The Once and Future King
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- Author：T.H. White
- ISBN：0008108587
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Summary
T。 H。 White's masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend is an abiding classic。。。
This is the tale of King Arthur and his shining Camelot; or Merlyn and Owl and Guinevere; of beasts who talk and men who fly; of knights， wizardry and war。
It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad; the masterpiece of fantasy by which all others are judged。
Contains:
The once and future king
The witch in the wood
The ill-made knight
The candle in the wind
The book of Merlyn
This is the tale of King Arthur and his shining Camelot; or Merlyn and Owl and Guinevere; of beasts who talk and men who fly; of knights， wizardry and war。
It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad; the masterpiece of fantasy by which all others are judged。
Contains:
The once and future king
The witch in the wood
The ill-made knight
The candle in the wind
The book of Merlyn
Reviews
Chiara Ropolo
，
https://lalettricesullenuvole。blogspo。。。 https://lalettricesullenuvole。blogspo。。。 https://lalettricesullenuvole。blogspo。。。 https://lalettricesullenuvole。blogspo。。。 。。。more
Julia
，
Four stars！ I have always been interested in the King Arthur legend， so I was glad to fill in some gaps thanks to this book， such as the Guenevere/Lancelot affair， the conception of Mordred， and the means by which "The Wart" came to pull the sword from the stone。 Merlin is really funny， and I enjoyed his teachings。 The book just loses a star because it was so heavy that I'm not really sure I comprehended most of it！ Four stars！ I have always been interested in the King Arthur legend， so I was glad to fill in some gaps thanks to this book， such as the Guenevere/Lancelot affair， the conception of Mordred， and the means by which "The Wart" came to pull the sword from the stone。 Merlin is really funny， and I enjoyed his teachings。 The book just loses a star because it was so heavy that I'm not really sure I comprehended most of it！ 。。。more
Brian
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Having just finished one book on King Arthur， The Acts of King Arthur an His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck and one that included stories of Arthur， Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain， I was， to quote Kevin from the Home Alone movies， ‘thirsty for more！’ This version of the Arthurian legend by T。H。White like Steinbeck’s book is based on Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur。 But unlike Steinbeck White totally reimagines Malory’s work placing his version in the 14th century in a Having just finished one book on King Arthur， The Acts of King Arthur an His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck and one that included stories of Arthur， Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain， I was， to quote Kevin from the Home Alone movies， ‘thirsty for more！’ This version of the Arthurian legend by T。H。White like Steinbeck’s book is based on Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur。 But unlike Steinbeck White totally reimagines Malory’s work placing his version in the 14th century in a land he calls Gramarye and twisting it into an altogether different story told in a totally different way and style。The once and Future King， published in 1958， is a rework of four previously published books by White， The Sword in the Stone （1938）， The Witch in the Wood （1939）， The Ill-Made Knight （1940） and The Candle in the Wind （1958）。 He uses these titles for the four sections of The Once and Future King。 After White’s death a final book called The Book of Merlyn， written 1941， was published。 Some parts of this had been incorporated into previous books by White， mainly The Sword in the Stone。 This final book has since been added to end of this volume。The first part， The Sword in the Stone， is probably the most famous due to it being made into a movie by Disney studios。 Also it isn’t too far removed from that movie。 It covers Arthur’s early years， in which he is known as The Wart and is under the tutelage of Merlyn。 Just like the movie Wart is turned into a fish and a bird amongst other creatures by Merlyn and just like the movie there is a lot of slapstick comedy。 White even manages to squeeze Robin Hood and his Merry men into his version of the Arthurian legend！ On the whole this first part is a delightful if somewhat juvenile read。 I enjoyed it despite the liberties taken with the legend I knew and grew up with。 I liked the way White portrays the world that Wart grows up in as idyllic， beautiful summers of sun and blue skies and winters of deep crisp even snow。 It’s a stark contrast to what will come later。 Wart even asks Merlyn ‘Why do people not think， when they are grown up， as I do when I am young？’At the start of the second part， The Witch in the Wood， the change is apparent as we see Wart now as a young inexperienced King Arthur trying to grapple with the realities of the grown up world， including wars。 There are some interesting points made here on that subject， especially when you consider when the book was published， 1939， the outbreak of World War II。 The humour however is still there as it descends into pantomime farce at times， but the story has darker periods。 Episodes involving cats and unicorns are particularly gruesome。It is here and in particular the introduction of Lancelot that the stories from Le Morte D’Arthur also become clearer， although White still tweaks them and he quotes Malory a few times during his retelling。 I also loved the way he compares situations in Arthur’s world with contemporary times， or as it was in his case， 1930’s and 40’s。 It does give the book a bit of a dated feel but in a charming way。By the third part of the book the humour as all but disappeared。 This part deals with Lancelot， and White portrays him in an understanding and sympathetic way， especially concerning his relationship with Guenever。 I think the complex character of Lancelot is T。H。 White’s greatest achievement in The Once and Future King。 This version of him is totally different from the Malory Lancelot。 The Ill Made Knight is my favourite part in this book and Lancelot my favourite character。