Once and Future King: Amazon.ca: T. H. White: Books

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'Magnificent and tragic, and irrestible mixture of gaiety and pathos' The Sunday Times 'This ambitious work will long remain a memorial to an author who is at once civilized, learned, witty and humane' Times Literary Supplement --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

T.H. White, whose The Sword in the Stone has been read by hundreds of thousands, now at last has turned his hand to retelling the entire Arthurian Epic. The Once and Future King takes Arthur from the glorious lyrical phase of his youth through the disillusioning early years of his reign to the mature years in which his vision of the Round Table develops into the search for the Holy Grail and finally to his weary old age.

In part, T.H. White has drawn on published material which he has revised and reworked heavily to bring form and continuity to an overall work, a tetralogy which will stand as unique and vivid and quite apart from the individual effects of the various particular books. And in part the author has created new material as enchanting as any he has ever set on paper.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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First Sentence
ON Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it was Court Hand and Summulae Logicales, while the rest of the week it was the Organon, Repetition and Astrology. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

259 Reviews

5 star:		(146)
4 star:		(67)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(13)
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Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (259 customer reviews)

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Once and Future King- a book for all ages, Sep 3 2001

By

Lynn Cox (Carmichael, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Once and Future King (Mass Market Paperback)

I was assigned to read this book as a summer reading assignment, and like every other high school student, I disliked the thought of doing so. In addition, I have never been a big fan of King Arthur and his adventures, so when I finally started to read this book my expectations were not high. However, after reading just the first part, The Sword in the Stone, which describes Arthur's childhood, I was pleasantly surprised. The mysterious magician, Merlyn, taught "the Wart" (young Arthur) about human nature and the world around him by changing him into different animals. The Wart was able to experience the world from the perspectives of a fish, a falcon, and a badger, among other creatures. By becoming these creatures the Wart gains a better understanding about the animals' lives and the particular way each species organizes its "society." The remainder of the story tells of King Arthur's efforts to bring unity, peace, and justice to England by establishing the Knights of the Round Table. The plot is entertaining and filled with colorful characters such as King Pellinore, Sir Lancelot, and Sir Grummore, who go on brave and fanciful quests including the search for the Holy Grail and the hunt for the Questing Beast. The love triangle among King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, and Guinevere, which ultimately helps to destroy King Arthur's dream of unity and peace, provides a dark counter point of jealousy and betrayal to the book's fairy tale quality. The story overall is easy to follow, entertaining, and full of surprises.

Besides its captivating plot, The Once and Future King reveals T.H. White's views of the world's societies. Even though this book was written from 1939 to 1958, its main points are still relevant to today's world. For example, when the Wart explores the moat as a fish, he is introduced to the monarchy form of government, which seems to work fairly well in keeping peace among the fish. The King of the Moat commands total respect from all the other fish, which allows for a successful monarchy. As an ant though, the Wart experiences a harsh totalitarian society, which festers war and greed among neighboring nests. The Wart is also exposed to the peaceful libertarian society of the geese. The geese treat one another with respect, which helps keep the peace. T.H. White suggests that a society that is based on mutual respect and sharing rather than strictness and force functions best. However, White does not overwhelm the story with his political views. Instead he subtly exposes them through a creative, entertaining plot filled with sometimes bizarre and always interesting characters.

One of the main themes of this book is the contradiction in using force to bring about justice. While King Arthur at first enjoys war, he eventually learns it is immoral. The lessons Arthur learned still apply to today's world. In the end Arthur finds justice and an ideal society impossible to achieve, just as they are today.

This book is now one of my personal favorites.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A celebration of Humanity, July 19 2004

By

jack howe (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Once and Future King (Hardcover)

The once and future king, by T.H.White, is the tale of one mans attempt to deter the brutal dream of dictatorship, violence and dominance.It is a modern classic which provides a unique potrayal of the Arthurian ideology within its vast account of the struggle against the inevitable dark, and the various quandaries and qualities of which the human condition is comprised. A fitting appropriation of Thomas Malory's 'Morte d'Arthur', it is a rambling amalgamation of five novels with a precise objective- to illustrate the brutality and futility of belligerence.Witty, perceptive and superbly crafted in Whites formidible and delectable grasp of the English language, it is a glorious and intensely passionate literary piece which grasps and delightfully questions the nature and fabric of human kind.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Best ever!, July 14 2011

By

toysparta - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Once and Future King (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is a toss up between itself and The Three Musketeers as my favourite book of all time. A definite must read.

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