Action & Adventure Stories

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If pirates, jousting and horseback chases no longer appeal to you, you're too old or too boring. Adventure stories fell out of vogue among 20th century literary types who thought serious fiction had to be boring and depressing, but to those born with fire in their bones, adventure stories are deeply serious.

Not serious like existentialism or keeping a stiff upper lip, but serious like Robin Hood—devoted to protecting the downtrodden, committed to Maid Marian, sworn to fight injustice as long as a soul is in his body, always laughing and ready for a fight or a feast.

G. K. Chesterton wrote adventure stories because they best expressed the eternal joy that supported his generous frame. For those raised on Modern Adventure Stories, joy may seem an inappropriate word for an increasingly dark genre, but the fault lies with those who think adventures are forays into evil rather than romps with Gilbert Keith.

There's nothing evil about a good adventure. There may be bad guys (there ought to be), but if the Good Guy does his job there'll be more of his exploits to talk about than theirs. Because, should he be doing his job, the Hero will be sword-fighting, being clever, wooing, chasing and laughing to the detriment of his enemies on every page.

Average people don't have the adventures Heroes in Books have—they have the adventures of Modern Men in Books. But the way through the prosaic troubles of life isn't to immerse yourself in them, it's to let the Good Guys show The Way Out of Problems, and do your best to imitate them when you meet the less dramatic, but no less real, dangers of everyday existence.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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	Adventures of Robin Hood Everyman's Library Children's Classics by Roger Green, illustrated by Walter Crane from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-9th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $20.00
	Adventures of Robin Hood by E. Charles Vivian, illustrated by Jules Gotlieb from Airmont Publishing Company, Inc. for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Blue Lights Or, Hot Work in the Soudan by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Bobbsey Twins #70 The Smoky Mountain Mystery Bobbsey Twins #70 by Laura Lee Hope from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Bobbsey Twins (Location: VIN-SER)
	Cannibal Islands Captain Cook's Adventure in the South Seas by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Captain Bayley's Heir A Tale of the Gold Fields of California by G. A. Henty from Preston Speed Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
	Captain Bayley's Heir A Tale of the Gold Fields of California by G. A. Henty from Robinson Curriculum Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
	Chokra and Tags by John Michael from Macmillan for 6th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Chronicles of Narnia - Deluxe Hardcover Boxed Set by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $139.63
	Coral Island A Tale of the Pacific Ocean by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Cornet of Horse A Tale of Marlborough's Wars by G. A. Henty from Preston Speed Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
	Cornet of Horse A Tale of Marlborough's Wars by G. A. Henty from Robinson Curriculum Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
	Danny Dunn and the Heat Ray by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Owen Kampen from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (2 in stock)
	Danny Dunn and the Universal Glue by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Paul Sagsoorian from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Danny Dunn on a Desert Island by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats 1971 printing from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $25.00 (1 in stock)
	Deep Down A Tale of the Cornish Mines by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Dog Crusoe A Story of Adventure in the Western Prairies by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Fighting the Flames A Tale of the London Fire Brigade by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Gascoyne, The Sandal-Wood Trader A Tale of the Pacific by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Giant of the North Pokings Round the Pole by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Gorilla Hunters A Tale of the Wilds of Africa by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Great Deeds of Superheroes by Maurice Saxby, Robert Ingpen from Peter Bedrick Books for 4th-9th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Hans Brinker Or, The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge, illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for 4th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Hans Brinker Or, The Silver Skates Windermere Readers #7 by Mary Mapes Dodge, illustrated by Milo Winter 1954 Edition, 2nd printing from Rand McNally for 4th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Hans Brinker Or, The Silver Skates Windermere Series 4 by Mary Mapes Dodge, illustrated by Milo Winter 1954 Edition, 2nd printing from Rand McNally for 4th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Hunted and Harried A Tale of the Scottish Covenanters by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Island Queen by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Island Stallion Black Stallion #4 by Walter Farley from Random House Realistic Animal Fiction for 5th-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Kidnapped Everyman's Library Children's Classics by Robert Louis Stevenson from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Action/Adventure for 4th-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $20.00
	King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table Everyman's Library Children's Classics by Roger Green from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $17.95
	Landslide! by Veronique Day; illustrated by Margot Tomes, translated by Margaret Morgan from Hale-Cadmus for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Lonely Island The Refuge of the Mutineers by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Martin Rattler Adventures of a Boy in the Forests of Brazil by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Mystery House by Polly Hobson, illustrated by Judith Ann Lawrence from Hale-Cadmus for 4th-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Norsemen in the West Or, America Before Columbus by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Peter Pan Everyman's Library Children's Classics by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by F. D. Bedford from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $15.95
	Pioneers, The by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Pirate City An Algerine Tale by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Post Haste by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain & Philip Stead First Edition from Doubleday Book For Young Readers for 4th-Adult in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Red Rooney Or, The Last of the Crew by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Rescue Dog of the High Pass by Jim Kjelgaard; illustrated by Edward Shenton from E.M. Hale and Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Robinson Crusoe (abridged) His Life and Strange Surprising Adventures Everyman's Library Children's Classics by Daniel Defoe from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Historical Fiction for 6th-12th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $16.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Stories for Fun and Adventure A Collection for all Boys and Girls Who Love Good Stories by Phyllis Fenner and Mary McCrea (selected and introduced by) from Hale-Cadmus for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Swiss Family Robinson Windermere Readers #9 by Johann Wyss, frontispiece by Milo Winter 1954 Edition from Rand McNally for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Swiss Family Robinson Windermere Series 1 by Johann Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston, and illustrated by T.H. Robinson, Milo Winter, and Louis Rhead from Rand McNally for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Swiss Family Robinson Windermere Series 2 by Johann Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston, and illustrated by T.H. Robinson, Milo Winter, and Louis Rhead 1921 Printing from Rand McNally for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Swiss Family Robinson Windermere Series 3 by Johann Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston, and illustrated by T.H. Robinson, Milo Winter, and Louis Rhead from Rand McNally for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Swiss Family Robinson Windermere Series 4 by Johann Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston, and illustrated by T.H. Robinson, Milo Winter, and Louis Rhead from Rand McNally for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Treasure Island Everyman's Library Children's Classics by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Mervyn Peake from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 5th-9th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $17.95
	Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric Kelly, illustrated by Angela Pruszynska 1965 Printing from Macmillan for 6th-9th grade 1929 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Ungava by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum in R. M. Ballantyne Books (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Young Fur Traders A Tale of the Far North by R. M. Ballantyne from Vision Forum Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)

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