The Candle in the Wind is the final part of The Once and Future King。 This last part deals with the final days of Arthur。 It’s the saddest part of the story。 In it White contemplates Arthur’s New England and his achievements。 As he does all through the book he again compares it with the contemporary world （i。e。 the world of the 1930，s and 40’s）。 By the time this final book was published in 1958， White had lived through a World War， this is apparent in Arthur’s final assessment of his achievements and his dream of Camelot。 Endings are always a bone of contention。 They never please everyone and it’s probably the area where people are most critical。 It all depends whether the story ended the way you wanted it to。 The ending of The Once and Future King is no different。 It also has the added burden of living up to Malory’s Arthur as well as the version of Arthur we all have in our heads。 The ending of White’s book is different to Malory but still holds some of its principles。 I liked it。 There is a passage with a page boy at the end， which I will not reveal as it would be a major spoiler， that I particularly loved， it was a nice touch。This edition of The Once and Future King doesn’t end there though。 Included here is The Book of Merlyn， a book as I have mentioned， that was published after White’s death and includes passages already included in The Once and Future King。 White's intentions were to find an antidote for war， something he felt was a major theme in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur。 He had wrestled with this idea all through the Second World War。 In fact he had retreated to Ireland to avoid it， not wanting to be a coward or a hero。 ‘It is generally the trustful and optimistic people who can afford to retreat。 The loveless and faithless ones are compelled by their pessimism to attack。’ The book was rejected when he sent it for publication in 1941 because it was anti war， it was later published in 1977。 The Book of Merlin， although interesting， adds little to The Once and Future King。 It is really more of an essay than a story。 It is also heavy going。 The condensed version of this book which was incorporated into The Sword and the Stone for me was enough on the subject。 It made its point without losing the story （and the reader）。 The only real point of interest as far as Arthur’s story goes comes at the end when White offers an explanation of the fates of Arthur， Guenever and Lancelot。 It might have been better to tack this last bit at the end of The Candle in the Wind （although without it I think the book is fine）。Despite The Book of Merlin I loved The Once and Future King。 I found White’s retelling of the Arthurian legend masterful， it’s an enduring classic。 His use of comedy offsets the later personal doom of Arthur and I loved his portrayal of all the major characters， especially Lancelot。 In The Once and Future King T。H。 White has produced a work of grandeur and charm worthy of its subject。 。。。more
abookplaylist
，
Molto noioso in molti punti， in altre ho apprezzato molto la morale che sta dietro ai dialoghi， altre volte ancora ho riso molto， ma direi che non é uno di quei fantasy che consiglierei a primo acchito。 Inutilmente prolisso sicuramente
Dolci Carloni
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3。5
Amarilli Settantatre
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Tre stelline e mezzo （giudizio medio， alcuni dei 5 libri meritano di più）Quando mi sono accinta a leggere questa raccolta di volumi， avevo qualche conoscenza di T。H。 White e del suo ciclo arturiano， ma non immaginavo che il primo libro fosse proprio quello su cui si basò Walt Disney per il suo celebre film animato La Spada nella Roccia"。E invece è proprio così， l'ho scoperto con vero piacere。Il primo racconto （proprio "The Sword in the Stone"） uscito nel 1938， si ritrova quasi tutto nel film， a Tre stelline e mezzo （giudizio medio， alcuni dei 5 libri meritano di più）Quando mi sono accinta a leggere questa raccolta di volumi， avevo qualche conoscenza di T。H。 White e del suo ciclo arturiano， ma non immaginavo che il primo libro fosse proprio quello su cui si basò Walt Disney per il suo celebre film animato La Spada nella Roccia"。E invece è proprio così， l'ho scoperto con vero piacere。Il primo racconto （proprio "The Sword in the Stone"） uscito nel 1938， si ritrova quasi tutto nel film， a partire dal protagonista Wart detto Bitorzolo， （nel film divenuto Semola）， giovane figlio cadetto di sir Ector， nonchè fratellastro di Kay （anche se va detto che il Kay del libro non è così male。。。）， che cerca di crearsi un piccolo spazio nella vita del castello della Foresta Selvaggia， mentre tutti pensano solo a educare l'erede che dovrà divenire un giorno cavaliere。Così， tentando di riprendere un falco fuggitivo， il nostro ragazzino fa la conoscenza di un mago bianco （di magia e di barba） e del suo gufo Archimede。Non è è proprio un incontro casuale: Merlino ha già intravisto un po' di futuro e deciso di istruire il futuro Artù con tecniche anticonvenzionali e non proprio aderenti all'epoca。 White era un appassionato naturalista， per cui le lezioni "di vita"， chiamiamole così， vengono impartite da insegnanti speciali， come un luccio， un'oca， le formiche e persino messer tasso。Di volta in volta il nostro Wart si ritrova trasformato， ospite nella falconara， in un formicaio o in volo con lo stormo， e spesso lo stile è buffo e divertente。C'è pure spazio per il Ragazzo dei Cani， un'apparizione di Robin Hood e di fata Morgana， in un mix tra medioevo e annotazioni molto moderne che rendono gradevole la lettura， anche se certamente si avverte tanto lo stile degli anni '30-40。Nel senso che ci sono lunghe e dettagliate descrizioni， molti dialoghi parecchio superflui per le esigenze della trama， riferimenti a poesie o canzoni popolari e che magari al tempo erano note （ma a noi lasciano indifferenti）。Per questo motivo ho trovato parecchio pesante il secondo libro （La regina dell’aria e delle tenebre） che ha un titolo evocativo， ma poi procede in modo caotico e quasi a salti， tra le gesta della corte di Artù e quelle dei nemici di Cornovaglia。Nota finale: forse - errando - credevo che questo fosse un libro pensato in origine per un pubblico di ragazzi， ma poi mi sono dovuta ricredere， perchè ci sono riferimenti （torture di animali， stupri， ecc。） che in un romanzo moderno richiederebbero quanto meno warning speciali。Per cui lo preciso di mio: non è esattamente una lettura per ragazzi。 。。。more
