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Cover of The Sword in the Stone by TH WhiteThe Sword in the Stone
Classic · Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult

The Sword in the Stone

by TH White
1938 · 288 pages · Fiction
64.4Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick
≈ 7 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Young Arthur, known as Wart, grows into a wiser, more thoughtful person and a worthy king through Merlin's lessons.

Why it's worth reading

It's on TIME's list of the 100 best young-adult books and the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's a classic retelling of the King Arthur legend.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

It's good for younger readers as well as adults.

By the numbers

64.4Must-Read Score
  • Readers25 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller17 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

On the lists
TIME 100 Best Young-Adult BooksGuardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read

Reads as

Adventurous

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 rankedYoung adult booksTop 25 · 260 rankedClassic booksTop 25 · 924 rankedBooks of the 1930sTop 25 · 59 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 325 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 333 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Sword in the Stone worth reading?

Yes. It's on TIME's list of the 100 best young-adult books and the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,067 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 64.4 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Sword in the Stone about?

Young Arthur, known as Wart, grows into a wiser, more thoughtful person and a worthy king through Merlin's lessons.

How long does it take to read The Sword in the Stone?

About 7 hours (288 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Sword in the Stone?

If you liked it, try The Once and Future King by T. H. White, The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien or A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin.