romance, preserved in fragmentary form in several MSS.

    • Byelo-Russian

  • Povest Trychane 1560s

    • English

  • Works of Richard Johnson
  • Tom a Lincoln (1607)
  • The History of Tom Thumbe, the Little, for his small stature surnamed, King Arthurs Dwarfe (1621)
  • The Birth of Merlin, or, The Childe Hath Found His Father by William Rowley (?1620; first published 1662)
  • Works of Richard Blackmore
  • Prince Arthur: An Heroick Poem in Ten Books (1695)
  • King Arthur: An Heroick Poem in Twelve Books (1697)

    • Yiddish

  • Widwilt (Yiddish reworking of Le Bel Inconnu)

    • 18th century

  • Warton, Thomas (1728–1790)
  • "The Grave of King Arthur" (1777)
  • "On King Arthur's Round-table at Winchester" (1777)
  • Vortigern and Rowena by W. H. Ireland (1799) (A Shakespearian forgery)

    • 19th century

  • The Lady of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1833)
  • The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights by James Knowles (1862)
  • The Boy's King Arthur by Sidney Lanier (1880)
  • Tristram of Lyonesse by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1882)
  • Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1856–1885)
  • A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (1889)

    • 20th century

  • Howard Pyle - In a four volume set including:
  • "The Story of King Arthur and His Knights" (1903)
  • "The Story of the Champions of the Round Table" (1905)
  • "The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions" (1907)
  • "The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur" (1910)
  • Kairo-kō (1905) by Natsume Sōseki
  • The Life of Sir Aglovale de Galis (1905) by Clemence Housman
  • War in Heaven (1930) by Charles W. S. Williams, a "modern-day" (20th century) quest for the Holy Grail
  • The Little Wench (1935) by Philip Lindsay
  • Merlin's Godson by H. Warner Munn
  • King of the World's Edge (1936)
  • The Ship from Atlantis (1967)
  • Merlin's Ring (1974)
  • Taliessin through Logres (1938) and The Region of the Summer Stars (1944) by Charles W. S. Williams (poem cycles)
  • The Once and Future King by T. H. White including
  • The Sword in the Stone (1938)
  • The Queen of Air and Darkness (or The Witch in the Wood) (1939)
  • The Ill-Made Knight (1940)
  • The Candle in the Wind (1958)
  • The Book of Merlyn (1958)
  • That Hideous Strength (1945) by C. S. Lewis
  • Porius (A Romance of the Dark Ages) (1951) by John Cowper Powys
  • King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table (1953) by Roger Lancelyn Green
  • The Great Captains (1956) by Henry Treece
  • Rosemary Sutcliff's Arthurian novels:
  • The Lantern Bearers (1959)
  • Sword at Sunset (1963)
  • Tristan and Iseult (1971)
  • The Shining Company (1990), a retelling of the Y Gododdin, which contains the earliest mention of Arthur's name
  • The Arthurian Trilogy (1979-1981), re-issued in an omnibus edition in 2007 as The King Arthur Trilogy:
  • The Light Beyond the Forest (1979)
  • The Sword and the Circle (1981)
  • The Road to Camlann (1981)
  • The Merlin series by Mary Stewart
  • The Crystal Cave (1970)
  • The Hollow Hills (1973)
  • The Last Enchantment (1979)
  • The Wicked Day (1983)
  • The Prince and the Pilgrim (1995)
  • The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (1975) by John Steinbeck
  • Arthur Rex: A Legendary Novel by Thomas Berger (1978)
  • The Three Damosels (1978) and The Enchantresses (1998) by Vera Chapman (the latter with Mike Ashley)
  • The Mists of Avalon (1983) by Marion Zimmer Bradley
  • L'Enchanteur (1984) by René Barjavel
  • The White Raven (1988) by Diana L. Paxson (Tristan and Isseult)
  • The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead
  • Taliesin (1987)
  • Merlin (1988)
  • Arthur (1989)
  • Pendragon (1994)
  • Grail (1997)
  • Avalon (1999)
  • The Guinevere trilogy by Persia Woolley
  • Child of the Northern Spring (1987)
  • Queen of the Summer Stars (1991)
  • Guinevere: The Legend in Autumn (1993)
  • Knight Life (1987), One Knight Only (2004) and Fall of Knight (2007) by Peter David
  • The Road to Avalon (1988) by Joan Wolf
  • The Arthor series by A. A. Attanasio
  • The Dragon and the Unicorn (1994)
  • The Eagle and the Sword (1997)
  • The Wolf and the Crown (1998)
  • The Serpent and the Grail (1999)
  • The Child Queen (1994), The High Queen (1995), (collected in Queen of Camelot(2002)), Prince of Dreams (2004), and Grail Prince (2003) by Nancy McKenzie
