The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire is an 1883 novel by the American illustrator and writer Howard Pyle. Consisting of a series of episodes in the story of the English outlaw Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men, the novel compiles traditional material into a coherent narrative in a colorful, invented "old English" idiom that preserves some flavor of the ballads, and adapts it for children. The novel is notable for taking the subject of Robin Hood, which had been increasingly popular through the 19th century, in a new direction that influenced later writers, artists, and filmmakers through the next century.

Howard PYLE (1853 - 1911)

01 - How Robin Hood Came to be an Outlaw 02 - Robin Hood and the Tinker 03 - The Shooting Match at Nottingham Town 04 - Will Stutely Rescued by His Companions 05 - Robin Hood Turns Butcher 06 - Little John Goes to Nottingham Fair 07 - How Little John Lived at the Sheriff's 08 - Little John and the Tanner of Blyth 09 - Robin Hood and Will Scarlet 10 - The Adventure with Midge the Miller's Son 11 - Robin Hood and Allan a Dale 12 - Robin Hood Seeks the Curtal Friar 13 - Robin Hood Compasses a Marriage 14 - Robin Hood Aids a Sorrowful Knight 15 - How Sir Richard of the Lea Paid His Debts 16 - Little John Turns Barefoot Friar 17 - Robin Hood Turns Beggar 18 - Robin Shoots Before Queen Eleanor 19 - The Chase of Robin Hood 20 - Robin Hood and Guy of Guisborne 21 - King Richard Comes to Sherwood Forest 22 - Epilogue

The plot follows Robin Hood as he becomes an outlaw after a conflict with foresters and through his many adventures and runs with the law. Each chapter tells a different tale of Robin as he recruits Merry Men, resists the authorities, and aids his fellow man. The popular stories of Little John defeating Robin in a fight with staffs, of Robin's besting at the hands of Friar Tuck, and of his collusion with Allan-a-Dale all appear. In the end, Robin and his men are pardoned by King Richard the Lionheart and his band are incorporated into the king's retinue, much to the dismay of the Sheriff of Nottingham.