12 h 27 minAudiobook7 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
Enter Sherwood Forest, where Robin Hood’s daring deeds turn adventure into legend.
Howard Pyle’s The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood brings the legendary figure into the world of Sherwood Forest. Daring deeds and legendary feats lie at the heart of this classic, inviting you to follow Robin Hood into adventure.
First published in 1883, this children’s classic brings together adventure, myth, and legend. Its title promises a merry spirit alongside daring exploits: a welcome invitation for readers who want to step away from the everyday and spend time in Robin Hood’s world.
What you’ll discover
- Robin Hood at the center Follow the figure whose name gives these merry adventures their focus.
- The world of Sherwood Step into the forest setting at the heart of Robin Hood’s adventures.
- A taste for daring Explore a classic built around bold deeds and legendary feats.
- Adventure meets legend Enjoy a book where adventure shares its ground with myth and legend.
- A merry invitation Let the promise of merry adventures draw you into Robin Hood’s world.
Who will love it
Readers who love outlaw legends, merry-band adventures, clever disguises and ballads, and anyone who wants an English forest tale told with warmth, jokes and a strong sense of fair play.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A quarrel in the woods makes an outlaw
- The Sheriff tries law, guile and might
- Robin turns butcher and fleeces the Sheriff
- Little John serves the Sheriff and meets the Tanner
- Will Scarlet joins and Allan a Dale grieves
- Friar Tuck and the wedding in the church
- Sir Richard of the Lea pays his debts
- What the tales say about justice and fellowship
- How Pyle tells it: ballads, songs and a smiling voice
Who’s who
- Robin HoodA skilled archer and cheerful outlaw who leads the yeomen of Sherwood, robs the greedy to help the poor and loves a good jest.
- Little JohnRobin's huge, loyal right-hand man, a master of the quarterstaff who loves good food, good company and a joke at his master's expense.
- The Sheriff of NottinghamA greedy, proud official who wants Robin's reward and revenge, and who tries again and again to catch him, always in vain.
- Friar TuckA stout, merry friar of Fountain Dale who loves ale and fighting, and who happily marries lovers and joins the band.
- Will ScarletRobin's nephew, a gentleman in bright clothes who hides in Sherwood after a deadly mishap and surprises everyone with his strength.
- Allan a DaleA young minstrel with a sweet voice who is parted from his sweetheart Ellen, who is promised to an old knight, and tells Robin his troubles.
- Sir Richard of the LeaA kind and proud knight who nearly loses his lands over a debt and wins the band's help and lasting friendship.
- The Bishop of HerefordA rich, vain churchman who loves gold and fine clothes and keeps falling into Robin's hands.
Formats and delivery
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- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
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- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
by Howard Pyle · 1883
Robin Hood, Little John and a Sheriff who never learns trade blows, jests and feasts in Sherwood Forest.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Picture a forest where the outlaws are the heroes and the bishops and sheriffs are the ones who get fooled. Howard Pyle, the American artist, wrote and illustrated The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood in 1883.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A quarrel in the woods makes an outlaw
Robin Hood is eighteen when he sets off through Sherwood Forest to a shooting match. Under a great oak he meets fifteen of the King's foresters, who laugh at his bow. Stung, he wagers twenty marks that he can bring down a stag far across the glade, and the noblest hart falls dead.
The deer belong to the King, so the foresters are furious. The one who lost the wager shoots after Robin in anger. Robin turns and sends an arrow back, and the man falls dead. All the brightness leaves the forest for him.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 7 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1883
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
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What is The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood about?
It follows Robin Hood from a quarrel that makes him an outlaw in Sherwood Forest through his adventures with Little John, Friar Tuck and others, as he outwits the Sheriff of Nottingham and helps the poor.
Who wrote The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood and when?
Howard Pyle, an American author and illustrator, wrote it and published it in 1883. He drew on old English ballads and joined them into one continuous story.
Is Robin Hood a true story?
No, it is legend. Robin Hood comes from old ballads, and Pyle places the tale in the time of King Henry the Second and Richard the Lion-Hearted, mixing real kings with comic fancy, as his preface says.
The author
Howard Pyle
1853–1911 · American illustrator and author
Howard Pyle (1853–1911) was an American illustrator and author born in Wilmington, Delaware. He wrote The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (1883), Men of Iron (1891), and The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (1903). He lived mainly in Wilmington and moved to Florence, Italy, in 1910, dying there in 1911.
More by Howard Pyle
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