A substantial introduction traces the Tristan and Isolde legend from the twelfth- century to the present, emphasizing literary versions, but also surveying the legend's sources and its appearance in the visual arts, music and film.
This collection of critical essays about the Tristan and Isolde myth can be very dry and scholarly, but it contains a lot of good information. The introduction, which traces the story's evolution beginning with the earliest extant primary sources, is of particle use as are the extensive bibliographies.