by George Payne Rainsford James · 1843
Mystery · Historical Fiction · Classics
Set amid the greenwood haunts of medieval England, this historical romance mingles outlaws, disguise, and roguish wit with the tangled fortunes of nobles and commoners alike. George Payne Rainsford James offers a tale of intrigue and adventure in Sherwood's shadowed glades, where appearances deceive and old loyalties are tested.
Transcriber's Notes: 1. Page scan source: Google Books https://books.google.com/books?id=5fZLAAAAcAAJ 2. The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].
MY DEAR SIR,
In offering you a book, which I fear is little worthy of your acceptance, and a compliment which has become valueless, I cannot help expressing my regret at having no other means of testifying my esteem and respect for one, who has not only always shown a most kindly feeling towards myself and my works, but has ever advocated the true interests of literature. You will, nevertheless, I am sure, receive the tribute not unwillingly, however inadequate it may be to convey my thanks for many an act of kindness, or to express a feeling of high esteem founded on no light basis.
In the volumes I send, you will find many scenes with which you are familiar, both in history and in nature; but one thing, perhaps, will strike you with some surprise. We have been so much accustomed, in ballad and story, to see the hero of the forest, Robin Hood, placed in the days of Richard I., that it will seem, perhaps, somewhat bold in me to depict him as living and acting in the reign of Henry III.