Sarah
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4。5
Beatrice Tibaldini
，
Giorno 9 Giugno。Ho superato di parecchio la metà leggendo i primi tre racconti qui raccolti。Impressioni: è un lavoro perfetto。 Grandi onori a Oscarvault che ha unito questa splendida avventura sulle vicende di Re Artù！ Da leggere assolutamente。Ottima suddivisione del testo， un formato non eccessivamente piccolo dei caratteri consente di apprezzare a pieno la narrazione proseguendo la lettura per ore。Da consumarsi preferibilmente a piccole dosi， giusto per prolungare il piacere della lettura。
Hitzuji
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Se nota mucho que son 5 libros。 En general me gustó， menos el último que se me hizo insoportable。 La espada en la piedra ☆☆☆☆La bruja de los bosques ☆☆☆El caballero malhecho ☆☆☆☆Una vela al viento: ☆☆☆El libro de Merlín: ☆
Andrea Vega
，
1。 Se nota mucho que son cinco libros。2。 A pesar de detalles， creo que los primeros tres tienen más pros qué contras y me gustaron bastante。3。 El cuarto es raro。 Puntazo la aparición del Paje Tom。4。 La prosa de White es bella usualmente。5。 El quinto libro desentona y me hace alzar el puñito con rabia。
Lee
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Book One - The Sword in the Stone 4/5A winning mixture of historical whimsey （Lewis Carroll meets Monty Python） and beautiful nature writing （more than a hint of John Masefield’s Box of Delights） - a magical book。
Natysora
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Todo empezó con risas y terminó con una profunda pena。
Carlton
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In summary， this is a wonderful， moving collection of books， well worth reading in sequence in their entirety。 The Sword in the Stone is a fantastic children’s story， with plenty of excellent nature writing and humour。 The middle books are readable， but workmanlike; however， they are necessary for the overall tragic arc of the stories， which is brilliantly achieved in The Candle in the Wind。Well worth its place on James Mustich’s 1，000 books to read before you die list。The book is divided into f In summary， this is a wonderful， moving collection of books， well worth reading in sequence in their entirety。 The Sword in the Stone is a fantastic children’s story， with plenty of excellent nature writing and humour。 The middle books are readable， but workmanlike; however， they are necessary for the overall tragic arc of the stories， which is brilliantly achieved in The Candle in the Wind。Well worth its place on James Mustich’s 1，000 books to read before you die list。The book is divided into four parts:• The Sword in the Stone （1938）， detailing the youth of ArthurThis is a jolly， humorous story， which to my surprise is fairly closely followed by the Disney film （as I recall it from years ago）， but which also includes other delightful tales， such as the adventure with Robin ‘ood （Wood） and Little John to rescue Friar Tuck from Morgan le Fay。The book is set in a legendary time， after the Norman conquest of England （1066）， whilst the Saxons （earlier invaders of England） were still identifiable， so perhaps 1100 to 1350 （twelfth century， or whenever it was， and in a remote castle on the border of the Marches （English Welsh border））， whilst chivalry was the highest ideal and Uther Pendragon （1066-1216！） was king。White writes in an easy but verbose style， including many details of the English countryside and chivalry which deepen the story， making it a richer tale， but perhaps making it difficult to read fluidly for a modern reader。 However as an older British reader， the book brilliantly conjures up the simple heroic English history that I was taught at school。 This is a story of an England that never existed， except in our folk memory， although the deeds of chivalry are now mimicked by the jousting tournaments held occasionally in the summer at English castles and stately homes for the delight of tourists and children。As first published in 1938， the humorous horror of being transformed into an ant， hearing Antland， Antland Over All being sung and lectures about war， patriotism and the economic situation， would have very pointed contemporary references。 This lightly hidden political criticism is immediately followed by an approving description （without apparent irony） of the feudal system and the farm labourers （villeins as they were called） with their freedom of spirit liking their servitude in this medieval rural idyll， compared favourably to town workers。 It is fun to try and work out the hymn or song tunes to match the rhythm of White’ verses included from time to time， which is easy with the Battle Hymn of the （US） Republic。The countryside and nature writing， especially about the white fronted geese， is wonderful and accurate as well （lyo-lyok is the slightly yodelling call they give）， although necessarily anthropomorphic for the purposes of Wart’s education。 I am an amateur ornithologist， so all the bird descriptions appealed to me。However， Wart’s animal education ends with the badger: ”Which did you like best，” he asked， “the ants or the wild geese？”The winter journey to London following Uther Pendragon’s death is followed， briefly， by a tournament of the knights of England， and Wart’s pulling of the sword from the stone， aided by his friendship with the animals。I really enjoyed this book， familiar as it might be in outline from the eponymous Disney film， due to its humour， brilliantly descriptive writing and close observation of nature。 • The Queen of Air and Darkness （1939）， originally published separately in somewhat different form as The Witch in the WoodWell， here’s a thing， this second book， which was published separately in somewhat different form as The Witch in the Wood originally， has no witch in the woods in The Once and Future King！ I cannot cheaply come by a copy of the original 1939 book of that title， but it has been rewritten substantially， as it is only half the length of the original。This is a darker book in alternating chapters， which:（view spoiler）[• lays the groundwork that explains Igraine’s daughter’s intended revenge for Uther Pendragon’s forceful taking of Igraine， Countess of Cornwall， with slapstick comedy from King Pelinore; and • Arthur’s triumph as king over a northern rebellion， with the reader being prepared for Merlyn’s departure。 （hide spoiler）]White develops these two storylines:• the expected story of King Arthur battling against the rebellion of the Gaels （the old people， Picts， Cornish， Welsh and Scottish， also called Celts） against the Gauls （Normans and Saxons）; and • the story of Igraine’s four Orkney grandsons: Gawaine， Agravaine， Gaheris and Gareth。Although abounding in surviving prehistoric and later monuments， it is difficult now to consider the Orkneys as a leading medieval kingdom if you look at the small size of the islands off the northern coast of mainland Scotland。 However after the initial viking raids， it became the centre of a wide ranging seafaring kingdom which stretched south through the western isles of Scotland to the Isle of Man and Dublin。Although it might be construed as condescending， I love White’s use of anachronistic， but appropriate， language to conjure up the various characters， particularly in his choice of the occasional archaic word。 White uses Halidome， which apparently means a sacred place （Middle English from Old English hāligdōm， from hālig holy + -dōm -dom） and Shillelagh （https://en。wikipedia。org/wiki/Shillel。。。， where I remember the threat of I’ll give you shillelagh from my youth）。Overall this book was less satisfying for me， as it reads as a prologue （much more so than The Sword in the Stone） to the coming tragedy， and it is explicit at this stage that it will be a predestined tragedy， with apparently no free will to alter events， even with Merlyn’s foresight。• The Ill-Made Knight （1940）， dealing mainly with the character of LancelotWe have moved forward some years from the second volume in the quartet， The Queen of Air and Darkness， and this is mainly a story of Lancelot， the eponymous ill-made knight。White assumes familiarity with Malory’s fifteenth century story of Arthur， Le Morte d’Arthur， which may be acceptable， as modern Western readers are probably aware of the general outline of the Arthur story， but I was concerned that it would reduce White’s storytelling。 By the end of the book， I thought that it reduced the effort to explain character development for Arthur， who chooses to ignore Merlyn’s warnings about Lancelot and Guinever， and a general lack of character development for Guinever， but the approach worked as an portrayal of Lancelot。The development of Lancelot’s feelings （and Guinever’s） are explored in depth， but mainly by the author， rather than novelistically， and Lancelot’s feelings gain some depth， especially his feeling for holiness。However， the author uses time jumps of two years， and then fifteen years， with little development of Arthur， Lancelot and Guinnever。 I was unconvinced by this passage of time without emotional development in narrative terms， but White makes it work in terms of the legend， so that I eventually accepted （in storytelling terms） the tragedy as fated， although earlier in the book I didn’t expect to be carried by White’s retelling of the legend at this point。There are a few chapters joyously recounting the adventures of the knights as they return， unsuccessfully， from the quest for the holy grail， railing against the pacifist， vegetarian， chaste and holy Galahad and Bors。 White’s use of dialect to recreate these stories is comic genius， working really well for me， although it will not be to all tastes。Overall， I felt the book too mannered， lacking emotional involvement， as it felt like an analysis by White of legendary Lancelot’s character， and I don’t think I would have read this as a stand-alone book。• The Candle in the Wind， first published in the composite edition， 1958A preordained tragedy， seemingly without dramatic tension over its conclusion， other than as to the “how” element。Arthur， Guinever and Lancelot have reached old age and move towards their dooms with heavy inevitability， caught by the power of the law， that Arthur has created during his reign， and the “sin” of Mordred。（view spoiler）[I was completely unconvinced by Arthur’s statement that he had had all babies when Mordred was born put in a boat and cast adrift。 This appeared as a deus ex machina to justify Mordred’ hatred and totally out of character for Arthur。 （hide spoiler）]But then the book changes。（view spoiler）[And then I was fortunate， as literary magic happened for me。I was reading this mannered tragedy， and it was like White changes what I had read。 The story all becomes an epic tragedy of ideas， incredibly sad。 Doomed， preordained， fated， but epically so。Wow， he had me here at the last， blubbering， at the ideals wrecked by humanity。 A very humane， wonderful retelling of the familiar Arthur legend。Masterful and moving。 （hide spoiler）]A final part called The Book of Merlyn （written 1941， published 1977） was published separately following White's death。This book， which expands upon the events at the end of The Candle in the Wind， consists largely of a philosophical discussion between Arthur， Merlyn and animals from The Sword in the Stone regarding Man and his place in the world。Although written in 1941， it was not published until 1977， after White’s death， and much of the best writing （about the ants and the white fronted geese） has been incorporated into The Sword in the Stone in 1958 when it was published as The Once and Future King。There are several extra chapters on the white fronted geese which enjoyably fill out this story， and at the end there is a masterful quoting from William Blake’s Jerusalem， which are the words to a British hymn with music by Parry， which brilliantly encapsulates the argument that it is the striving towards the goal that is important， not the goal， which is unattainable without a loss of humanity。I am glad to have read this immediately after The Once and Future King， but I think it does need to be read after， as it is more of a philosophical summation of the ideas in the earlier books。 。。。more
Yong Yao Loh
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wow， I took almost 7 months （and a heck of a lot of perseverance） to finish this。 I can't say that I am a fan of the writing style， but the book does cover several pretty interesting themes， albeit mostly in the last two volumes of the story。 The afterword by Sylvia Townsend also helps to put a lot of the book in context。 I had initially been drawn to it as a way to learn more about King Arthur and his round table， and the book does deliver on this， but in a sort of longwinded， roundabout way wh wow， I took almost 7 months （and a heck of a lot of perseverance） to finish this。 I can't say that I am a fan of the writing style， but the book does cover several pretty interesting themes， albeit mostly in the last two volumes of the story。 The afterword by Sylvia Townsend also helps to put a lot of the book in context。 I had initially been drawn to it as a way to learn more about King Arthur and his round table， and the book does deliver on this， but in a sort of longwinded， roundabout way which I did not appreciate。 I guess a caveat that needs to be mentioned is that I started reading this book at a time of change in my life， both professionally and personally， and I fell out of a habit of making time for reading。 Perhaps reading all five volumes over a shorter period of time would give the reader a better experience。 。。。more
Victoria Zammit
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Long and meandering， this retelling of the myth of King Arthur is a beautiful fantasy story about a young boy and the lessons， trails and tribulations he encounters along his way， as he tries to introduce Law， Order and Civilization to his beloved country。 Written during WWII， White takes apart the nature of man in this story and looks very deeply and carefully at why men fight wars， and how as a species we can one day walk away from it all。 With a very distinct cast of characters and a beautifu Long and meandering， this retelling of the myth of King Arthur is a beautiful fantasy story about a young boy and the lessons， trails and tribulations he encounters along his way， as he tries to introduce Law， Order and Civilization to his beloved country。 Written during WWII， White takes apart the nature of man in this story and looks very deeply and carefully at why men fight wars， and how as a species we can one day walk away from it all。 With a very distinct cast of characters and a beautiful way of writing （sometimes funny， more often than not engaging）， this book is definitely not just for fans of Arthurian legend， but also those looking for something that will make them think a little about the Human Condition。 。。。more
Alicia
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Overall 3。5 stars for the whole series。 I'll break it down by each book below。 Spoilers ahead so please tread carefully:The Sword in the Stone 4/5 stars I love this book。 I love it even more than the Disney movie。 I love the characters and the heart。 I love the adventures Wart goes on。 I love King Pellinore and the Questing Beast。 The only fault of the book is that it drags a little in places and probably could have been trimmed to help pacing and clean up the plot a little bit。 Even if you don' Overall 3。5 stars for the whole series。 I'll break it down by each book below。 Spoilers ahead so please tread carefully:The Sword in the Stone 4/5 stars I love this book。 I love it even more than the Disney movie。 I love the characters and the heart。 I love the adventures Wart goes on。 I love King Pellinore and the Questing Beast。 The only fault of the book is that it drags a little in places and probably could have been trimmed to help pacing and clean up the plot a little bit。 Even if you don't read the whole series I recommend reading the first and second book。The Witch in the Wood 5/5 starsThis book hits all the right notes for me。 It gets a little bit darker and I enjoy that。 We start to setup the fall of Arthur in this one， but there's an air of hope because you see the foundation of the Round Table and Arthur's plans for bringing peace to his kingdom。 There's adventure and humour but there's also am overarching weight suggesting bigger things to come。The Ill-Made Knight 2/5 stars This book sees the introduction of Lancelot and Guinevere。 The pacing is too slow， events that happen are told with an air of: "it's not important but I'll tell you anyways。" So you start to wonder what's important to the plot and what isn't。 Lancelot and Guinevere are victims of insta-love。 White's handling of the entire romantic relationship leaves much to be desired。 We're told that they love each other but they treat each other terribly！ White's treatment of women in general in this book borders on misogyny and left a bad taste in my mouth。 Furthermore White uses Malory as a crutch far too often， assuming the reader is familiar with Morte d'Arthur and glossing over much or using Malory's words rather than focusing on his own rewrite。 This book would have benefited from a strong editor。 By far the weakest in the series。MAJOR SPOILERS AHEADThe Candle in the Wind 4/5 stars This book picks up the string of the second book。 It is by far much darker but there are soon free humorous moments to it。 We see Arthur's end rapidly appear throughout the book。 It's compelling and quick paced。 I still have some issues with the way Lancelot and Guinevere are written， but this book is an improvement on the previous one。 The Book of Merlin 3/5 stars This book could have been a dream sequence in the fourth book rather than a whole book on its own。 Readers who enjoy White's prose will really dig into this one， but those who don't will feel self-indulgent。 In this book we see Merlin return （which cheapens his departure in the second book） and with a host of animals， the group debates humanity and ways to end war completely。 I can really understand， given the time period in which White wrote this， why this book was so important to him。 But as an addition to the series it feels bulky and unnecessary。 I also struggled with White's reliability after the misogyny of the third book。 How can I trust he knows what he's saying after he proves that he knows very little about women？ What gives him the right to speak broadly about the entire human race when he knows nothing about half of that population？ To conclude， I enjoyed aspects of the series and really felt that the third and fifth books could have been drastically reduced or added into other books。 I really enjoyed the story as a whole but there were definitely elements that put me off。 。。。more
Vrinda
