The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

Howard Pyle gathered the scattered ballads of Sherwood Forest and forged them into one continuous legend: how Robin Hood was outlawed over a wager gone wrong, how he recruited Little John by losing to him on a bridge, and how his band of merry men spent years cheerfully robbing the rich, feasting on the King's deer, and humiliating the Sheriff of Nottingham in ever more inventive ways. Archery contests entered in disguise, corrupt bishops relieved of their gold, rescues staged at the foot of the gallows. Every episode is a small heist story with a grin on its face.

Pyle wrote it in a warm, mock-medieval storyteller's voice that turns out to be a delight for the ear, and you can hear the campfire in it. The chapters are self-contained adventures, so it rewards casual listening, and underneath the fun is the durable pleasure of watching clever, generous outlaws beat cruel, official men every single time.

At roughly 103,500 words, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood runs about 11½ hours at 1x narration speed. That figure is an estimate based on a typical narration pace. The exact length depends on the voice and the playback speed you choose.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood is in the public domain, so the complete text is free on Project Gutenberg and LoudReader has the entire Project Gutenberg catalog built in. To listen:

1. Download LoudReader for Mac or iPhone (free, no account).
2. Search for “The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood” in the built-in catalog and add it to your library.
3. Press play. A natural offline voice reads the book while each word highlights on screen, and your place is saved between sessions.

LoudReader reads with natural offline voices, so the whole book works on a plane or underground. It is fully on-device and private, your library never leaves your device. Listening is unlimited on the free tier.