Howard Pyle, a chronicle by Charles D. Abbott, with an introduction by N. C. Wyeth and many illustrations from Howard Pyle's works.

HOWARD PYLE: A CHRONICLE
to the publishers. The book itself made its appearance in
time for the Christmas trade.
The remaining volumes of the series were not published
in rapid succession, but for various reasons, largely the
press of his work with Harpers and his new interest in
mural decoration, were spread out over the next seven
years. The Story of the Champions of the Round Table
appeared in 1905, The Story of Sir Launcelot and his
Companions in 1907, and The Story of the Grail and the
Passing of Arthur in 1910. As a new form of the
Arthurian legend these books have been signally popular.
They give in a complete way a very straightforward and
easy account of most of the adventures of the different
knights. There are everywhere present in them the marks
of good taste which were always characteristic of Howard
Pyle. The pictures were all done in pen-and-ink and many
of them, especially those in the first two volumes, are superb
in their stateliness and grandeur. One needs only to see such
pictures as "Two Knights do battle before Camilard" and
"King Arthur findeth ye old woman in ye hut" to catch
the delightful spirit of ancient romance that colors the whole
Arthurian narrative; and the portrait pictures of the important characters are nearly always vigorous, strong, and
full of meaning, as, for example, the one of Merlin. But
as a whole, the books lack something of the compelling
power of the earlier stories. They do not have the warmth
and fire of Robin Hood and Men of Iron.
All these books, from the Robin Hood to the last of the
Arthur stories, constitute a collection of medieval story
which has been a growing delight to children for the past
four decades, and which is a princely heritage for the
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