The Once and Future King

The Once and Future King (1958) by T. H. White is considered a classic of epic fantasy and (alongside Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, from which it draws inspiration) the definitive retelling of the legend of King Arthur. White’s tale spans the entire life of the legendary king, from his orphaned youth to his apprenticeship under Merlyn to the establishment of Camelot. The story is comprised of four separate novels, each of which focuses on a single aspect of the narrative arc. The first part—The Sword in the Stone—was adapted by Walt Disney into an animated feature film in 1963, and the latter half was the basis for the Broadway musical Camelot (1960).

This guide refers to the Berkeley Books 1965 mass market paperback edition.

Content Warning: Both the novel and guide reference sexual assault, incest, child abuse, and suicide.

Plot Summary

Young Arthur, the son of tyrant-king Uther Pendragon and Igraine, the queen of Cornwall, is sent away and adopted by Sir Ector, lord of the Forest Sauvage. While “hawking” one day with his brother, Kay, Arthur (nicknamed “the Wart”) becomes lost in the forest. There he meets the bumbling but kind King Pellinore, pursuer of the legendary Questing Beast.