THE SWORD IN THE STONE

The first part of The Once and Future King (1958), originally published in 1939 with endpapers by Robert Lawson—a charmingly imaginative and whimsical novelization of Arthur's boyhood, especially his education with Merlyn. Nolan provides 17 formal color illustrations in the N. C. Wyeth tradition, rendering creatures and architecture in meticulous detail and depicting ``the Wart'' as looking like an angelic but fairly sturdy choirboy. Though he doesn't convey White's delectable humor, he does a fine job of visualizing the setting and capturing the warmth between the ancient wizard and the boy who will be king. A handsome new edition of a classic well worth revisiting. (Fiction. 10+)