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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	Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray, illustrated by Robert Lawson 1962 Printing from Viking Press for 3rd-5th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Adara by Beatrice Gormley from Eerdmans for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies Hornblower Series #11 by C. S. Forester from Little, Brown & Company for 9th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-8th grade 2001 Scott O'Dell Award in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.50 (2 in stock)
	Black Falcon by Armstrong Sperry from John C. Winston for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $18.00 (1 in stock)
	Black Rose by Thomas B. Costain from Doubleday & Company for 8th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Blue at the Mizzen Aubrey/Maturin #20 by Patrick O'Brian from W. W. Norton and Co. Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Brethren A Tale of the Crusades by H. Rider Haggard from Christian Liberty Press Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.75 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Captive by Scott O'Dell from HMH Books for Young Readers for 5th-8th grade Hans Christian Anderson Award in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Commodore Hornblower by C. S. Forester 1^st edition from Little, Brown & Company for 9th-12th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Cry From Egypt Book One of the Promised Land by Hope Auer from Great Waters Press for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.50 (2 in stock)
	Darkness and the Dawn by Thomas B. Costain from Doubleday & Company for 8th-12th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	ECL: Virginian Educator Classic Library #6 by Owen Wister, illustrated by Don Irwin Complete and Unabridged Edition from Classic Press in Educator Classic Library (Location: VIN-ECL) $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Flames of Rome by Paul L. Maier 2^nd edition from Kregel Publications for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $15.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Fortune of War Aubrey/Maturin #6 by Patrick O'Brian from W. W. Norton and Co. Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler from Puffin Books for 4th-7th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara from Ballantine Books Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Golden Ocean by Patrick O'Brian from W. W. Norton and Co. Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.50 (2 in stock)
	Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Trouble A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson Reprint from Yearling for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Hitch by Jeanette Ingold from Harcourt Realistic Fiction for 10th-12th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.00 (4 in stock)
	Incident at Hawk's Hill by Allan W. Eckert from Little, Brown & Company Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1972 Newbery Honor Book in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Indian Captive The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 4th-9th grade 1942 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Iron Scouts of the Confederacy by Lee McGiffin 2^nd edition from Christian Liberty Press Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Jericho's Journey by G. Clifton Wisler from Puffin Books for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Kings Mountain by G. Clifton Wisler 1^st edition from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower by C. S. Forester (based on the works of), C. Northcote Parkinson from Sutton Publishing for 9th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Lord Hornblower by C. S. Forester from Little, Brown & Company for 8th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Lysbeth A Tale of the Dutch by H. Rider Haggard from Christian Liberty Press Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.75 $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Master and Commander Aubrey/Maturin #1 by Patrick O'Brian from W. W. Norton and Co. Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Me, Cholay & Co. by Don Schellie from Four Winds Press for 5th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Midshipman Bolitho by Alexander Kent from McBooks Press for 8th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Moccasin Trail Puffin Newbery Library by Eloise J. McGraw 9th impression from Coward McCann Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1953 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $35.00 (1 in stock)
	Moneyman by Thomas B. Costain from Nelson Doubleday, Inc. for 10th grade - Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick from Scholastic Press for 3rd-6th grade 2010 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Mr. Tucket Tucket Adventures #1 by Gary Paulsen from Yearling Adventure for 5th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $2.80 (1 in stock)
	My Brother Sam Is Dead by James & Christopher Collier from Scholastic Inc. Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1975 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	My Brother Sam Is Dead by James & Christopher Collier from Simon and Schuster Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1975 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Mystery of the Roman Ransom by Henry Winterfeld from Harcourt Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Neeluk An Eskimo Boy in the Days of the Whaling Ships by Frances Kittredge from Alaska Northwest Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Pearl Maiden by H. Rider Haggard from Christian Liberty Press Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.75 $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Perilous Road by William O. Steele from Harcourt for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
	Prince and the Pauper (abridged) Puffin Classics by Mark Twain from Puffin Books Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Red Badge of Courage Puffin Classics by Stephen Crane from Puffin Books for 7th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest by Ann McGovern from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $2.50 (2 in stock)
	Rush Revere and the First Patriots Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh 1St Edition from Threshold Editions for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell from Scholastic Inc. Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter, edited by Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora A. Smith, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth from Charles Scribner's Sons for 8th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $20.00 (1 in stock)
	Seek the Dark Gold A Story of the Scots Fur Traders Land of the Free series by Jo Evalin Lundy, illustrated by Edward Shenton from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Silver Sword Also Published As Escape from Warsaw by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges from Criterion Books for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (3 in stock)
	Son of Liberty by Elizabeth Massie 1^st edition for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Songbird by Nancy Lohr from Bob Jones University Press for 5th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
	Stories of the Old Dominion From the Settlement to the end of the Revolution by John Esten Cooke from American Foundation Publications for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Stowaway by Karen Hesse from Aladdin Paperbacks Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Stowaway by Kristiana Gregory from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Swift Rivers by Cornelia Meigs from Bloomsbury Publishing Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1933 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Swift Rivers by Cornelia Meigs from Walker and Company Historical Fiction for 3rd-7th grade 1933 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Sword of the Wilderness by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Harve Stein from Macmillan for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Terrible Wave by Marden Dahlstedt from Richard R. Dahlstedt the Attic in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (5 in stock)
	Three Musketeers Windermere Readers #20 by Alexandre Dumas, translated by Philip Schuyler Allen 1954 Edition from Rand McNally Historical Fiction/Adventure for 9th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Thunder Rolling in the Mountains by Scott O'Dell & Elizabeth Hall from Houghton Mifflin for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Tikta'Liktak An Inuit-Eskimo Legend by James Houston from Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.00 (4 in stock)
	Traitor Among Us by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk from Eerdmans for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi from HarperTrophy for 4th-6th grade in Clearance: Fiction (Location: ZCLE-FIC) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly, illustrated by Angela Pruszynska from Macmillan Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade 1929 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $25.00 (1 in stock)
	Two Years Before the Mast (abridged) by Richard Henry Dana Jr. from Nelson Doubleday, Inc. for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Voyage of Patience Goodspeed by Heather Vogel Frederick from Aladdin Paperbacks Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Well of Sacrifice by Chris Eboch 1^st edition from Clarion Books for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (2 in stock)

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