Hi Jodi,

 

I’m writing to see if you might be interested in receiving a copy of THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR: The Immortal Legend (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition; On-sale: Oct. 30^th) retold by Peter Ackroyd and with stunning original cover art created by illustrator and comic artist Stuart Kolakovic.

 

You can take a look at the cover here, which features scenes from the classic tale in beautiful tones of red, blue, and gold.

 

Please let me know if you’d be interested in seeing a review copy or receiving a copy for giveaway on your website or blog. Below you will find more information on the book and author.

 

Thanks,

 

Angie Messina

Penguin/Viking Publicity

(212)366-2248

 

A glorious new take on the legend of King Arthur

 

The Death of King Arthur

 

Praise for The Death of King Arthur:

 

“Elegant, economical, and mordantly witty.”

—The Boston Globe

 

 

“Most important, Ackroyd preserves, and even accelerates, the headlong pace of these tales, where action is everything.”

—The New York Times

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________

 

Part of the award-winning Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition series with stunning cover art by comic artist and illustrator Stuart Kolakovic, THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition; On sale: October 30^th, 2012; $17.00; 336 pages) is retold by acclaimed biographer Peter Ackroyd, who vibrantly resurrects Sir Thomas Malory’s legendary epic of Camelot with this modern adaptation. The best and beloved legends of King Arthur, Merlin, Morgan le Fay, Lancelot and Guinevere, the Knights of the Round Table, and the quest of the Holy Grail are depicted, bringing new life to Thomas Malory’s richly inventive medieval epic of the court of Camelot for modern readers.

 

Born with the help of Merlin’s magic, blessed with the sword of Excalibur, Arthur becomes king of a troubled, leaderless England, beginning a golden age of chivalry at the court of Camelot. His Knights of the Round Table fight bravely in battle and in jousting tournaments, and combat sorceresses and giants. A chosen few, including the noble Sir Galahad, must undergo trial and torment in order to find the famed Holy Grail. But the reign of Arthur is soon to be torn asunder. As whispers of his wife Guinevere’s infidelity with Arthur’s favored knight, Sir Lancelot, intensify, loyalties become divided and gradually the fellowship of the Round Table is broken. When Arthur’s treacherous son, Mordred, plots against his own father, a bloody cycle of violence, revenge, and tragedy ensues.

 

Peter Ackroyd’s all new and shortened retelling transforms Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur into a dramatic modern story, and brings to life a world of bravery, magic, and majesty that is imbued with a sense of fate and loss, in a classic for all times.

 

Peter Ackroyd is a well-known writer and historian. He has been the literary editor of The Spectator and chief book reviewer for The Times, and he is the author of several highly acclaimed books including a biography of Dickens and London: The Biography. His retelling of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales was published by Viking in 2009 and his most recent work is Thames: Sacred River. He lives in London.

 

Sir Thomas Malory was a knight and estate owner in the mid-fifteenth century, who spent many years in prison for political crimes as well as robbery. He wrote Le Morte d’Arthur, the first great English prose epic, while imprisoned in Newgate. The epic was published in 1485 by William Caxton, the first English printer. Malory is believed to have died in 1471.

 

THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR

Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition; On Sale Date: October 30, 2012

ISBN 978-0-143-10695-1

$17.00

Also available as an e-book

 

Visit www.penguin.com for more information

 

 

 

 

For more information, please contact Holly Watson at

 holly.watson@us.penguingroup.com or 310-390-0591

or Angela Messina at

 angela.messina@us.penguingroup.com or 212-366-2248

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, providing readers with a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. We focus on bringing together the best of the past and the future, using cutting-edge design and production as well as embracing the digital age to create unforgettable editions of treasured literature. Penguin Classics is timeless and trend setting. Whether you love our familiar black-spine series, our Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions, or our Penguin Enriched eBook Classics, we bring the writer to the reader in every format available.