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The Book of Merlyn: The Unpublished…
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The Book of Merlyn: The Unpublished Conclusion to The Once and Future King (original 1977; edition 1977)

by T. H. White (Author), Sylvia Townsend Warner (Foreword), Trevor Stubley (Illustrator)

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3,690363,378 (3.57)56
The unpublished conclusion to The once and future king that tells how Arthur, Guenever, and Lancelot come to their ends.
Member:filkferengi
Title:The Book of Merlyn: The Unpublished Conclusion to The Once and Future King
Authors:T. H. White (Author)
Other authors:Sylvia Townsend Warner (Foreword), Trevor Stubley (Illustrator)
Info:University of Texas Press (1977), Edition: First, Hardcover, 137 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:young adult

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The Book of Merlyn by T. H. White (1977)

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» See also 56 mentions

English (34)  Spanish (1)  Dutch (1)  All languages (36)
Showing 1-5 of 34 (next | show all)
I read parts of [book:The Once and Future King|43545] in high school as an assignment. I was delighted with the first book about young Wart and his lessons, but bored out of my skull with the rest of it. This novel is the final book in that series, written in 1941-1942 but only published posthumously.

Mine is a vintage 1977 hardcover, and I don't remember where or when I picked it up, but it's been sitting on my shelf for years, and I finally pulled it down and gave it a go.

This is a beautifully written story in places, where the tired old king experiences the world anew, where he rediscovers his love for the land and his duty to his people. The rest is a lot of nonsensical gabbling about politics.

The illustrations by Trevor Stubley are enchanting, and probably the reason why I picked this book up from whatever second-hand store or junk shop I found it, and also the reason why I'll probably keep it despite having no intention to ever read it again. ( )
  Doodlebug34 | Jan 20, 2024 |
A very confusing final volume to the series, in that it swerves into a wildly different direction. There's something of a bittersweetness and sense of nostalgia that permeates this last council as the Wart reunites with his animal friends---and I very much liked that---but the content of their discussion, which I suppose comes from White taking the opportunity to expound upon his philosophical ideas about humankind and war, is downright unsatisfying as the conclusion to this long and storied tale. ( )
  mirryi | Aug 15, 2023 |
I agree with so many others who have said this is the worst of the series, but I did love seeing the characters’ stories wrapped up. I also got to read the ant & swan sections so many mentioned from The Sword in the Stone. My version didn’t have it in that section. Apparently it was originally in this book, but was shoved into the first book in later editions. Heavy-handed on the messaging, but I’m still glad I read it. ( )
  bookworm12 | May 22, 2023 |
I am not sure if I love or hate this book. It shouldn't exist - T H White wrote it as the fifth book of The Once And Future King, but then decided to scrap it, which means big chunks of it were shoved forcefully into The Sword In the Stone and the Candle in the Wind. Was it a good decision? I think so, it is a bit _too_ navel gazing and lecturing, War Is Bad, Communism Is Bad, Individuality is Good. But then why do I keep it on my bookshelf? There is something sad and sweet about these final scenes, Arthur about to die retreating to the world of Arthur in his childhood, rediscovering his animal friends. The bitterness he feels of having been a slave to what others needed him to do all his life, his final joy under the stars with England spread out at his feet and the hedgehog singing sweetly to him. The extra glimpses of Arthur make the heavy handed and moralising tone of this one still worthwhile. ( )
  atreic | Apr 12, 2023 |
Talán nem csak én vagyok úgy, hogy ha valamit túl nagy elánnal támadnak, akkor az szinte belekényszerít, hogy a védekező fél oldalára álljak. Ez a könyv pontosan ezt az ösztönös reakciót váltotta ki belőlem. Pedig White Arthur-sorozatának eddigi részeit szerettem, mi több, lenyűgözve bámultam a nyelvet, amin megszólaltak, az írói közvetlenséget és játékosságot, ami egyfajta józan paraszti bölcsességgel vegyülve pazar eleggyé gyurmázódott össze. De ez az ötödik kötet... mintha a méltóságos író úr eljutott volna odáig, hogy az emberiség meg sem érdemli a csodás irodalmi alkotásokat, fene a pofáját, adok neki inkább valami didaktikus vádbeszédet, az való neki, abból ért. No most mit tudom én, miből ért az emberiség, de hogy magam ezer didaktikus prózáért sem adnék oda egy közepes irodalmi produktumot (sőt: még egy lyukas mogyorót) se, az bizonyos. Bosszantó, hogy White nem tudta méltóképpen lezárni regényfolyamát: vannak ugyan elemek, amelyek jelzik, egyazon szerző munkája az egész (pl. a nyelvi közvetlenség, vagy az állatvilág iránt érzett megkapó szeretet), de túlságosan eluralkodott rajta a késztetés, hogy állatmesébe oltott lángoló pamfletet kerekítsen a bűnös emberiség bűnös háborúiról.

Valahol persze megértem White-ot: a mű megírásának pillanatában dúl a második világháború, ami a szerzőt páni félelemmel tölti el. Úgy fél tőle, hogy nem is érdekli igazán, ki miatt tört ki, a lényeg, hogy kitört, és ez az emberiség hibája. És hogy ezen az emberiségen belül esetleg vannak fokozatok, vannak például nácik és nem nácik, valahogy nem érinti meg. Ül az írországi remeteségében, és azon morfondírozik, hogy bezzeg a vadludak sose háborúznak, és a sünök is sokkal jobb fejek nálunk. (A nagyragadozók viszont megölik a más apától származó kölyköket, hogy a nőstény hamarabb kész legyen párzani velük. Az ausztrál bundásméhek hímjei pedig az utolsó példányig kiirtják egymás, miközben a nőstényekért küzdenek. Láttam David Attenborough-nál. De White még nem nézhetett ilyesmit.) Minek is vagyunk mi, jobb lenne, ha kilőnének minket az űrbe a háborúinkkal együtt. Mindez persze vállalható gondolat, ha megfelelő diverzifikáltsággal fejtik ki, abból akár jó regény is lehet. De a saját paranoiáiba zárt író kezében szélütött könyv válik belőle. ( )
  Kuszma | Jul 2, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 34 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (59 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
T. H. Whiteprimary authorall editionscalculated
Lee, AlanCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schuchart, MaxTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Stubley, TrevorIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Warner, Sylvia TownsendProloguesecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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It was not the Bishop of Rochester.
Quotations
Why should not God have come to the earth as an earth-worm? There are a great many more worms than men, and they do a great deal more good.
Merlyn, […] was a staunch conservative – which was rather progressive of him, when you reflect that he was living backwards.
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The unpublished conclusion to The once and future king that tells how Arthur, Guenever, and Lancelot come to their ends.

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Book description
The New York Times bestseller...now in a beautiful new trade edition.

An evocative and exciting tale of wizardry and war, this magnificent fantasy of the last days of King Arthur, his faithful magician and his animal teachers, completes the tragedy and romance of T. H. White's masterpiece The Once and Future King.

"And so the grand epic comes full circle, 'rounded and bright and done,' as White had wished it would be."--Boston Sunday Globe
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