The legend of the Holy Grail (also known as the Grail Quest, Quest for the Holy Grail) is one of the most enduring in Western European literature and art. This book describes the events that led to the rise of the legend associated with the grail, based on textual material and historical facts. Alfred Nutt describes the literary evolution of the legend of the Holy Grail (Chrestien de Troyes, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Robert de Boron...) and traces its formation from Celtic, Christian, Eastern and alchemical tradition. The Grail legend continues to resonate with a modern audience because it illustrates the underlying motivation of the human condition: the quest to find ultimate meaning and purpose in life. In all this is a very clever book, that is erudite, full of information and intelligence and is certainly worth reading.