The Arthurian Handbook by Norris J. Lacy

In recent publications Ashe, one of these positivists, has decided to restate the question, not 'Did Arthur exist?' but rather 'What facts is the legend rooted in, how did it originate?' (4). After a small flood of 'positivist' Arthurian histories released in the early 1970s, David Dumville published an article criticizing these scholars' use of late and unreliable material, accusing them of bad methodology and good marketing. Of course 'historical' is properly in quotes because the scholarly world, unlike the medieval, is divided over the historicity of Arthur. The Handbook begins with a section called 'Origins.' This, Ashe's main contribution, is a lengthy discussion of the 'historical' origins of the Arthurian legends. The overall result is a concise, affordable (it's widely available in paperback), and eminently usable manual, described by the authors as 'a critical survey of the Arthurian legend in all periods and languages' (xi). Mancoff, a professor of Art History who has published several books on Arthurian art, was brought in to expand the discussion of Arthur in the nonliterary arts. Lacy, a professor of Old French Literature and past president of the International Arthurian Society (North America), has most recently guided to publication the only complete English translation of the entire Prose Lancelot or 'Vulgate Cycle.' Ashe is perhaps the world's most famous proponent of an historical Arthur, various theories of which he has presented in dozens of books, articles, and documentaries. The collaboration on the second edition of The Arthurian Handbook brings an even greater scholarly diversity to the project. Both of these works are now out in new revised editions to keep up with the almost exponential growth of literature and films celebrating the Once and Future King.

Lacy, and The Arthurian Handbook (1988), by Lacy and Geoffrey Ashe. Two standouts from the latter category are The Arthurian Encyclopedia (1986), edited by Norris J. Garland Publishing has consistently met this demand with literature, monographs, collections of essays (medieval conferences are deluged these days with Arthurian papers), and various reference books. Th e proliferation, in the last two decades or so, of college courses on King Arthur has created a demand for good Arthurian texts and sourcebooks.

The Arthurian Handbook by Norris J. Lacy