#tbt: King Arthur

Image: Penguin Random House

Welcome back to the second day of school TMS Readers! The next few #tbt posts will have a theme, King Arthur legends. There are many and I will share a few of my favorites over the next few Thursday. Arthur really was King in the fifth century. He defended Britain against the Saxons. Over the years that followed historians decided stories about the king, which included a wizard and a magic sword, were not historically accurate. Primary source material is sparse. But they are fantastic stories!

The book that made me a King Arthur fan as a teen was, The Once and Future King by T.H. White. Originally published in the UK in 1958, this story contains four or five books, but some, such as the first part, The Sword in the Stone, are published as single volumes. White was inspired by a much earlier book, Le Morte d'Arthur, but added details from recent (at the time) history.

The Once and Future King is an ambitious read for most teens as it was published for an adult audience, but it's a good starting point to learn about the legend and all the colorful characters associated with Arthur.