  • I am Mordred (1998) and I am Morgan le Fay (2001) by Nancy Springer
  • Hallowed Isle by Diana L. Paxson: The Book of the Sword (1999), The Book of the Spear (1999), The Book of the Cauldron (1999), The Book of the Stone (2000).
  • The Guenevere novels by Rosalind Miles
  • Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country (1999)
  • The Knight of the Sacred Lake (2000)
  • Child of the Holy Grail (2000)
  • The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell
  • The Winter King
  • Enemy of God
  • Excalibur
  • By Jane Yolen:
  • Sword of the Rightful King
  • The Young Merlin Trilogy
  • By Gerald Morris:
  • The Squire's Tale
  • The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady
  • The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf
  • Parsifal's Page
  • The Ballad of Sir Dinadan
  • The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight
  • The Lioness and her Knight
  • The Quest of the Fair Unknown
  • Squire's Quest
  • The Legend of the King
  • The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short
  • The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great
  • By Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy
  • The Forever King
  • The Broken Sword
  • The Third Magic
  • The Coming of the King: The First Book of Merlin by Nikolai Tolstoy (1988)
  • Stones of Power by David Gemmell
  • Ghost King (1988)
  • Last Sword of Power (1988)
  • By Anonymous
  • King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table (Illustrated Junior Library, Deluxe edition, September 1, 1950)
  • To the Chapel Perilous Naomi Mitchison (1955)
  • Artorius by John Heath-Stubbs
  • Our Man in Camelot by Anthony Price (1975) (The sixth book in the Dr David Audley series uses the Arthur myth as a MacGuffin in a modern spy thriller.)
  • By Parke Godwin
  • Firelord (1980)
  • Beloved Exile (1984)
  • The Last Rainbow (1985)
  • The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy by Helen Hollick (re-published UK 2007 & USA 2009)
  • Book One: The Kingmaking (1994)
  • Book Two: Pendragon's Banner (1995)
  • Book Three: Shadow of the King (1997)
  • The Tales of Arthur, books of The Keltiad, by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison
  • The Hawk's Grey Feather (1991)
  • The Oak Above the Kings (1994)
  • The Hedge of Mist (1996)
  • A Dream of Eagles (Camulod Chronicles) by Jack Whyte
  • The Sky Stone (1992)
  • The Singing Sword (1993)
  • The Eagles' Brood (1994)
  • The Saxon Shore (1998)
  • The Sorcerer Part 1: The Fort at River's Bend (1997)
  • The Sorcerer Part 2: The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis (1999)
  • Uther (2001)
  • Clothar the Frank (titled The Lance Thrower outside of Canada) (2004)
  • The Eagle (2006)
  • The Lost Years of Merlin Epic, by T.A. Barron
  • The Lost Years of Merlin (1996)
  • The Seven Songs of Merlin (1997)
  • The Fires of Merlin (1998)
  • The Mirror of Merlin (1999)
  • The Wings of Merlin (2000)
  • Albion, a trilogy of historical novels by British author Patrick McCormack (1997, 2000, 2007)
  • The King Awakes and The Empty Throne by Janice Elliott, set in a Medieval-style society several generations after a nuclear war. Both novels deal with the return of King Arthur and his friendship with a youth from the post-holocaust world
  • Merlin's Bones by Fred Saberhagen
  • The Idylls of the Queen by Phyllis Ann Karr
  • Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem; the coming of Arthur is foreseen by the chief of Segontium in the last page of the book
  • The Winter Prince by Elizabeth Wein
  • The Dragon Lord by David Drake
  • Merlin's Mirror (1975) by Andre Norton
  • The Return of Merlin (1995) by Deepak Chopra
  • Camelot 3000, a comic book series that reincarnates Arthur and his knights in the far future
  • The Dark Is Rising, a series written for older children and young adults, by Susan Cooper
  • The Fionavar Tapestry, a fantasy trilogy by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay
  • The Merlin Mystery, A puzzlehunt book which focused heavily on Merlin and Nimue having a love after Arthur has been entombed; it offered a cash prize as well as a gold, silver, bronze and crystal wand. However, the puzzle went unsolved and the prize unclaimed.
  • The Down the Long Wind series by Gillian Bradshaw (1980–82)
  • Hawk of May
  • Kingdom of Summer
  • In Winter's Shadow
  • The Little Wench by Philip Lindsay
  • Merlin (1978) by Robert Nye

