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.

About this book

This volume is a scholarly anthology assembled by the eighteenth‑century antiquarian Joseph Ritson, presenting every surviving poem, song and ballad that mentions the legendary English outlaw. The work opens with a publisher’s note describing its limited, numbered edition, the inclusion of eighty wood engravings by Thomas Bewick and nine fresh etchings after paintings by A. H. Tourrier and E. Buckman, and a detailed contents list that divides the material into a “Life of Robin Hood” and two parts of narrative verses. Ritson’s preface explains his aim to gather all extant poetic fragments, whether “good, middling, or bad”, and to accompany them with historical anecdotes, while acknowledging the inevitable gaps and uncertainties of the medieval record.

The language reflects the formal, sometimes digressive style of late‑eighteenth‑century scholarship, blending antiquarian commentary with lyrical excerpts drawn from medieval and early‑modern sources. Readers who relish the texture of early English balladry, the interplay of folklore and historical speculation, or the visual richness of Bewick’s engravings will find this collection a rewarding immersion in the evolving myth of Robin Hood.