The Mysterious & Unknown; King Arthur

·         Title:  The Mysterious & Unknown; King Arthur    

·         Author:  William W. Lace

·         Illustrator: Not Applicable

·         Publisher:  Reference Point Press, Inc.

·         Copyright:  2008

·         ISBN #:  978-1-60152-033-3

·         Genre:  Juvenile Literature

·         Library Location:  The Canyon Area Library

·         Summary:

This book tempts to separate the facts of a possible King Arthur from the legends brought about by such famous authors as Sir Thomas Malory and Geoffrey of Monmouth.  This book discusses in detail things like the legend of King Arthur, Britain during the time of Malory’s Arthur, and the Britain during the time period that is more likely for a King Arthur to have existed.  It even goes as far as to explain historians’ speculations as to who might have been the true King Arthur, where he was born and lived, and also where he might have been buried.  There are also possibilities listed for who characters like Merlin, quite a few of the more popular knights (Lancelot, Gawain, and Tristram to name a few), and possibly even who Guinevere was based off of.

·         Personal Comments:

Growing up I remember watching the movie The Sword in the Stone, even though it was released before I was born it was a staple in my childhood.  As I grew up I was asked to read about him in school and during that time I was, for the lack of a better word, bombarded with him in movies and other numerous books.  During this time I remember wondering who he really was, could Arthur have been a real King or just another story.  I had to believe that for a legend like this to have withstood the ages that there had to have been some basis of truth.  This book, although does not give me any definitive answers, it does however show me that there are people who believe, as I do, that Arthur was a real person.  Whereas I only look for him in fantasy and hope that he was real, many historians are vying to come up with the answer and I hope that when they do the child in me is curious enough to hear it.

·         Suggested Use in Classroom:

This book could be a great jumping off point for a fun project in any class that is going over the legends surrounding King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.  The last chapter in this book is about the “Real” King Arthur and some of the historical figures that could have actually been the King Arthur of legend.  There are a great number of historical possibilities and facts to back up many historians’ beliefs as to who King Arthur really was.  Upon finishing this book, the students could research these possibilities and pick which historical figure they think most likely to be the “Real” King Arthur.  The students could back up their favorite version of Arthur with additional fact brought up in the books of the historians mentioned and using other sources such as the internet.  They could compare the King Arthur of Legend and their favorite historical possibility.