I thought I was done my Robin Hood kick, but I spotted today's title at a bookstore, and couldn't say no. A Brief History of Robin Hood looks at what truth may have existed behind the modern-day legend. It covers a variety of angles, from history to literature, includes plot summaries of the earliest Robin Hood stories, and looks at known historical figures (like Fulk Fitzwarin, Eustace the Monk, and Hereward the Wake) who may have had influences on the story development.
This is okay, but there are better out there. Cawthorne has written a number of books on many topics- so Robin Hood is not his life's ambition or expertise (unlike, for example, J.C. Holt (his work reviewed here). He includes some irrelevant information, like a chapter on outlaws from the 1800s and 1900s who had Robin Hood-like qualities (who cares?), and when giving backstories of historical figures or summaries of Robin Hood literature, he gives too much detail (it felt like filler). He also makes some fanciful assumptions, making statements about which Robin Hood historical figures were (or were not) likely to be real, without backing any of his opinions up. The book is relatively comprehensive, which is nice- the plot summaries of the early works (though too detailed, as mentioned, and boring) are informative- but it's too long, and some chapters appear to be included solely to beef up the book. In the end, this really isn't "the true history behind the legend"- because many have shown that we do not, and likely can not, know for certain. At best, this is good for information, and an introduction to the uninitiated, but if you're truly interested in Robin, Holt's treatment is better.
Rating: C-
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