The Robin Hood Handbook

The Robin Hood Handbook examines how the outlaw has been shaped by history, myth and legend, asking whether a real person lies behind the familiar stories. Mike Dixon-Kennedy considers Robin Hood’s traditional exploits, including his dealings with the Sheriff of Nottingham and the activities associated with his Merry Men.

The book compares claims that Robin’s world belonged chiefly to Sherwood Forest or to Barnsdale Wood in Yorkshire. It also tests the image, popularised by films featuring Errol Flynn, of a freedom-loving Saxon resisting the Norman yoke. Ballads, poems, proverbs, novels, films, folklore, musicals and place names are brought together to trace how this enduring figure has changed across different forms and periods.