Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (book)

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The name Sir Gawain and the Green Knight refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (disambiguation).
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 1925.png
EditorJ.R.R. Tolkien, E.V. Gordon, Norman Davis (second edition)
PublisherClarendon Press, Oxford
Released23 April 1925
FormatHardcover; paperback
Pages240

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an edition of a 14th-century long poem with the same name, a story related to the Arthurian legends. The book was edited by J.R.R. Tolkien and E.V. Gordon, published in 1925 by Clarendon Press, Oxford.

The main text in Middle English, and a glossary, were contributed by Tolkien, while a majority of the accompanying notes was done by Gordon; the book also includes an introduction and a linguistic appendix. A second edition, edited by Norman Davis, Tolkien's successor at Oxford, was published in 1967 to incorporate new understandings on the original manuscript. In this edition Tolkien's texts have been revised, and the book's introduction, notes, and appendix been largely rewritten.

A Modern English translation of it by Tolkien was published in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo in 1975, edited by Christopher Tolkien.

From the publisher (second edition)[edit | edit source]

The study of Sir Gawain, the finest of all the English medieval romances, was signally advanced by the publication in 1925 of the edition by the late Professors Tolkien and Gordon. This remained the most widely used text of the poem; but after forty years the time came for revision. The new edition pursues the aim of the first – to present an accurate text pleasantly, with sufficient apparatus to enable a reader to understand the rich but difficult language, and so to reach for himself an informed appreciation of the poem. The Text, and the uniquely full glossary, were revised to take account of recent views. The Introduction, Notes, and Linguistic Appendix were largely rewritten; and the book was entirely reset.

Publication history and gallery[edit | edit source]

1925 first edition  
1967 second edition  

External links[edit | edit source]


A J.R.R. Tolkien book guide
Books by or mainly by Tolkien
Of Arda Authored by
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit · The Lord of the Rings
(i.The Fellowship of the Ring · ii.The Two Towers · iii.The Return of the King) ·
The Road Goes Ever On · Bilbo's Last Song
Edited by Christopher Tolkien The Silmarillion · Unfinished Tales · The History of Middle-earth series
(i.The Book of Lost Tales: Part One · ii.The Book of Lost Tales: Part Two · iii.The Lays of Beleriand · iv.The Shaping of Middle-earth · v.The Lost Road and Other Writings · vi.The Return of the Shadow · vii.The Treason of Isengard · viii.The War of the Ring · ix.Sauron Defeated · x.Morgoth's Ring · xi.The War of the Jewels · xii.The Peoples of Middle-earth · Index) ·
The Children of Húrin · Beren and Lúthien · The Fall of Gondolin
Edited by others The Annotated Hobbit · The History of The Hobbit · The Nature of Middle-earth · The Fall of Númenor
Not of Arda Short stories
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Leaf by Niggle · Farmer Giles of Ham · Smith of Wootton Major · The Adventures of Tom Bombadil ·
Letters from Father Christmas · Mr. Bliss · Roverandom ·
Tree and Leaf (compilation) · Tales from the Perilous Realm (compilation)
Fictional works The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún · The Fall of Arthur · The Story of Kullervo · The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
Translations and academic works Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo · Finn and Hengest ·
The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays · Beowulf and the Critics · Tolkien On Fairy-stories ·
Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary · A Secret Vice · The Battle of Maldon
Less known academic works A Middle English Vocabulary · Sir Gawain and the Green Knight · Ancrene Wisse · The Old English Exodus
Letters The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Books by other authors
Biographies J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography · The Inklings · Tolkien and the Great War
Reference works The Complete Guide to Middle-earth · The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide
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