King Arthur: pocket GIANTS

Nick Higham examines what can be known about King Arthur, separating the surviving evidence from the later stories that made him one of Britain’s best-known legendary figures. The book begins with Arthur in antiquity and the fall of Roman Britain, then considers migration, settlement and the earliest figures who may lie behind the name.

Higham traces Arthur’s appearance in the History of the Britons and the Welsh Annals before turning to Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose medieval account profoundly shaped the tradition. Later chapters consider medieval versions of Arthur’s story, his subsequent decline and revival, and the ways Arthur continues to be interpreted in the modern world.