Bernard Mees, King Arthur and the Languages of Britain. London: Bloomsbury, 2025, x, 205 pp., 8 figures.

Did King Arthur exist? Or is he legendary, like Merlin or Robin Hood? Thanks to his training as a Celticist and his thorough survey of recent scholarship (despite rejecting some of its conclusions), Dr. Mees does much to show that Arthur is historical: a North British commander (not a king) killed in 537 C.E. on Hadrian’s Wall, near Carlisle. Besides discussing Arthur, he updates us on Britain’s ancient languages: British, Pictish, Welsh, Cornish, Gaelic. His range is wide, from pre-Roman times to Geoffrey of Monmouth’s twelfth-century Arthurian forgeries. His book represents major progress. It should be read all those working on Britain’s early history.