ROBIN HOOD

It was in the spring of the second year of his insurrection against the High Sheriff of
Nottingham that Robin Hood took a walk in Sherwood Forest. As he walked he
pondered the progress of the campaign, the disposition of his forces, the Sheriffs
recent moves, and the options that confronted him. T he revolt against the Sheriff
had begun as a personal crusade, erupting out of Robins conflict with the Sheriff
and his administration. Alone, however, Robin Hood could do little. He therefore
sought allies, men with grievances and a deep sense of justice. Later he welcomed
all who came, asking few questions, and only demanding a willingness to serve.
Strength, he believed, lay in numbers. He spent the first year forging the group into
a disciplined band, united in enmity against the Sheriff, and willing to live outside
the law. The bands organization was simple. Robin ruled supreme, making all
important decisions. He delegated specific tasks to his lieutenants. Will Scarlett was
in charge of intelligence and scouting. His main job was to shadow the Sheriff and
his men, always alert to their next move. He also collected information on the travel
plans of rich merchants and tax collectors. Little John kept discipline among the
men, and saw to it that their archery was at the high peak that their profession
demanded. Scarlock took care of the finances, converting loot into cash, paying
shares of the take, and finding suitable hiding places for the surplus. Finally, Much
the Millers son had the difficult task of provisioning the ever increasing band of
Merrymen. The increasing size of the band was a source of satisfaction for Robin,
but also a source of concern. The fame of his Merrymen was spreading, and new
recruits poured in from every corner of England. As the band grew larger, their small
bivouac became a major encampment. Between raids the men milled about, talking
and playing games. Vigilance was in decline, and discipline was becoming harder to
enforce. Why, Robin reflected, I dont know half the men I run into these days. T
he growing band was also beginning to exceed the food capacity of the forest.
Game was becoming scarce, and supplies had to be obtained from outlying villages.
The cost of buying food was beginning to drain the bands financial reserves at the
very moment when revenues were in decline. Travelers, especially those with the
most to lose, were now giving the forest a wide berth. This was costly and
inconvenient to them, but it was preferable to having all their goods confiscated.
Robin believed that the time had come for the Merrymen to change their policy of
outright confiscation of goods to one of a fixed transit tax. His lieutenants strongly
resisted this idea. They were proud of the Merrymens famous motto: Rob the rich
and give to the poor. The farmers and the townspeople, they argued, are our
most important allies. How can we tax them, and still hope for their help in our fight
against the Sheriff? Robin wondered how long the Merrymen could keep to the
ways and methods of their early days. The Sheriff was growing stronger and better
organized. He now had the money and the men, and was beginning to harass the
band, probing for its weaknesses. T he tide of events was beginning to turn against
the Merrymen. Robin felt that the campaign must be decisively concluded before
the Sheriff had a chance to deliver a mortal blow. But how, he wondered, could

