The Loaded Table: Representations of Food in Roman Literature Book

In the 1930s a scholar such as E K Chambers could bring out a study of Arthurian matters and, while inter alia translating or paraphrasing key passages in his discussion, would quote the original medieval texts in Latin on the supposition that his readers would be able to read and understand them. More than half a century on knowledge of Latin is not, if you pardon the irony, a sine qua non of the average reader, so we must all be grateful to Richard White for including not just a translation of most of Chambers' extracts but of a large number of other key Arthurian texts, not all of them in Latin.

Add to that intelligent introductions to not simply the whole collection but to each extract and this becomes a ready reference for those interested not just in Arthurian history and legend but also folklore and literature up to the late Middle Ages. And despite the magnitude of the available texts this volume is no more unwieldy than the one-volume paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings, so really the Arthurian enthusiast has no excuse for not obtaining and enjoying it!