The Grail — Ronan Coghlan

Few people have not heard of the Holy Grail, even if they have only a vague idea of what it is. The very term Grail has become so commonly used that it is now employed as a general term for anything one greatly desires and seeks. In addition, a great number of books and publications have appeared claiming to reveal the secret of the original object, asserting that their authors know what it is or where it is to be found. Because of the sundry theories about the Grail, a need has arisen for a guidebook to cover all aspects of the legend. There has been a new interest in the subject spurred on by a growing appetite among the reading public to discover just how many facets the legend has accrued and what its possible origin might be. This book covers, in alphabetical order, all the characters, places, objects and topics which the Grail legend involves. It includes much obscure data, culled from a rich variety of sources. It considers all the theories put forward relating to the origins of the legend, its growth and development; it also points out erroneous statements which have been put forward concerning the legend, enabling readers to discriminate amongst the various viewpoints advocated by writers with opinions on the subject. Finally, the book makes some tentative suggestions, without making positive assertions, on the legend's origins. This is a volume no one interested in the Grail mythos can afford to be without.