ARTHUR: HIGH KING OF BRITAIN.** [Author SIGNED copy.**] **

UK,slim 8vo HB+dw/dj,author SIGNED,1st edn thus.[Previously published by same publisher, 1994 and the true 1st edn,so this edn 1st thus.] FINE/NFINE.No owner inscrptn,but author's neat,handwritten,black ink signature+dedication: 'For William,for your 12th birthday,wishing you a happy one! Michael Morpurgo',to ffe.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated, colour pictorial artwork by Michael Foreman illustrated dw/dj; with negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present. Top+fore-edges bright,clean and unmarked,contents bright,tight and near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners.Dw/dj design repeated to glossy laminated bds (boards) with red headband and immaculate plain blue eps (endpapers) - front free ednpaper author SIGNED+dedicated.UK,slim 8vo HB+dw/dj,author SIGNED,1st edn thus, 7-143pp [paginated] includes 11 chapters,17 full-page,full-colour illus,6 part-page and 2 double-page,part-page illus throughout the text and the book,all by Michael Foreman,and colour pictorial lozenged chapter head-pieces; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title page,full-page,full-colour frntis and contents list/table. The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table has fired the imagination of young and old for centuries.It is the ultimate tale of chivalry and romance,of evil and magic,and of betrayal and revenge.In 'Arthur,High King of Britain' Michael Morpurgo has met the challenge of superbly retelling this great story as it has never been told before. It begins in our own century,when a half-drowned boy regains consciousness in a strange sea-cave.The white-bearded man who saved his life introduces himself as Arthur Pendragon,High King of Britain.He says that he has lived close to this rugged seascape with his faithful deerhound Bercelet for fourteen hundred years - 'beyond the reach of time'.As the boy recovers,Arthur begins his story. Adopted as a baby and brought up in Wales,Arthur is told by Merlin the magician that he is not only of royal blood but also the rightful king of Britain,an astonishing fact confirmed when Arthur passes the supreme test of pulling the sword from the stone.Trained in the arts of kingship by Merlin,and presented with the great sword Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake,Arthur sets out to rid the country of cruelty and tyranny and to drive back the Saxon invaders.To his court at Camelot come the finest knights in the kingdom to serve his noble cause,and the beautiful Guinevere to be his queen.The courageous and chivalrous deeds of Sir Launcelot,Sir Gawain and Sir Percivale,as well as the sad story of the doomed lovers Tristram and Iseult,are poignantly retold by the once great king.Nothing is sadder,however,than Arthur's own story.Tricked into infidelity by the evil power of his half-sister Morgana Le Fey,he brings up a child, Mordred,who is to become a deadly enemy. Worse,the tragic love affair between Launcelot and Guinevere not only deprives him of the two people he loves most,but also,by dividing loyalties at Camelot,brings about the destruction of all he has created.Arthur's story is one of the great epics,and this compelling modern version,vividly illustrated by Michael Foreman,will enthral every reader. Michael Foreman,born Pakefield,Suffolk,1938. Studied at Lowestoft School of Art and at the Royal College of Art.Lecturer at St Martin's School of Art (1963-65), the London College of Printing (1967/8), the Royal College of Art (1968-70) and the Central School of Arts and Crafts (1972).Art Director of Playboy magazine,Chicago (1965) and the King Magazine,London (1966).Painter,etcher, illustrator and writer of children's books.His illustrative work is distinctive:he often works in colour or halftone,creating luminous effects with veils of thinly diluted pigment over delicate pencil outlines; in his etched illustrations,he uses soft ground techniques to achieve subtle tonal graduations.His imagery, ostensibly decorative,humorous or with a sometimes child-like appearance,often has menacing or bizarre overtones. Want more Michael MORPURGO titles? For similar and other available titles - please search my SIGNED and CHILDRENS/ILLUSTRATED catalogues. Please contact rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk ,because of the lighter weight and value of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!