    • 21st century

  • In the series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott there are many mentions of artifacts and people in the legends of King Arthur.
  • The Merlin Codex by Robert Holdstock
  • Celtika (2001)
  • The Iron Grail (2002)
  • The Broken Kings (2007)
  • Corbenic by Catherine Fisher (2002)
  • I am Morgan le Fay: A Tale from Camelot by Nancy Springer (2002)
  • Sword of the Rightful King by Jane Yolen (2003)
  • The House of Pendragon by Debra A. Kemp
  • I: The Firebrand (2003)
  • II: The Recruit (2007)
  • The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey (2005)
  • Douglas Clegg: Mordred, Bastard Son (2006)
  • Fate/Zero by Gen Urobuchi (2006-2007)
  • Dracula vs. King Arthur By Adam Beranek, Christian Beranek and Chris Moreno (2007)
  • Orion and King Arthur By Ben Bova (2011)
  • Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell (2007)
  • Camelot Lost by Jessica Bonito (Jessica McHugh) (2008)
  • Avalon High by Meg Cabot
  • The Sangreal Trilogy by Amanda Hemingway
  • Sword of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor
  • Knight of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor
  • Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve
  • The Book of Mordred by Vivian Vande Velde
  • Sons of Avalon, Merlin's Prophecy by Dee Marie (2008)
  • Sarah Zettel's four-part series about the brothers Gawain, Gareth, Agravain, and Geraint:
  • In Camelot's Shadow (2004)
  • For Camelot's Honor (2005)
  • Under Camelot's Banner (2006)
  • Camelot's Blood (2008)
  • The Seven Deadly Sins, a manga loosely based on the Arthurian legend, by Nakaba Suzuki (2012–present)
  • The Devices Trilogy by Philip Purser-Hallard, starting with The Pendragon Protocol (2014)
  • J.R.R. Tolkien - The Fall of Arthur (2013, written in the 1920s-30s)
  • Kazuo Ishiguro - The Buried Giant (2015)
  • Garden of Avalon by Kinoko Nasu

    • Nonfiction

  • Arthur's Britain by Leslie Alcock
  • The Quest for Arthur's Britain by Geoffrey Ashe
  • The Medieval Quest for Arthur by Robert Rouse and Cory Rushton
  • King Arthur: The True Story by Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman
  • The Quest for Merlin by Nikolai Tolstoy (1985)
  • Pendragon: The Origins of Arthur by Steve Blake and Scott Lloyd
  • The Arthurian Tradition by John Matthews
  • The Age of Arthur: A History of the British Isles from 350 to 650 John Morris

    • References

    Bibliography of King Arthur Wikipedia
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