King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (Howard Pyle, Joshua Hanft)

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is the Great Illustrated Classics version of Howard Pyle's work. It is adapted by Joshua Hanft, with illustrations (on every other page!) by Pablo Marcos Studio.

I have a vague memory of enjoying tales in the Great Illustrated Classics as a child. I didn't overly enjoy this. Hanft takes Pyle's quadrilogy (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) and condenses it greatly. It is basically two-thirds of book one (covering Arthur's rise and Merlin's fall) and the last third of book four (covering Launcelot and Guinevere's situation and the last battle). But what really bugged me was the art. Howard Pyle was a masterful illustrator, and this version didn't use any of his Arthurian works. Instead, it featured a black-and-white comic style, where Arthur looked a bit like He-Man. 

Overall, I supposed this is a starting point for children to learn about the general legend. But it is stripped of its potency, tragedy, and beauty.

Rating: B-