Book Description

In the children's classic King Arthur and his Knights, Howard Pyle retells the legendary adventures of King Arthur. Pyle's version of the tales, published in 1903, are embellished with his illustrations and his imagination.Pyle divides the book into two main parts: "The Book of King Arthur" and "The Book of Three Worthies." Each part is further divided into tales and chapters.In "The Book of King Arthur," the first tale is "The Winning of Kinghood." In this tale, we learn how a young Arthur pulls a sword out of the anvil. In doing so, the unknown youth establishes his right to the throne and becomes king.In "The Winning of a Sword," King Arthur loses to and is wounded by King Pellinore, the king of "the Isles." King Pellinore breaks the sword that Arthur had withdrew from the stone. The wizard Merlin advises Arthur to go in search of the Excalibur, a famous and beautiful sword. The Lady of the Lake, who is the ruler of Avalon, teaches King Arthur what he must do to earn Excalibur. King Arthur follows her instructions and secures Excalibur. He battles King Pellinore again and with the assistance of Excalibur's magic, defeats him. After this battle, King Pellinore and King Arthur forgive each other and become friends.In "The Winning of a Queen," King Arthur becomes besotted with Lady Guinevere, the daughter of King Leodegrance. He goes to visit the King and his daughter at their residence in Cameliard. Using Merlin's wizardry, the disguised King Arthur goes to work as a gardener beneath the castle tower to be close to the lady he loves. While in Cameliard, disguised as a peasant, he battles and defeats the Duke of North Umber. To win the hand of Lady Guinevere, King Arthur travels and defeats the knights Sir Geraint, Sir Gawaine, Sir Ewaine, and Sir Pellias. King Arthur, back in his peasant costume, demands these knights help him battle the Duke of North Umber again. King Arthur and his knights defeat the Duke. Arthur reveals his true identity. He asks King Leodegrance for Lady Guinevere's hand in marriage.