A Dictionary of King Arthur's Knights

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-This well-researched dictionary gives brief descriptions of the 281 knights and 70 kings mentioned in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. The author explains family relationships and the characters' significance to the legend, and, for many entries, she offers suggested readings. She lists an extensive bibliography and has written a bibliographic essay outlining her research process. With some exceptions, the entries are too brief to be of research value, and readers seeking a more academic approach should refer to the books in the bibliography, including Christopher W. Bruce's Arthurian Name Dictionary (Garland, 1999). There are no see-also references to alternate spellings of names or pronunciation guides. On a production note, on some pages, the text is too close to the gutter and therefore hard to read. This is a niche book, appealing to those readers who are really into Arthurian legends and who may be seeking to untangle the multitude of players found in Malory's classic version of the tale.-Cheri Estes, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.