The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories (Dover Thrift Editions: Short Stories)

Washington Irving's "Sketch Book" is framed by two tales so resonant that it's forgivable if the sketches in between don't quite have the same power. Near the beginning is "Rip Van Winkle," the immortal tale of a man who falls asleep as a British subject, sleeps through the entire American Revolution, and wakes up unaware that he is now a citizen of the United States. Near the end of the "Sketch Book," one finds "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," an equally ageless tale of the feckless schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, who dreams of winning the love of the winsome Katrina Van Tassel but is undone by his fears of a legendary headless horseman. The everyday and the (possibly) supernatural mix well in both stories, as when Irving implies strongly toward the end of "Sleepy Hollow" that Brom van Brunt, Crane's rival for Katrina's love, may have crafted a sort of headless-horseman hoax in order to drive Crane out of town.In between "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," however, are a long series of sketches that don't hold up as well now as they may have in 1819. Writing from behind the persona of "Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.," Irving indulges in a great many not-terribly-profound meditations on life, love, and mortality. His traditionalism, his conservatism, and particularly his Anglophilia come through strongly in many of the sketches. Perhaps that is why, in the midst of all those "I love England because England is older than America" sketches, "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" stand out so starkly; it is impressive how seamlessly, in those two tales, Irving combines European folktale motifs with a vividly realized American setting. These two stories alone show Irving to be a gifted author who worked hard at his craft; it's no accident that he was the first American author who was able to make a living solely through his writing. Accordingly, he stands at the beginnings of a great literary tradition.Washington Irving is virtually a living presence in New York's Hudson Valley, where the community of North Tarrytown, N.Y., actually changed its name to Sleepy Hollow in order to emphasize the Washington Irving connection. Another example of Irving's ongoing influence: Tim Burton's 1999 film "Sleepy Hollow." The film may have caused controversy in its time because of its violence (lots of beheadings), and because the plot of the film had very little to do with Washington Irving's story; but the making of the film, like the changing of the name of North Tarrytown to Sleepy Hollow, shows how truly Washington Irving and his best-known fictional creations are still with us.

Originally entitled, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent, this collection of essays, sketches, and tales established Washington's reputation as America's foremost professional author. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle are classics of American fiction and display Irving's ability to depict American landscapes and culture. This volume also contains a number of gently ironic pieces about life in England that reflect the author's interest in the traditions of the Old World and his longings for his home in the New.I read both stories, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle” as a child and later, my son and I would read “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” every October until he became a teenager. It had been years since I had returned and it felt like I never left, as I came back to the familiar supernatural world of the Hudson Valley and its denizens.The other stories were wonderful and I can see why Washington Irving was America’s first professional writer to make his living by his pen. I enjoyed the other stories, especially “The Spectre Bridegroom.” That was another supernatural tale I remembered from my past. But it was "Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle" that made me hunker down to read what I called comfort food of the fantastical. Rip Van Winkle, his wife, his dog, Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, Katrina Van Tassel and of course, last but never least, the Headless Horseman fill my imagination as I read. I could visualize the Hudson Valley and its haunts. I bet that Edgar Allan Poe read these very same stories, giving him fuel for his own imaginative tales.It's autumn and Halloween soon will be here. Need some good ghostly tales to while away safe and sound inside your home? Sure, go ahead and buy the latest Stephan King horror novel, but take time to check out Washington Irving first. I promise you, his Headless Horseman just may haunt your nightmares afterwards. And you will return year after year as I have. After all, we all need comfort food of the fantastical.

I was a pleasure to re-read the story of Rip Van Winkle and the Legend if Sleepy Hollow with Ichabod Crane’s chronicles. I found most of the other stories to be rather dull. Particularly those centered on Washington Irving’s love of England.Oddly the other story that grabbed my attention was the history of the King Philip, and other native Americans, versus the English Colonists. Despite the other the fact that these were written on the 1800’s it provides a pleasantly surprising pro-Indian view of the this conflict and the sad story of those times when they were dispossessed of the northeast United States. There was nothing humorous about that story, but not was well told.It is a mixed bag of stories and you are bound to find a couple that interest you.

I didn't appreciate Irving until I taught his short stories. I especially enjoy the Christmas stories.

The actual "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is only 24 pages long. The tale itself is very interesting and the descriptions are so delightful to read. Those are 24 pages very easy to enjoy and as I read the story I kept running images of the Disney cartoon version of sleepy hollow in my mind. However, the font is a little small for my taste. This book has 13 different tales written by Washington Irving. They are very tasteful Halloween tales that I would recommend, since they aren't gory.

This was an interesting read but required perseverence to get through it. I believe that this version was possibly written targeting academics because, before any of Washington Irving's writings were reached, there was a long treatise on the importance of the author in the development of American literature. When we got to Irving's writing the style took me back to doing English homework when we were told "Write about 'Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth in 800 words'." There are a series of essays, some philosophical like 'Can some-one die of a Broken Heart?' and others describing what to me sounded like a rather idealised version of life as lived in England possibly targeted at an American audience. One could sense when the essay was being done as an excercise and when Irving was actually enjoying the writing when it became much less laboured. A section dealing with the way the Indians were treated by the colonisers was very interesting and Irving was probably quite brave to publish it. It was stubborness rather than entertainment value that got me to the end of the book. The story of Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow are exceptions to that comment but they make up a small proportion of the book.

A delightful collection of interesting, sometimes sentimental essays and stories. The author has a vivid imagination and excellent descriptive powers. The best stories in his volume are; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Little Britain and Philip of Pokanoket.

I bought this book as I love the Tim Burton film. Language it archaic American English, which is slightly difficult to get, but worth it. Few good other stories too (inc a Rumple Stilts Skin like character).

Having watched the animated film of Sleepy Hollow as a child and Tim Burton's adaptation of the story as an adult, I had all kinds of notions as to what the original story, by Washington Irving, would be like. The first thing I noticed was that there is no dialogue. Instead, the story of Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow is told from the writings of Diedrech Knickerbocker. Nevertheless, Irving is a master at creating larger than life characters through his descriptions, which are quirky and comical, and yet, entirely believable.The characters came to life in the rural setting of Sleepy Hollow, where some of the wealthiest men were farmers and the schoolteacher, Ichabod Crane, a pauper. Irving's descriptions of Sleepy Hollow during the "witching hour" were hauntingly beautiful and filled with magical imagery. If ever a headless horseman existed, Sleepy Hollow, with its thick forests, lush meadows, and modest, white church, would be the perfect place for him.As far as the Dover edition goes, it is affordable and easy to carry, but, in future, I will probably buy an edition that will withstand the test of time a little bit better for my bookcase.

The front page cover is not the same as show n here... Other things are ok