Book excerpt: The substance of the tale of King Arthur and the Holy Grail has in one form or another intrigued men and women for well nigh a thousand years, not only in Britain but throughout the world. Nothing, it would appear, can kill the Arthurian saga. Generation after generation has been inspired and entertained by the legends of the Hero-King, his Knights of the Round Table, the reputed visit of Joseph of Arimathea, the mysterious coming of the Holy Grail, and the planting of the Holy Thorn. The original Book of the Grail was written in the early 13th Century, although only fragments of the original manuscript survive. This book is a translation of the first volume of Perceval le Gallois ou le conte du Graal, compiled in 1866 from a 16th Century transcript of the original, and is the most complete version of the Grail story. Sebastian Evans' rendering of the tale captures the high cadences of Medieval Romance, and is an essential addition to the library of anyone who shares the continuing fascination with this most enduring of legends. This is the book featured in the Terry Gilliam film The Fisher King (1991), starring Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams.