The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow And Other Stories

Description

In Irving's great work, The Sketch Book, fictional historian Diedrich Knickerbocker introduces us to Rip van Winkle, the Dutch colonist who slept through the Revolutionary War; Ichabod Crane, the superstitious, social-climbing schoolmaster; and the pumpkin-topped Headless Horseman, ancestor to countless horror film antiheroes. In addition to 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' and 'Rip Van Winkle', The Sketch Book touches on cultural and historical concerns that remain compelling, thanks to Irving's modern outlook and impressive foresight. This new edition, with an introduction from Elizabeth L. Bradley, demonstrates how inextricably Irving's writings are woven into the fabric of American culture - high and low.

Author description

Washington Irving (1783-1859), one of America's first successful professional writers, was born and raised in New York City. He also spent time in London and served as a diplomatic attache in Spain. Best known today for his tales, he was equally famous in life for his sketches of European life and his biographies of historical figures. Elizabeth Bradley is the editor of the Penguin Classics edition of Irving's A History of New York (2008).