The Traveller’s Guide to Arthurian Britain, by Geoffrey Ashe, Gothic Image, 7 High Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA8 9DP, $22.95 paperback.
It is said that only the Devil has more places throughout Britain named after him than does King Arthur. One of the most prolific contributors to Arthurian theory, Geoffrey Ashe, has compiled The Traveller’s Guide to Arthurian Britain, an exhaustive gazetteer of every Arthur-related location in Britain. This fascinating collection of places includes everything from renowned Glastonbury to such out-of-the-way and obscure sites as Marchlyn Mawr in Gwynedd, where legend says a hidden cave contains Arthur’s treasure. Also included are those place-names from Arthurian lore for which there is no certain modern geographic fix—such as Mount Badon, Agned, and Guinnion.
A very useful appendix categorizes the sites according to their association with particular Arthurian characters, events, and themes, so that a reader with a particular interest in, say, the Holy Grail, can easily locate the appropriate tales and the places where they are set. Clear, easy-to-read maps make this pocket-sized book an essential take-along guide for travellers.
