King Arthur in legend and history vs Le Morte d'Arthur: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Kings and rulers in literature, Sources, Arthur, Kings and rulers, Legends, Arthurian romances
King Arthur in legend and history
More
Presenting selections from medieval Latin, Welsh, English, French and German literature, Richard White traces the Arthurian legend from the earliest mentions of Arthur in Latin chronicles to Thomas Malory's Le Morte…
Le Morte d'Arthur
More
Le Morte d'Arthur (originally spelled Le Morte Darthur, ungrammatical Middle French for "The Death of Arthur") is a 15th-century Middle English prose reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of tales about the legendary King…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Le Morte d'Arthur has the widest readership — 40053 ratings behind its score.
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.
How to choose
Scores by source
| King Arthur in legend and history | Le Morte d'Arthur | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (53) | 3.9 (40053) |
| Hardcover | — | 3.7 (69) |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Reception
| King Arthur in legend and history | Le Morte d'Arthur | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 53 | 40053 |
| Editions | 7 | 373 |
| Citations | 11 | — |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | 173 | 48944 |
| Reading it now | 6 | 2863 |
| Written reviews | 5 | 1497 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 19167 |
| Pages | 589 | 518 |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: King Arthur in legend and history or Le Morte d'Arthur?
Le Morte d'Arthur has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Le Morte d'Arthur 3.9/5, King Arthur in legend and history 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: King Arthur in legend and history or Le Morte d'Arthur?
Le Morte d'Arthur is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Le Morte d'Arthur (518 pages, ≈ 9 h 36 m); King Arthur in legend and history (589 pages, ≈ 10 h 54 m).
Which is harder to read: King Arthur in legend and history or Le Morte d'Arthur?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — King Arthur in legend and history: Challenging; Le Morte d'Arthur: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
King Arthur in legend and history: no film adaptation on record; Le Morte d'Arthur: 5 film adaptations.