Among the most enduring, moving and profound heroic legends in the world are the stories of Arthur, the knights of the Round Table and the Grail. Immortalized in Sir Thomas Malory's magnificent Morte Darthur, the supreme achievement of the whole Arthurian edifice, the tales of Arthur and his knights were universally popular in medieval Europe and still exercise a compelling attraction today.

Exciting and romantic in their own right, a deeper significance lies beneath the surface of the characters and incidents based largely on pagan themes fro Celtic and other pre-Christian cultures. And it is this pagan element which has helped give the stories their timeless appeal.

In King Arthur and the Grail, Richard Cavendish examines the themes - heroism, honour, the quest of self and the conquest of death - and argues that these are still relevant today. For the central Athurian theme is the search for integrity, the attempt to find once's true and best self.

Probably the best yet written...a book which gets the atmosphere right, conveying the fascination and sense of significance - GEOFFREY ASHE

Cover Illustration: Detail from Sir Galahad by Arthur Hughes