The legend of Robin Hood began more than 600 years ago. The man, if he existed at all, lived even earlier. In this definitive work described as "the last word on Robin Hood", Professor Sir James Holt, one of Britain's premier historians and author of the standard work on the Magna Carta, unravels pure invention from real possibility and offers the results of some thirty years of research. He assesses the evidence for the historical Robin Hood and finds that the tale originated with the yeomen and hangers-on of the ...
Read More
The legend of Robin Hood began more than 600 years ago. The man, if he existed at all, lived even earlier. In this definitive work described as "the last word on Robin Hood", Professor Sir James Holt, one of Britain's premier historians and author of the standard work on the Magna Carta, unravels pure invention from real possibility and offers the results of some thirty years of research. He assesses the evidence for the historical Robin Hood and finds that the tale originated with the yeomen and hangers-on of the households of noblemen and gentry in the later Middle Ages. Parts of the story that we now take for granted - Maid Marian, Friar Tuck, Robin as robber of the rich and giver to the poor, even Sherwood Forest - played little or no part in the original tales, and were added as the centuries passed and the legends grew. The legend of Robin Hood has enthralled people from the first ballads to contemporary movies. Holt reconstructs the historical basis of the stories but never loses sight of the human imagination that sustained them. This edition includes new illustrations and The Gest of Robyn Hood, one of the oldest surviving tales.
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Contains: Illustrations, color, Illustrations, black & white. 26 illustrations, 15 in full colour. May show signs of wear, highlighting, writing, and previous use. This item may be a former library book with typical markings. No guarantee on products that contain supplements Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Twenty-five year bookseller with shipments to over fifty million happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have some wear or limited writing/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
I was greatly disappointed by this book since it was, in my opinion, not "as advertised". My point is that the content seemed to be more about the idea of for instance "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor" than about the actual history of the personage. Perhaps I expected too much since the author states, somewhat comically, that there are a "Quiverful" of possible real Robin Hoods and it is unknown who actually filled the role we know and cherish. My expectation was that this would be an account of the individual who was known to be Robin Hood, ever the arguably foolhardy romantic, disenchantment followed.