Henry Gilbert
Life and career
Henry Gilbert (1868–1937) was a British journalist and author who retold historical and legendary material for children. His books include King Arthur’s Knights, published in 1911, and Robin Hood and the Men of the Greenwood, published the following year. He also adapted accounts of the Spanish conquests of Mexico and Peru. His Arthurian stories belong to a long tradition of reshaping older narratives for new audiences, with accessibility and forward-moving storytelling central to the reteller’s task.
A reteller declares his choices
Gilbert’s preface names Malory and the Mabinogion among the materials behind his selection. He explicitly permits himself alteration and addition in order to make the adventures vivid to children. His ideal of chivalry also supplies a moral purpose, connecting legendary conduct to what he expects of a modern reader. The result is an authored adaptation within a continuing tradition, rather than a transparent window onto medieval storytelling.
King Arthur's Knights
Henry Gilbert reshapes stories of Arthur and his knights in language intended to make their adventures accessible to children. Quests, mysterious encounters, contests, and enchantments give the narrative its forward movement, while loyalty and courage provide the terms on which characters are judged. The author's preface openly acknowledges selection and alteration rather than claiming to reproduce Malory unchanged. That distinction matters: this is a later storyteller's version of the legendary material, with its own emphasis on wonder and moral example. Readers encounter a world in which a meeting in the forest may become a test whose significance only gradually appears. The larger story also allows the splendour of the Round Table to stand beside the strains that threaten its bonds. Arthurian tales retold for young readers by Henry Gilbert · English.
Compare the promise with the test
Notice the difference between a knight’s stated duty and the circumstances that make carrying it out difficult. Gilbert’s emphasis on courage, truthfulness, and protection provides a framework, while a mysterious encounter creates uncertainty about its application. The edition credits Walter Crane’s illustrations; the reading text gives access to the words and should not be mistaken for a complete reproduction of that visual presentation.