Far back in our history, when the high road to the North ran through mile upon mile of silent forest, men began to make ballads of a famous outlaw, Robin Hood. Those were dangerous times, when hunted men could only seek refuge in the greenwood; and Robin, outlawed and pursued, found shelter in the great Forest of Sherwood. There he set up his camp, and gathered armed followers about him; and soon he became known across the countryside as a friend and protector of the poor, a chivalrous fighter and the dedicated enemy of all who used power or riches to oppress their fellow men.
Many stories grew up; and they have been handed down in ballad and legend, and written down in books. It is in "The Lytell Geste of Robyn Hoode", printed in 1495 that Miss Sutcliff has found the material for this new and vigorous history of the lawless days when the crown held uneasy sway over a troubled kingdom, and Robin ruled Sherwood.
Easy narrative grace, and a fine imagination fill these pages with movement and excitement: and the author, aided by the skilled illustrations of C. Walter Hodges, has built up, as well, a living and authentic country background. The green and dappled sunlight of the forest in summer, the silent winter glades, thick with snow—this is the setting for her stirring chronicles of the men in Lincoln green and their great leader.
—from the dust jacket
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