Robin Hood A collection of all the ancient poems, songs, and ballads, now extant, relative to that celebrated English outlaw. To which are prefixed historical anecdotes of his life.

This volume brings together every surviving medieval poem, song and ballad that celebrates England’s most famous outlaw. The pieces range from lively tavern ditties to more solemn verses, each preserving a fragment of the legend as it was told in the centuries after his deeds. Accompanying the verses are brief historical anecdotes that help place the stories in their original social and political context.

The edition is richly illustrated with eighty of Thomas Bewick’s crisp wood engravings and nine fine etchings drawn from original paintings, offering vivid visual snapshots of the characters and settings. Readers will also find a helpful glossary and detailed notes that explain archaic language and point out variations among different versions of the same tale. Altogether, the collection provides a lively portal into the medieval folklore that has kept Robin Hood alive in the popular imagination.