Howard Pyle was an American author best known for his books for young people. Pyle wrote and illustrated books about pirates and King Arthur, and this book is about the Dark Ages. Though the book is meant for children it is considered an excellent read for all ages.
Howard Pyle was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people.
During 1894 he began teaching illustration at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry (now Drexel University), and after 1900 he founded his own school of art and illustration named the Howard Pyle School of Illustration Art. The term Brandywine School was later applied to the illustration artists and Wyeth family artists of the Brandywine region by Pitz. Some of his more famous students were N. C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, Elenore Abbott, Ethel Franklin Betts, Anna Whelan Betts, Harvey Dunn, Clyde O. DeLand, Philip R. Goodwin, Violet Oakley, Ellen Bernard Thompson Pyle, Olive Rush, Allen Tupper True, and Jessie Willcox Smith.
His 1883 classic publication The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood remains in print, and his other books, frequently with medieval European settings, include a four-volume set on King Arthur. He is also well known for his illustrations of pirates, and is credited with creating the now stereotypical modern image of pirate dress. He published an original novel, Otto of the Silver Hand, in 1888. He also illustrated historical and adventure stories for periodicals such as Harper's Weekly and St. Nicholas Magazine. His novel Men of Iron was made into a movie in 1954, The Black Shield of Falworth.
Pyle travelled to Florence, Italy to study mural painting during 1910, and died there in 1911 from a kidney infection (Bright's Disease).
His sister Katharine Pyle was also a writer and illustrator. Their mother was the children's author and translator M.C. Pyle.
A short read, but just the thing to fill a rainy afternoon. I am an ardent admirer of Howard Pyle, both as a writer and artist, and this story only added to my respect. (It's not often that an individual is masterful in both writing and art - but Pyle is an exception. Art was his greater gift, but the two together are really wonderful.) While the main character is not a pirate, there are pirates and sea battles and all the salt-spun flavour one could want in a swashbuckler. Not his best work, but very good nonetheless. I recommend!