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John Matthews, once described as ‘Oxford’s answer to all things mythic’, has been a professional independent scholar since 1980. He has made a lifetime study of the legends of King Arthur, and more recently of the history of piracy. His list of publications totals over 100, including Pirates (Athenaeum) which was a number one New York Times best seller for 22 weeks and was translated into 18 languages. He has acted as an advisor on several big budget movies, including King Arthur, Pirates of the Caribbean and Prince of Persia. His work on the education DVD to accompany King Arthur won a BAFTA award in 2003.

John's most recent works include a study of the Temples of the Grail, a new approach to tarot in The Fool’s New Journey, and the stunningly illustrated Goblin Market Tarot. He is currently working on Realms of Arthur the second of a two-volume set of books retelling the little known myths of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table illustrated by John Howe, key illustrator of the Lord of the Rings books and films.