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Nice， but （watch out for the English joke） not my cup of tea。
Holly
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Finally I found the exact edition that matches my braille copy， so I can track pages accurately！
Lauren de Lange-van Zoonen
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Na bijna twee maanden zwoegen heb ik dit boek dan eindelijk uit。 Wat een bevalling！ Ik begon vol enthousiasme met het oog op mijn interesse voor koning Arthur en zijn ridders van de Ronde Tafel。 Boek I begon vrij onschuldig en was goed te doen， maar goed ik had dan ook enige achtergrondkennis met het oog op de Disney Klassieker “The Sword in the Stone ” die ik wel 100 keer heb gezien。 Na boek I is het “all downhill”。 Zelfs de romance tussen Lancelot - die wordt geportretteerd as zijnde ontzetten Na bijna twee maanden zwoegen heb ik dit boek dan eindelijk uit。 Wat een bevalling！ Ik begon vol enthousiasme met het oog op mijn interesse voor koning Arthur en zijn ridders van de Ronde Tafel。 Boek I begon vrij onschuldig en was goed te doen， maar goed ik had dan ook enige achtergrondkennis met het oog op de Disney Klassieker “The Sword in the Stone ” die ik wel 100 keer heb gezien。 Na boek I is het “all downhill”。 Zelfs de romance tussen Lancelot - die wordt geportretteerd as zijnde ontzettend lelijk - en Guinevere is niet leuk om te lezen。 Het beeld dat van Arthur achterblijft is dat van een weinig bijzonder of getalenteerd persoon en in feite een watje die zijn vrouw en beste vriend samen laat rotzooien met zijn goedkeuring。 What a waste of time。。。。 Dit boek is dus in mijn opinie geen aanrader。 。。。more
Kaleb Craig
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The definitive story of King Arthur。 Audio book is also absolutely amazing。
Jules
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I did not expect this to be as thought provoking， engaging， and tragic as it was。 I throughly enjoyed reading it and would recommend to anyone interested
Almarel
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La primera parte me ha encantado。 Luego se vuelve un poco más tedioso。。。Lo mejor: Merlín！
Jeremy
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Middle-aged people can balance between believing in God and breaking all the commandments， without difficulty。This knight’s trouble from his childhood–which he never completely grew out of–was that for him God was a real person。 He was not an abstraction who punished you if you were wicked or rewarded you if you were good， but a real person…Lancelot had a definite idea of what he looked like， and how he felt-and he was somehow in love with this Person。Do you think you can stop the consequences o Middle-aged people can balance between believing in God and breaking all the commandments， without difficulty。This knight’s trouble from his childhood–which he never completely grew out of–was that for him God was a real person。 He was not an abstraction who punished you if you were wicked or rewarded you if you were good， but a real person…Lancelot had a definite idea of what he looked like， and how he felt-and he was somehow in love with this Person。Do you think you can stop the consequences of a bad action， by doing good ones afterwards？ I don’t。 I have been trying to stopper it down with good actions， ever since， but it goes on in widening circles。Not at all what I was expecting。 Rather depressing actually。 Nonetheless a great work of English fiction。 。。。more
Rory Armstrong
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Pretty good writing but can't say I really loved it。Book 1 - A good Y。A story which is great until the rushed ending （3/5）Book 2 - Pretty poor except for the bits with King Pelinore （2/5）Book 3 - A more interesting plot focused on a maligned but still powerful Lancelot and his ultimately destructive relationship with Authur's wife Guinevere。 Did feel a little too long though （3/5）Book 4 - Details the unraveling of the Authur and the round table due to the outing of Lancelot and Guinevere's relat Pretty good writing but can't say I really loved it。Book 1 - A good Y。A story which is great until the rushed ending （3/5）Book 2 - Pretty poor except for the bits with King Pelinore （2/5）Book 3 - A more interesting plot focused on a maligned but still powerful Lancelot and his ultimately destructive relationship with Authur's wife Guinevere。 Did feel a little too long though （3/5）Book 4 - Details the unraveling of the Authur and the round table due to the outing of Lancelot and Guinevere's relationship and the fallout that ensues （3/5）Book 5 - An attempt to put a moral on the story by making it an analogy for the futility of might， early 20th century political 'ism's'， and war。 Felt like a poor man's Tolstoy。 （2/5）Generally I found T。H。 White to be an excellent writer， but taken as a whole this book feels fairly disjointed with the differing tones and styles throughout。 There is multiple direct discussions with the reader which while interesting in a novel is a little jarring。 The discussion of the issues of current times （1930s-1940s） in a story set in the 14th century was also a little unexpected and kind of annoying - I feel T。H。 White， while having interesting things to say， should of been less literal and been more poetic in this discussion （which is achieved through the use of the 'Ants' and 'Wild Geese' stories but not continued well）; his earlier writing proves he could do it。 Written today I could see this being edited heavily， but I can see how free style could be appeal to some people but wasn't for me。 。。。more
Chris Hinks
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I refuse to give this even one star。 I managed to get through three chapters before I gave up。 Which period am I in？ This year （2020） or the Middle Ages？ I would not recommend this book to my worst enemy。！
Jack Robinson
