One from my top ten books

I’ve just finished (again) The Once and Future King by T.H. White – a real favourite. A retelling of the Arthurian legends, heavily (and unashamedly) based on Mallory, a classical tragedy told with feeling but never mawkish. The style is a bit quirky, but there is a charming honesty to it. White allows his personal views to surface, blowing the dust off the old tales and making them seen both fresh and timeless. The films Camelot and Excalibur owe much to this book, and I’m sure the Pythons had it to hand when making Monty Python and the Holy Grail.