this be done? R obin had often entertained the possibility of killing the Sheriff, but
the chances for this seemed increasingly remote. Besides, while killing the Sheriff
might satisfy his personal thirst for revenge, it would not improve the situation.
Robin had hoped that the perpetual state of unrest, and the Sheriffs failure to
collect taxes, would lead to his removal from office. Instead, the Sheriff used his
political connections to obtain reinforcement. He had powerful friends at court, and
was well regarded by the regent, Prince John. Prince John was vicious and volatile.
He was consumed by his unpopularity among the people, who wanted the
imprisoned King Richard back. He also lived in constant fear of the barons, who had
first given him the regency, but were now beginning to dispute his claim to the
throne. Several of these barons had set out to collect the ransom that would release
King Richard the Lionheart from his jail in Austria. Robin was invited to join the
conspiracy in return for future amnesty. It was a dangerous proposition. Provincial
banditry was one thing, court intrigue another. Prince Johns spies were everywhere.
If the plan failed, the pursuit would be relentless and retribution swift. The sound of
the supper horn startled Robin from his thoughts. There was the smell of roasting
venison in the air. Nothing was resolved or settled. Robin headed for camp
promising himself that he would give these problems his utmost attention after
tomorrows raid.
DWARD MARSHALL BOEHM, INC
Edward Marshall Boehma farmer, veterinarian, and nature lover living near New
York Citywas convinced by his wife and friends to translate some of his clay
animal sculptures into pieces for possible sale to the gift and art markets. Boehm
recognized that porcelain was the best medium for portraying his creations because
of its translucent beauty, permanence, and fidelity of color as well as form. But the
finest of the porcelains, hard paste porcelain, was largely a secret art about which
little technical literature existed. Boehm studied this art relentlessly, absorbing
whatever knowledge artbooks, museums, and the few U.S. ceramic factories
offered. Then, after months of experimentation in a dingy Trenton, New Jersey,
basement, Boehm and some chemist friends developed a porcelain clay equal to
the finest in the world. Next Boehm had to master the complex art of porcelain
manufacture. Each piece of porcelain sculpture is a technical as well as artistic
challenge. A 52-step process is required to convert a plasticine sculpture into a
completed porcelain piece. For example, one major creation took 509 mold sections
to make 151 parts, and consumed 8 tons of plaster in the molds. Sculptural detail
included 60,000 individually carved feather barbs. Each creation had to be kiln-fired
to 2400 8 where heat could change a graceful detail into a twisted mass. Then it
had to be painted, often in successive layers, and perhaps fired repeatedly to
anneal delicate colors. No American had excelled in hard paste porcelains. And
when Boehms creations first appeared, no one understood the quality of the
porcelain or even believed it was hard paste porcelain. But Boehm began to create
in porcelain what he knew and loved bestnature, particularly the more delicate

forms of animals, birds, and flowers. In his art Boehm tried to capture that special
moment and setting which conveys the character, charm, and loveliness of a bird or
animal in its natural habitat. After selling his early creations for several years
during her lunch hours, his talented wife, Helen left an outstanding opthalmic
marketing career to peddle Boehms porcelains full time. Soon Mrs. Boehms
extraordinary merchandising skills, promotional touch, and sense for the art market
began to pay off. People liked Boehms horses and dogs, but bought his birds. And
Boehm agreeably complied, striving for ever greater perfection on ever more exotic
and natural bird creations. By 1968 some Boehm porcelains (especially birds) had
become recognized as collectors items. An extremely complex piece like Fondo
Marino might sell for $28,500 at retail, and might command much more upon
resale. Edward Marshall Boehm, then 55though flattered by his products
commercial successconsidered his art primarily an expression of his love for
nature. He felt the ornithological importance of portraying vanishing species like
U.S. prairie chickens with fidelity and traveled to remote areas to bring back live
samples of rare tropical birds for study and later rendering into porcelain. A single
company, Minton China, was the exclusive distributor of Boehm products to some
175 retail outlets in the United States. Boehms line included (1) its Fledgling
series of smaller, somewhat simpler pieces, usually selling for less than $100, (2) its
profitable middle series of complex sculptures like the Snowy Owl selling from
$800 to $5,000, and (3) its special artistic pieces (like Fondo Marino or Ivory
Billed Woodpeckers) which might sell initially for over $20,000. I ndividual Boehm
porcelains were increasingly being recognized as outstanding artistic creations and
sought by some sophisticated collectors. Production of such designs might be sold
out for years in advance, but it was difficult to anticipate which pieces might
achieve this distinction. Many of the companys past policies no longer seemed
appropriate. And the Boehms wanted to further position the company for the long
run. When asked what they wanted from the company, they would respond, to
make the world aware of Mr. Boehms artistic talent, to help world wildlife causes by
creating appreciation and protection for threatened species, and to build a
continuing business that could make them comfortably wealthy, perhaps
millionaires. No one goal had great precedence over the others.