Malory, the critical heritage /

Parins's compilation of 69 texts, from William Caxton's "Preface to the 1485 edition" to George Saintsbury's 1912 essay, provides for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as more experienced scholars, easy access to 400 years of work on Le Morte Darthur. It demonstrates the increasing attention to Malory, and it allows the reader to monitor arguments over Malory's moral stance, compare views on whether the Morte is a unified work or eight separate romances, and evaluate the claims of French, Latin, or Celtic works as sources. A list of all complete editions, from Caxton's to 1983, and abridgments and expurgations of the 19th century is useful. The introduction, including overviews of textual history, theme, structure, source, and 20th-century work, provides a road map for the collection. No essays after the discovery of the Winchester manuscript are included. -B. M. Perkins, Eastern Michigan University