The Most Ancient and Famous History of the Renowned Prince Arthur, King of Britaine.

Rare sixth and final early edition of Malory's immortal compilation of the Arthurian legend, the last edition of Le Morte d'Arthur to be published until the nineteenth century. Small quarto, three parts in one volume, each with a separate title page printed in black letter, handsomely bound in nineteenth-century full crimson straight-grain morocco, the boards ruled in gilt and stamped in blind, the spine with five raised bands decorated and lettered in gilt, inner dentelles ruled and decorated in gilt, turquoise endpapers, all edges gilt, blue silk ribbon marker (detached but laid in). Illustrated with the woodcut frontispiece to part one (those to parts two and three never bound in), woodcut headpieces and decorated initials throughout. Notably, this copy is complete with both the title and the "Preface to the Reader," both of which the British Museum copy lacks. In very good condition with some scuffing and wear to the binding, the text block cracked internally, scattered light foxing, the part two title page closely trimmed occasionally affecting the final line of text, early ink annotations to the final leaf, and a bookplate and ink ownership inscription to the front pastedown. Brunet III-1346; STC 806. The first edition, printed by Caxton, survives in but a single perfect copy, with the succeeding editions all quite rare. A rare and highly desirable example of the edition through which the Arthurian legend reached the modern age.