Washington Irving (1783–1859)
Author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow [short story]
About the Author
Washington Irving, one of the first Americans to achieve international recognition as an author, was born in New York City in 1783. His A History of New York, published in 1809 under the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker, was a satirical history of New York that spanned the years from 1609 to 1664. show more Under another pseudonym, Geoffrey Crayon, he wrote The Sketch-book, which included essays about English folk customs, essays about the American Indian, and the two American stories for which he is most renowned--"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle." Irving served as a member of the U.S. legation in Spain from 1826 to 1829 and as minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846. Following his return to the U.S. in 1846, he began work on a five-volume biography of Washington that was published from 1855-1859. Washington Irving died in 1859 in New York. show less
Image credit: Washington Irving, circa 1860-1865
Works by Washington Irving
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Writings (Barnes & Noble Classics) (2006) 495 copies, 2 reviews
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories: The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (1819) 394 copies, 1 review
Washington Irving : Bracebridge Hall, Tales of a Traveller, The Alhambra (Library of America) (1991) 353 copies, 1 review
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories From the Sketch Book (Signet Classics) (1961) 318 copies, 3 reviews
Washington Irving: Three Western Narratives: A Tour on the Prairie / Astoria / The Adventures of Captain Bonneville (Library of America) (2004) 229 copies, 2 reviews
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle [adapted - Treasury of Illustrated Classics] (2004) 222 copies
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow / Rip Van Winkle / The Spectre Bridegroom (Junior Classics for Young Readers) (2002) 208 copies
Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories (Illustrated Junior Library) (1999) 170 copies, 1 review
The Conquest of Granada [Washington Irving's Complete Works, Vols. 32-34] (1829) 101 copies, 1 review
Rip Van Winkle & the Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Starter Level: 250-Word Vocabulary Rip Van Winkle & the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Dominoes, Starter Level) (1970) 54 copies, 1 review
The Works Of Washington Irving, The Life And Voyages Of Christopher Columbus, Part Two, A Tour On The Prairies (1828) 27 copies
Rip Van Winkle,: And other American essays from The sketch-book, (The Riverside literature series) (1891) 26 copies
The Works of Washington Irving: A CHRONICLE OF THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA, NEWSTEAD ABBEY, ABBOTSFORD ( Volume Three of the Series) (1970) 25 copies
Washington Irving: A Treasury: Rip Van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Old Christmas (2012) 23 copies
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Selections from Washington Irving [no ISBN/edition] (1970) 23 copies
The Works Of Washington Irving, Knickerbocker's History Of New York, Knickerbocker Miscellanies, Vol. IV (1897) 20 copies
Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow [adapted - Bring the Classics to Life] (2008) 16 copies
The Devil and Tom Walker and Other Selected Stories, Complete and Unabridged (Aerie) (2000) 15 copies
The Works of Washington Irving Volume Eleven The Adventures of Captain Bonneville; Bracebridge Hall (1920) 15 copies, 1 review
The Works of Washington Irving Volume Ten The Life of Oliver Goldsmith, the Crayon Papers, Moorish Chronicles (1920) 15 copies
The world of Washington Irving: Stories and sketches by America's first great writer (A Laurel edition) (1944) 15 copies
The legend of Sleepy Hollow / La leyenda de Sleppy Hollow - Little Britain / Little Britain (2006) 15 copies
Rip Van Winkle, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories (Wordsworth Children's Classics) 15 copies
The Works of Washington Irving - Life of George Washington - Volume 3 of Four Volume Set (2017) 14 copies
The Works of Washington Irving - Life of George Washington - Volume 2 of Four Volume Set (1897) 13 copies
The Washington Irving Anthology: The Complete Fiction and Collected Non-Fiction Works (2014) 10 copies
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle, and Other Stories (with an Introduction by Charles Addison Dawson) (2017) 8 copies
The Works of Washington Irving: (Volume 7) Oliver Goldsmith; Astoria (The New Hudson Edition) (1884) 8 copies
The Alhambra [and] The conquest of Granada [and] The conquest of Spain [and] Spanish voyages of discovery (The standard classics) (1900) 8 copies
The Crayon Papers / A History of New York / The Sketch Book / A Tour of the Prairies (1883) 8 copies
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Tales. [15 Tales]. — Author — 7 copies
Selections from Washington Irving 7 copies
Tales from Irving, selected from The Sketch Book, Tales of a Traveler, Wolfert's Roost, Bracebridge Hall - first series (2009) 7 copies
