This is Sir Thomas Malory's Arthurian compilation, issued by William Caxton in 1485 as Le Morte Darthur. Malory gathers the rise of Arthur, the fellowship of the Round Table, the Roman war, the adventures of Lancelot, Tristram, and other knights, the Grail quest, the love of Lancelot and Guinevere, and the collapse of the kingdom through Mordred. The narrative moves among many knights but returns to Arthur's court as the centre. Written in English prose from French and English sources, it is a connected cycle of chivalric episodes rather than a single quest, ending in civil war and the king's last battle.
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Subject/Genre
11 Subjects| No. | Volume Title | Page Count |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | — | 292 pp |
| Vol. 2 | — | 352 pp |
| Vol. 3 | — | 265 pp |
Bound in blue cloth with a cover design in red and gold by Bawden, different for each volume. Pink endleaves. Red and dark blue three-volume slipcase with designs in blue by Bawden. A small number of the copies were signed by the artist.
| Printing | Print Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Printing | 1982 | — |
| 2nd Printing | 1988 | — |
| 3rd Printing | 1990 | — |