The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

No cover — Howard Pyle: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (2006, 1st World Library)

E-book

English language

Published Aug. 6, 2006 by 1st World Library.

ISBN:: 978-1-59540-755-9
OCLC Number:: 70809255

(1 review)

From the book:You who so plod amid serious things that you feel it shame to give yourself up even for a few short moments to mirth and joyousness in the land of Fancy; you who think that life hath nought to do with innocent laughter that can harm no one; these pages are not for you. Clap to the leaves and go no farther than this, for I tell you plainly that if you go farther you will be scandalized by seeing good, sober folks of real history so frisk and caper in gay colors and motley that you would not know them but for the names tagged to them. Here is a stout, lusty fellow with a quick temper, yet none so ill for all that, who goes by the name of Henry II. Here is a fair, gentle lady before whom all the others bow and call her …

From the book:You who so plod amid serious things that you feel it shame to give yourself up even for a few short moments to mirth and joyousness in the land of Fancy; you who think that life hath nought to do with innocent laughter that can harm no one; these pages are not for you. Clap to the leaves and go no farther than this, for I tell you plainly that if you go farther you will be scandalized by seeing good, sober folks of real history so frisk and caper in gay colors and motley that you would not know them but for the names tagged to them. Here is a stout, lusty fellow with a quick temper, yet none so ill for all that, who goes by the name of Henry II. Here is a fair, gentle lady before whom all the others bow and call her Queen Eleanor. Here is a fat rogue of a fellow, dressed up in rich robes of a clerical kind, that all the good folk call my Lord Bishop of Hereford. Here is a certain fellow with a sour temper and a grim look - the worshipful, the Sheriff of Nottingham.

93 editions

Jim Fulner reviewed The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (Unabridged) by Howard Pyle

None

2 stars

I'm a huge fan of the BBC Robin Hood series, and like well all of the Robin Hood movies I've seen. Yet 20 years after the first time I tried to read Pyle's most famous collection of Hood stories, I still do not like this rendition. returnreturnIt was written in the 19th century, but in attempt to make it seem more authentic the 12th century men are written to speak as if they are in the King James Bible. I don't believe commoners spoke that way then. returnreturnAlso there are far too many retellings of nearly identical stories. We get it, Robin and his men are much better archers than nearly everyone else, but how many competitions do they really need to win? returnreturnI understand that 900 years ago we didn't have photo ID, or biometrics, but was it really that easy to conceal your identify? How can simply wearing …

I'm a huge fan of the BBC Robin Hood series, and like well all of the Robin Hood movies I've seen. Yet 20 years after the first time I tried to read Pyle's most famous collection of Hood stories, I still do not like this rendition. returnreturnIt was written in the 19th century, but in attempt to make it seem more authentic the 12th century men are written to speak as if they are in the King James Bible. I don't believe commoners spoke that way then. returnreturnAlso there are far too many retellings of nearly identical stories. We get it, Robin and his men are much better archers than nearly everyone else, but how many competitions do they really need to win? returnreturnI understand that 900 years ago we didn't have photo ID, or biometrics, but was it really that easy to conceal your identify? How can simply wearing a color other than "Lincoln green" be enough? Can the Sherriff of Nottingham be so stupid as to not recognize one of the communities most wanted men "Little John" is the same man who has been serving in his guard for 6 months? returnreturnI'm not certain what religion Howard Pyle is, but I suspect that he is a Protestant as he seems to really despise Catholic clergy. While I agree there may have been some corrupt clergy in the 12th century, even his protagonists clergyman "Friar Tuck" is depicted in the unflattering light of being a drunkard. returnreturnPreviously I had thought that Pyle's Hood was the original, I learned later that he collected and retold much older (and allegedly bloodier) tales. I'm not sure if those are worth getting your hands on, but Pyle's "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood" is worth skipping. The production quality of the audiobook was good, which is how this ended up with a two star.