A History of Malory's Morte Darthur in Print

Abstract

Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur, first published by William Caxton in 1485, is a megalith in the history of Arthurian literature. No story of King Arthur or the Knights of the Round Table, written before or since, has enjoyed more popular success or achieved greater long-standing cultural influence. Down through the years, however, such success or influence has not always been guaranteed. Despite the impressions we now have of its sturdy place in the canon, it has not been continuously in print, and there have been times in this history when authoritative copies of Malory’s text were all but lost. At various moments of re-emergence or re-discovery, too, the printing the Morte Darthur was often a venture steeped in moral contention, editorial dispute, and commercial rivalry. This chapter tells those stories.