Apparently there are pictures of the Grail dating back to the mid 9th Century, and even earlier images of a Grail or Grail-like object. I had no idea. I thought it was purely a 12th Century thing. As well as these shadowy beginnings, the first half of the book looks at the literature that created the legend. Barber thoroughly covers Chrétien to Malory but really focuses in detail on the period 1190-1240. There’s a handy graph at the back that shows works vs time. His analysis is really good. They were a couple of points where I thought he hadn’t made his point, but on the whole, where I had read the book he was talking about, I found I agreed with him. In the world of my head this means that we are both right.

In the second half he looks at the resurgence of interest, covering scholarship, literature, and the arts. He also covers esoterica and tries to keep a straight face, bless ‘im, but there some funny moments.

This is the first non-fiction book on the subject that I’ve read, but I’m having trouble imagining a better one. It should probably be required reading for anyone interested in the subject. I should imagine that there are many people who will not agree with his conclusions. I think that Barber argues honestly enough for people to make up their own minds. ( )