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This book is made of 5 books published under one volume。 At times I thought I'd rate this low。 The Sword in the Stone （the first book） was difficult to get through initially。 I was and am a huge admirer of the Disney film which takes lots of inspiration from this book with some changes。 The book takes the first 5 （I'd have to check again but it really is only the first few） pages of Malory and transforms them into 200+ pages of Arthur's Education。 When you read these with The Book of Merlyn they This book is made of 5 books published under one volume。 At times I thought I'd rate this low。 The Sword in the Stone （the first book） was difficult to get through initially。 I was and am a huge admirer of the Disney film which takes lots of inspiration from this book with some changes。 The book takes the first 5 （I'd have to check again but it really is only the first few） pages of Malory and transforms them into 200+ pages of Arthur's Education。 When you read these with The Book of Merlyn they make sense but if you're trying to read them in a hurry it isn't the most fun I have to say。 That being said these two books， while they are important and thoroughly thought-provoking， aren't as good as the rest。 They are also problematic and so are some of the others but less so。 It definitely takes away from the volume but there are still some parts that are enjoyable。 The three middle books （The Witch in the Wood， The Ill-made Knight and The Candle in the Wind） are brilliant。 Each unique in their own way and progressively darker as they go on。 I felt at times I was reading Game of Thrones， I couldn't help but see comparisons。 This is why I had to rate The Once and Future King so highly because they are enjoyable。 I laughed at the characters and felt for them too。 Reading the afterword by Sylvia Townsend Warner who describes how the books were written before， during， and after WWII made the anti-war sentiment that is present in the book make a lot of sense。 T。H。 White as well becomes an even more interesting figure and really adds a different light on what he wrote。 I have too many thoughts that I can't communicate because my head is so muddled from finishing this in a hurry。 I thought I was going to dislike this and it would become another book I was forced to read for university。 It has turned out to be the opposite。 I think I shall keep coming back to this book for a long time。 。。。more
Erwin Mooij
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The book was a disappointment， simply said。 I have had a copy since childhood， but somehow never got around to read it。 Now， thirty years later， I finally did。 I read all five books， but can only say that despite it being interesting and funny at times， I was mainly bored by the very lengthy monologues。 The books could have done with at most half the number of pages。 Too bad， as I have always been a great fan of Arthurian stories。
Brian Darvell
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This edition is the Complete Edition of The Once & Future King which is comprised of five individuals parts along with an afterword by T。H。 White's biographer， Sylvia Townsend Warner。 Quite a few people are familiar with the first part of the novel because it was eventually turned into a Walt Disney Movie by the same name: The Sword in the Stone。 This first part is the beginning of King Arthur's life starting from his humble roots as a child in some remote duchy in Britain and watching him as he This edition is the Complete Edition of The Once & Future King which is comprised of five individuals parts along with an afterword by T。H。 White's biographer， Sylvia Townsend Warner。 Quite a few people are familiar with the first part of the novel because it was eventually turned into a Walt Disney Movie by the same name: The Sword in the Stone。 This first part is the beginning of King Arthur's life starting from his humble roots as a child in some remote duchy in Britain and watching him as he turns into the important man he is to become。The Once & Future King is a work of great philosophical backing and is an important case study into the development of a person on whom so much depends。 The story is imaginative， great for all ages and supportive in that it accurately retells the story first written by Malory。 There is also a lot of support in relating this novel to the Nazi-era it was written in and how to overcome tyrannical oppression。Although the story does tend to become a bit drawn out later in the novel， I would still dub this novel as one of the best I have ever read and would recommend it to anyone as an accurate portrayal of the King Arthur story。If you wish to continue reading various stories that use the King Arthur plotline， try Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series or the A Dream of Eagles series by Jack Whyte。 。。。more
marmarci
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Lo que me ha ocurrido con este libro （o más bien， pentalogía recopilada en un solo tomo）， es que creo que no era lo que estaba buscando， y por supuesto， no era lo que quería encontrar。 Me explico。 Había leído que esta serie de libros recopilaba de manera más coloquial la leyenda artúrica basándose en los escritos de Malory， por lo que esperaba una narración épica， constante y centrada en Arturo， con el mago Merlín y algunos capítulos de Morgana y Mordred。 No es eso lo que me encontré。La saga se Lo que me ha ocurrido con este libro （o más bien， pentalogía recopilada en un solo tomo）， es que creo que no era lo que estaba buscando， y por supuesto， no era lo que quería encontrar。 Me explico。 Había leído que esta serie de libros recopilaba de manera más coloquial la leyenda artúrica basándose en los escritos de Malory， por lo que esperaba una narración épica， constante y centrada en Arturo， con el mago Merlín y algunos capítulos de Morgana y Mordred。 No es eso lo que me encontré。La saga se compone de cinco libros:1 - La espada en la piedra: Nos cuenta la infancia y adolescencia de Arturo， recurriendo mucho a la fantasía y al humor， escrito como pensado para ser leído por un niño。 Tono muy juvenil， con un Merlín que no era para nada lo que esperaba encontrar。 Este libro aunque tiene partes entretenidas e interesantes， también tiene otras que se me hicieron un poco pesadas。 Además， la parte que más estaba deseando leer está casi relegada a un segundo plano y resumida。 （Por cierto， la película de Disney "Merlín el encantador" está basada en este primer libro）2 - La bruja de los bosques: No va de Morgana， aviso。 Esta parte me pareció mayormente inquietante。 Ya no vemos ese tono tan juvenil， y de hecho se describen algunos actos que me pusieron un poco mala。 