Socially awkward and largely reclusive, T. H. White managed to turn his obsession with King Arthur and his knights into one of the most popular and most critically acclaimed books of his generation, The Once and Future King. White was a prolific writer and a constant and voracious reader throughout his life. He balanced intellectual pursuits with a wide variety of sports and manual skills. He incorporated this store of knowledge into his work, enlivening his descriptions with sharply accurate descriptions of hunting and falconry. His strong, resilient character influenced all his writing, drawing comparisons to the person, though not the writings, of Hemingway.

In fact, White had far more in common with other scholarly writers of his generation. His work, like theirs, was written largely in response to the events that led to World War II. His gift was to breathe new life into the accepted legends...