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Thieves

The tale of Robin Hood and the Merry Men of the mysterious Sherwood Forest has entertained and astounded audiences of young and old alike for centuries. Storytellers and minstrels have passed this tale down to the children of their day through verse and song. Children of today have learned of the legend of Robin Hood through slightly different ways. Many authors, including J. Walker McFadden, have helped make Robin Hood immortal through their written tellings of this tale. Some children have been read to sleep with the antics of the outlaws of Sherwood Forest left running vividly through their minds.

Others have found a quiet place and have sat with book in hand to find out just how Robin was able to outsmart the evil Sheriff of Nottingham yet again. However, many children know of the legend of Robin Hood through yet another source: the motion picture. Two popular films were born from this legend: the Walt Disney animated classic Robin Hood, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves directed by Peter Weir featuring Kevin Costner. These two movies target different audiences. The first, with its cartoon characters, targets an audience of very young children as well as those young at heart.

The latter, with its "PG-13" rating, targets a slightly older audience. As a result, each movie varies greatly from one another, as well as from McFadden’s novel, both in content and in the way in which the details of this tale are told.

One of the many written accounts of the adventures of Robin Hood and his Merry men is J. Walker McFadden’s 1904 version Robin Hood and his Merry Outlaws. This book, filled with adventure, sword play, humour, and heroism, tells the tale of how ordinary Rob of Locksley became the legend known as Robin Hood. Banished as an outlaw from the town of Locksley for avenging the death of his father, Rob of Locksley seeks solace and refuge in the woods.
It is within these woods that Robin Hood encounters and befriends each of the...