Tales of King Arthur (1980)

If this is the abridged edition, then the original must have been even duller. I've come to the conclusion that I prefer Arthur in more modern versions. Malory (by modern standards) feels clunky, low on character development and surprisingly prone to the deus ex machina.

I was surprised how often people are rescued from dungeons with no explanation of how it was done. Just 'Merlin rescued him'.

Some stories, like Arthur fighting the Roman Emperor, don't really work with a modern audience. Arthur claims exemption from taxes because he is grandson of a Roman Emperor and thus heir to Rome... ( )

A very abridged version of Malory. Normally, I dislike buying abridged editions, but this was a very pretty hardback copy with plentiful, glossy illustrations from medieval illuminations, and I thought it was a bargain at €5 in this year's Trinity Book Sale. It was readable, but more as a retelling of the stories than as a complete version (at least a third, if not more, is missing) or as any attempt at a scholarly edition. There is some analysis at the beginning, but it's not very in-depth, and though there were glosses in the margin explaining some of the more difficult archaisms, I felt a more expanded glossary would have been useful. Tolerable, but there are many more worthwhile editions out there. ( )