To read this book, or to listen to it read aloud, your child will need that "glee of the porpoise," for this is certainly one of the most challenging books aimed at children. The original wasn't meant for them, but this edition, gorgeously illustrated by Dennis Nolan is.

Even adults may find it a bit heavy going at times, with its glorious, old-fashioned, British text, filled with long passages of description, a variety of dialects, advanced vocabulary, literary and historical references, and a very dry wit.

But for very experienced readers and listeners, it's well worth the trouble; surely there can be no version of the Arthurian cycle more beautifully written, warm-hearted, and affectionate, nor one containing a more appealing child. The young Arthur depicted here is boyishly loving and kind, deeply honorable and empathetic, brave and stalwart. In every way the reader can see all of the virtues we have come to associate with King Arthur and Camelot, condensed into a very real child who somehow never comes off as unctuous, no mean authorial feat. And that character is perfectly captured in Nolan's luminous portraits of the young Arthur.

There's a complicated publishing history here. Originally published separately, THE SWORD IN THE STONE was later put together with three other books to become The Once and Future King. But due to a wartime paper shortage, the intended final book, The Book of Merlyn (later published separately), was not included, though parts of it were added to the first book, only to be removed again in this edition. Those who have read The Once and Future King may wonder, for instance, what happened to the famous scenes with the wild geese and the ants -- the two most overtly political sections.

If you want your child to get the whole book as you remember it, you'll have to get The Once and Future King. But for a beautifully illustrated version of most of the first book, you can't do better than this lovely edition.