The White Company: Illustrated

If all you've read by Doyle is his Sherlock Holmes books, you're in for a treat with this story. Set in the 100 years war between England and France, it follows the life of a former monk who turns man-at-arms, an warrior who turned monk briefly, and a seasoned archer. Their tale reaches across England, through France, and into Spain, with twists and turns of comedy, chivalry, romance, history, tragedy, and darkness mixed with light.Somewhat romantic in tone, the story is still very deeply rooted in history, and shows off Doyle's storytelling skills as well as his scholarship. Highly recommended. There's a reason this was one of JFK's favorite books, a sadly forgotten classic.This edition has some formatting problems and was clearly done by a fan with self publishing tools but is still an easy read and while the black and white versions of Wyeth's classic illustrations do not pop like the color, they are still welcome.

My review is not about the novel; this is one of my all-time favorite historical novels and I recommend it to anyone. I purchased this edition on impulse because I had just discovered this book was illustrated by N.C. Wyeth. The cover is fabulous. Alas, the inside is terrible. The typeface is so tiny you practically need to read it with a magnifying glass. And the pictures...Wretched. They look like black-and-white scans of a scan—muddy, greyed-out and indistinct. Save your money! I gave it three stars because of Doyle (who deserves 5+ stars). For this edition, I would give it one star.

This is the book that turned my middle-schooler on to reading. We are a book family. I took my kids to the library every week for a new stack. This child wasn't keen on reading for himself until we happened to bring home The White Company when he was an early teen. He is now reading it to his son. Boys need to learn about other men who dared to give themselves to a cause get than they, who are brave and loyal and honorable. All while having a good time. This is one of those good examples of how to be a man.

A great read from a great author. There is the perfect blend of humor, adventure, high stakes, sub plots, and character development. The characters are likable and the plot is serious but does not take itself too seriously. Highly recommend for those who like to read about adventures and battles in Medieval time period.

Fun read! We love all of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and it was great fun getting to read Doyle write in a different venue.