Author: Howard Pyle. Illustrated by Howard Pyle.
Title: The Story of King Arthur and His Knights.
Publisher: New York, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1907.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 9 x 7 inches.
Pages: xvi-312 pages.
Binding: Attractive and near fine publisher’s original ochre cloth binding with a magnificent large heraldic coat of arms printed and stamped in black and red on the upper board. Spine decoratively lettered and illustrated in black with red panels (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. A clean, tight and particularly well-preserved copy.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean - as shown). Early owner’s inscription (dated 1909) on the front endpaper.
Illustrations: Profusely illustrated throughout by Howard Pyle with full-page and in-text black-and-white drawings in his iconic, richly detailed Arthurian style. Includes the striking illustrated title page and numerous large chapter headpieces and dramatic narrative scenes. (Complete).

Estimate: (USD 200–250).

The book: The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (1907) stands among Howard Pyle’s most celebrated achievements—a foundational classic in American illustrated literature and a cornerstone in the revival of Arthurian romance at the turn of the 20th century.

Written and illustrated by Pyle, this volume re-imagines the legendary early life of Arthur with moral grandeur, heroic ethos, and a storytelling cadence inspired by Malory yet distinctly modern and accessible. The book is a triumph of visual narrative: Pyle’s illustrations, deeply textured and strikingly composed, shaped an entire generation’s vision of Camelot, its chivalric code, its mythic heroes, and its enchanted landscapes.

First published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in November 1903, this 1907 copy represents an early printing of one of the great illustrated classics of the Golden Age of American book design. A beautifully preserved artifact of Arthurian literature and Howard Pyle’s artistic legacy.

The author: Howard Pyle (1853–1911) was one of the most influential illustrators and storytellers of the American Golden Age. Teacher of N.C. Wyeth and founder of the Brandywine School, Pyle revolutionized narrative illustration with dynamic composition, historical authenticity, and psychological depth.

His retellings of Robin Hood and Arthurian legend are considered definitive, blending historical research with poetic imagination. Through his writings and images, Pyle largely shaped the modern popular vision of medieval chivalry and heroic romance.

The illustrator: In this work, Howard Pyle himself is both author and illustrator. His artwork for King Arthur is among his most iconic—rich black-and-white line illustrations that combine Pre-Raphaelite sensibility with American romanticism. These drawings, with their flowing drapery, powerful knights, and atmospheric medieval settings, helped establish the visual canon of Arthurian myth for the 20th century.