Author: RITSON, JOSEPH (ED)
Title: 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
Description: London: Ludgate-Hill, 1820. Second Edition. First Printing. Hard Cover. Illustrated by Thomas Bewick. Half calf, gilt, over marbled boards. Spine in five compartments, separated by raised bands, title in gilt, decoration at head and heel; cover borders gilt-tooled with small flower tools. All edges marbled. Numerous head and tailpieces and in-text illustrations by Thomas Bewick, reproduced from the first edition. The tales of Robin Hood were most famously collected and edited by Joseph Ritson. Ritson (1752-1803), antiquary, vegetarian, conveyancer, barrister, and subsequent psychotic, is best remembered for his work in the field of literature, particularly in the field of popular poetry, where, the DNB politely says, "he won his least disputable triumphs." He issued several anthologies in competition with Bishop Percy's "Ancient Reliques", but his greatest work was this "Robin Hood", in which, for the first time, were collected and explained all the extant allusions to the legendary outlaw. This particular edition, dedicated by the editor to Sir Walter Scott, was published with the omission of many of Ritson scholarly notes to leave a more readable and lively story. Robin Hood had just been reintroduced in Scott's extraordinarily popular "Ivanhoe" and this edition was published to complement that novel. Wear at head and heel of spine, corners bumped, former owner's name stamped on ffep; else fine; tight, square, and clean. VERY GOOD.. Woodcuts. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. lxxiv, 240 pp. Very Good+ with No dust jacket as issued .

Keywords: History; Medieval History; Robin Hood; British Legends; Poetry; Ballads; Songs; English Folklore; Novels, Poetry & Literature Robin Hood Rare, Antiquarian, and Collectible Books


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