11 h 51 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In the greenwood, an outlaw helps the poor, defies the greedy, and keeps the sheriff of Nottingham guessing.
Robin Hood lives among loyal friends, robs the rich, and outwits the sheriff. But these old poems and ballads reveal a rougher figure: a devout, quick-tempered yeoman. Compiled by Joseph Ritson, this collection brings you close to the verses in which the famous outlaw’s story first takes shape.
A Gest of Robyn Hode anchors the collection with a long narrative woven from older tales. Shorter ballads bring encounters with strong strangers, comic brawls, disguises, rescues, and revenge. Alongside them, Ritson’s introduction, life of Robin Hood, and notes explore the legend with a scholar’s insistence on accuracy rather than guesswork.
What you’ll discover
- The legend’s long spine Follow A Gest of Robyn Hode through linked tales of the outlaw’s world.
- Strangers on the road Meet the strong strangers who challenge Robin in the shorter ballads.
- More than comic brawls Discover darker tales where disguise, rescue, trickery, and revenge bring danger close.
- A scholar tests tradition Explore Ritson’s notes and biography, where careful comparison matters more than guesswork.
- Poetry with a pulse Read the short stanzas aloud and feel their steady beat and returning phrases.
Is it for you?
This is for readers who love folklore, old English poetry, or the true roots of a famous legend. It suits anyone curious about the sources behind the films. If you want a smooth modern adventure with one plot, you may find the ballads uneven.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Ritson gathers the whole legend in one place
- A Gest of Robyn Hode gives the legend its spine
- Shorter ballads pit Robin against strong strangers
- Disguise, rescue and danger fill the darker ballads
- Ritson's notes and biography test the legend
- Read the ballads aloud and listen for their values
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- Audiobook
- 11 h 51 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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An outlaw and his companions defy authority in the greenwood.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Ritson gathers the whole legend in one place
Joseph Ritson was an English lawyer and antiquarian who spent his spare hours hunting down old songs, manuscripts and printed broadsides. He was known for his sharp temper and his demand for accuracy. He believed that a collector should print texts exactly as he found them, and he scolded other editors who tidied or improved old poems. That rule shapes this book from first page to last.
His aim was simple. Scattered ballads about Robin Hood lay in old manuscripts, in cheap printed sheets sold in the streets, and in the books of earlier collectors. Ritson wanted every one of them together, so a reader could see the whole body of the legend and judge it. The volume he published in 1795 did exactly that, and it became the standard source for later writers who wanted to retell the tale.
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What is Ritson's Robin Hood about?
It is a collection of the old ballads and poems about the outlaw Robin Hood, with notes and a life of him. The tales show him and his band robbing the greedy, helping the poor and defying the sheriff of Nottingham.
Who wrote the Robin Hood ballads?
No single author did. The ballads were composed by unknown poets and singers over several centuries. Joseph Ritson was the collector who gathered them and published them together in 1795.
Was Robin Hood a real person?
Nobody knows. Ritson argued that he was a real nobleman, but modern historians find the evidence weak. Robin Hood was a common name in old records, and the legend probably grew from many stories.
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