Se sientan las bases para el drama que vendrá en los siguientes libros， pero aparte de eso， es el libro que menos me gustó de los cinco。 Arturo apenas sale， por cierto。3 - El caballero malhecho: Esta es la historia de Lanzarote。 Aquí tampoco vamos a ver mucho a Arturo。 Se ahonda en la vida del caballero， sus dilemas， sus viajes， sus combates， etc。 Esta parte tiene trozos muy interesantes y que atrapan， pero también tiene otros más regulares， y hasta aburridillos。 Escrito como una historia de aventuras。4 - Una vela al viento: Mi favorita， sin lugar a dudas。 Por fin volvemos a Arturo， y seguimos con Lanzarote y Ginebra。 Lectura más adulta y compleja， y muchísimo más interesante de leer。 Me han gustado mucho los debates y la evolución de los personajes。 Sobre todo， Arturo （al fin）。 Narración que me ha parecido más pulida。5 - El libro de Merlín: Volvemos al tipo de narración del primer libro， sólo que sin el tono juvenil。 Sin embargo， se repiten recursos e incluso dos mini historias de ese primer libro， si bien ahora con una intención más clara que entonces。 De un modo u otro， la repetición me ha sobrado。 Más que una historia sobre las leyendas o la resolución de la historia de Arturo， es todo un libro para debatir de política， comparando las sociedades animales con los humanos， diferentes tipos de gobierno， el ser humano con respecto al mundo， etc。 A pesar de que yo lo que quería era seguir con la leyenda， ha habido partes de ese debate que me han parecido muy， muy interesantes。 Sin embargo， como ya he dicho， ha habido otras que no。 Eso sí， me ha gustado cómo ha abarcado el último capítulo el autor。Hubiera preferido más cohesión entre las partes o una exposición de la leyenda artúrica más homogénea y directa。 Sé que no hay una sola fuente clara de la leyenda， pero esperaba algo más。。。 no sé， ¿parecido a ficción histórica， quizá？ Por otra parte， el personaje de Merlín no ha acabado de gustarme， a pesar de que era uno de los que más ganas tenía de leer （el asunto de su peculiar línea de vida no me ha gustado mucho， la verdad）。 Además， las referencias a la actualidad del autor me sacaban de la lectura constantemente。 Esperaba un lenguaje coloquial， sí， pero no que me comparara armaduras con equipos de futbol y similares。También decir que esperaba con muchas ganas leer sobre Morgana， pero en toda la saga solo aparece en un par de párrafos。 En general es una lectura interesante， pero para mí， que lo que quería era una historia épica sobre la leyenda del rey que fue y será， me ha dejado fría con tanto esquinazo a lo que pensaba encontrarme。 No me parece una mala saga， sólo que no era lo que estaba buscando。 Aún así， he disfrutado de la lectura。Y ahora， a probar con otras novelas basadas en la leyenda。 *Como apunte， esta edición tiene muchas erratas y falta de edición tras pasar por el traductor en muchas partes， sobre todo en los tres primeros libros。 。。。more
Maja Helena
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Overall: 3。5 starsI enjoyed this version of the Arthurian legend so much more than I thought。 It is more playful in its prose and cut more to the bone of the classic story。 Everything involving Tristan/Tristam was thankfully cut out of this version and we got to focus on Arthur， Lancelot and Guenever。 While the prose is more playful， the characters aren’t changed or silly in anyway; they are the characters we know and expect them to be and like always I pretty much hated all of them – everything Overall: 3。5 starsI enjoyed this version of the Arthurian legend so much more than I thought。 It is more playful in its prose and cut more to the bone of the classic story。 Everything involving Tristan/Tristam was thankfully cut out of this version and we got to focus on Arthur， Lancelot and Guenever。 While the prose is more playful， the characters aren’t changed or silly in anyway; they are the characters we know and expect them to be and like always I pretty much hated all of them – everything is as it should be。The Sword in the Stone 3 starsThis has to be what the Disney movie of the same name was based on！ It was so much fun to see Wart go through his education and I enjoyed how Merlyn was portrayed in this， along with Archimedes。 This book seemed to be written for children and I enjoyed the contrast in this book compared to the other 4 books that are more dark and serious in tone as we， in this book， get to follow Arthur before he really becomes Arthur。 In this， he is just a child called Wart who is eager to learn。The Witch in the Wood 3 starsIn this we meet the Orkney clan， as it is referred to in the book。 Most importantly， we are introduced to Morgause， Arthur’s half-sister， who hates Arthur because of what his father， Uther， did。 This book deals with much darker subjects than the previous one; Arthur is an adult now， fighting to become the King of England and he makes some grievous mistakes （view spoiler）[first by sleeping with Morgause， getting her pregnant with Mordred and then by failing in killing the boy。 Or perhaps， his mistake was in trying to kill him in the first place。 （hide spoiler）]The Ill-Made Knight 4 starsI wonder， if Guenever and Lancelot are the first example in literature of trying to romanticize cheating？ When I was younger， I loved Guenever and thought it was unfair that her and Lancelot couldn’t be together。 Now， I’m an adult and slightly annoyed by them！ You don’t sleep with your husband’s best friend！ You don’t sleep with your best friend’s wife！ In this version I definitely disliked Guenever the most due to her controlling Lancelot and pathetic nature。 Mind you， Lancelot was not much better。 But man… I loved the drama！ The Candle in the Wind 4 starsGuenever and Lancelot are stupid and shit goes down， as it must， and the drama continues。The Book of Merlyn 1 star…。What the heck？ Arthur and Merlyn return to the animals who taught him as a child and then things got weird。 Arthur， Merlyn and the animals sits down and discuss mankind and all our faults but it seemed unclear as to what end？ （view spoiler）[I mean， Arthur is dead/dying so why waste time on learning him the failures of man when he is not going to be in a position to do anything about it？ （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Once and Future King
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Once and Future King&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft