<div>Throughout his life, Joseph Campbell was deeply engaged in the study of the Grail Quests and Arthurian Legends of the European Middle Ages, when masterpieces were produced by Chrétien de Troyes in France, Wolfram von Eschenbach and Gottfried von Strassburg in Germany, and Geoffrey of Monmouth and Sir Thomas Malory in England.<br><br>Campbell’s recorded lectures on the subject are legendary for the infectious enthusiasm of his storytelling, the stunning depth of his scholarship, and for his ability to convey complex ideas to a wide range of fascinated audiences. This book preserves that marvelous legacy, drawing fresh water from the deep well of materials left behind after Campbell’s deathlecture notes, letters, research files, drafts, audio recordings, and, above all, his Master’s Thesis, The Dolorous Stroke,” here published for the first time. By doing so, one can track the extraordinary trajectory of Campbell’s career, and more fully appreciate the origins and development of his comparative methodology, which weaves together multicultural materials, seen from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives. And above all, one can hear the powerful resonance of one of the most gifted storytellers of his generation.</div>