The History of the Kings of Britain (Penguin Classics)

Completed in 1136, this classic chronicle traces the story of the realm from its supposed foundation by Brutus to the coming of the Saxons some two thousand years later. Vividly portraying legendary and semi-legendary figures such as Lear, Cymbeline, Merlin the magician, and the most famous of all British heroes, King Arthur, it is as much myth as it is history, and its veracity was questioned by other medieval writers. But Geoffrey of Monmouth’s powerful evocation of illustrious men and deeds captured the imagination of subsequent generations, and his influence can be traced through the works of Malory, Shakespeare, Dryden, and Tennyson.
 
Lewis Thorpe’s translation from the Latin brings us an accurate and enthralling version of Geoffrey’s remarkable narrative. His introduction discusses in depth the aims of the author and his possible sources, and describes the impact of this work on British literature.

• Arthurian Romances (Penguin Classics)
• Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Penguin Classics)
• Le Morte Darthur (Norton Critical Editions)
• Le Morte Darthur: The Winchester Manuscript (Oxford World's Classics)
• Tristan: With the Surviving Fragments of the 'Tristran of Thomas' (Penguin Classics)
• The Lais of Marie de France
• The Song of Roland
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Norton Critical Editions)
• Idylls of the King (Penguin Classics)
• The Canterbury Tales