"The Once and Future King" by T.H. White

Just about everyone knows the basics about King Arthur and just about everything we know comes from "The Once and Future King." From the Disney movie, "The Sword in the Stone", to "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", T.H. White gave the foundation. It is written in a relaxed, humorous way that only the British can do and, within the "First Five", would be the book that is directed the most at Entertainment. That being said, there are kernels of golden wisdom seeded into the story by Merlyn, Wizard and Tutor to Arthur. In his studies, Wart, Arthur's nickname as a boy, is introduced, via magic, to hundreds of species of animal to learn how each live and what each believe. As an example, one of my favorite parts is when Wart is learning the nonsense of war by observing a colony of ants(Ch. 13, Bk 1). Their political broadcasts were as follows:

"A. We are more numerous than they are, therefore we have a right to their mash. 
B. They are more numerous than we are, therefore they are wickedly trying to steal our mash. 
C. We are a mighty race and have a natural right to subjugate their puny one. 
D. They are a mighty race and are unnaturally trying to subjugate our inoffensive one. 
E. We must attack them in self-defense. 
F. They are attacking us by defending themselves. 
G. If we do not attack them today, they will attack us tomorrow. 
H. In any case we are not attacking them at all. We are offering them incalculable benefits.”

Merlyn's magical insights into the animal kingdom give Wart, and the reader, powerful examples of real beliefs in the world around us. Entertaining and irrational as they are when pictured in the fictional setting of two ant colonies at war within a glass ant farm, the ideas White uses are real and have been used before. This is but one of the many different viewpoints that White uses to open Wart's eyes to the errors of traditional thinking and help him use his own mind. The goal of this book, as I find, is to help the reader think for himself and not just follow advice from anyone and everyone. 

"What is the matter, Merlyn? Have I been doing something wrong?" Asked King Arthur. "If I have done something stupid, tell me."

"Tell you!" Merlyn exclaimed. "And what is going to happen when there is nobody to tell you? Are you never going to think for yourself?"