Visions of Washington Irving: Selected Works from the Collections of Historic Hudson Valley (1995) 6 copies
Washington Irving and the House of Murray; Geoffrey Crayon charms the British, 1817-1856 (1969) 6 copies, 1 review
Irving 6 copies
Six selections from Irving's Sketch-book: With notes, questions, etc. : for home and school use (Home and school library (1878) 6 copies
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - The Illustrated Treasury Edition (Illustrated Treasury Editions) (2011) 5 copies
Rip Van Winkle and Other Tales 5 copies
The Works of Washington Irving: (Volume 2) The life of George Washington, 3 & 4 of 5 (New Hudson Edition) (1857) 5 copies
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Radio Dramatization (Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air) (2011) 5 copies
The Knickerbocker Papers 5 copies
The Works Of Washington Irving ...: The Alhambra. Conquest Of Granada. Conquest Of Spain... (2012) 4 copies
Washington Irving; representative selections, with introduction, bibliography, and notes (1971) 4 copies
The adventures of Captain Bonneville; Spanish Voyages of Discovery (Irving's Works, Vol.VI) (1940) 4 copies, 1 review
Storie di briganti italiani 4 copies
Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow [adapted - New Method Supplementary Readers] (1967) 4 copies
Christmas Day 4 copies
LIFE AND VOYAGES OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS Vols. 1-2 (The Works of WASHINGTON IRVING, VOLUME 4) (1868) 4 copies
Astoria or Anecdotes of an Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains Volume 1 (The 1836 Edition, Unabridged in two volumes) (2018) 4 copies
The sketch-book of Geoffrey Crayon,: Gent. [pseud.] together with Abbotsford and other selections from the writings of Washington Irving (1908) 4 copies
The life and times of Washington 3 copies
The adventures of Captain Bonneville ; Crayon miscellany (The works of Washington Irving) Vol. IX 3 copies
Guests from Gibbet Island 3 copies
The Discovery and Conquest of the New World, containing the life and voyages of Christopher Columbus 3 copies
The life and voyages of Christopher Columbus, to which are added those of his companions (1973) 3 copies
Rip Van Winkle; also, The Renowned Wouter Van Twiller (Instructor Literature Series, No. 11C) (1930) 3 copies
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Simplified For Modern Readers (Accelerated Reader AR Quiz No. 7115) (2013) 3 copies, 1 review
Selections from Irving's Sketch-book; (The gateway series of English texts. General editor: Henry Van Dyke) (2010) 3 copies
The Works of Washington Irving: Vol III Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada and The Life of Mahomet (Kinderhook Edition) (1850) 3 copies
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories by Washington Irving (Halcyon Classics) (2010) 3 copies
Christmas sketches 3 copies
Tales 3 copies
Life of George Washington Volume 3 2 copies
The Works of Washington Irving: (Volume 9) Conquest of Granada; Wolfert's Roost (The New Hudson Edition) (1865) 2 copies
The Works of Washington Irving in Seven Volumes (IV) - The Alhambra, Wolfert's Roost and Other Papers (1865) 2 copies
IRVING'S LIFE OF WASHINGTON * ILLUSTRATED (FIVE VOLUMES COMPLETE IN THREE, VOLUME ONE) (1925) 2 copies
The Alhambra & Bracebridge Hall 2 copies
A Book of The Hudson. 2 copies
Great American short stories 2 copies
Rip Van Winkle and Other Tales 2 copies
The Alhambra by Washington Irving 2 copies
The Alhambra: tales 2 copies
The Journals of Washington Irving, Volume III: Spain, Tour through the West, Esopus and Dutch Tour 2 copies
El Mundo de Washington Irving 2 copies
The Works of Washington Irving: (Vol. 5) The voyages of the companions of Columbus/Sketch Book (New Hudson Ed.) (1880) 2 copies
The Works of Washington Irving Fulton Edition - Tales of a Traveller, A Tour on the Prairies (1909) 2 copies
The angler 2 copies
The Complete Works of Washington Irving Tales Of A Traveller Abbotsford No 65 of 1000 copies 2 copies
The Works Of Washington Irving. Wolfert's Roost And Other Stories - Newstead Abbey (Fulton Edition) (1910) 2 copies
Essays and Sketches 1 copy
Spanish voyages of discovery 1 copy
Kristofer Columbus 1 copy
The Works of Washington Irving: (Volume 10) Spanish Papers; Salmagundi (The New Hudson Edition) 1 copy
The Widow And Her Son 1 copy
The legend of Sleepy Hollow, and other selections from the Sketch book 1909 [Leather Bound] (2022) 1 copy
Jonathan Oldstyles Briefe: Das literarische Erstlingswerk von Washington Irving (German Edition) (1803) — Author — 1 copy
Rip Van Winkle Etc. 1 copy
Washington Irving: Novels 1 copy
Almost true tales 1 copy
Tales of the Dark Romantics and Beyond: Tales of the Dark Romantics — Contributor — 1 copy
Lendas de Alhambra 1 copy
Contes d'un voyageur Tome 1 1 copy
Bracebridge Hall, Vol. I 1 copy
Bracebridge Hall, Vol. II 1 copy
Contes d'un voyageur Tome 2 1 copy
Alhambra, Vol. I 1 copy
The Sketch Book 1 copy
The Alhambra Vol. 1 1 copy
The Alhambra / Vol. I 1 copy
The Sketch Book 1 copy
Contes d'un voyageur Tome 3 1 copy
Istorija Njujorka 1 copy
Kidd le pirate 1 copy
Irving's Popular Tales 1 copy
The bricklayer's adventure 1 copy
Contes d'un voyageur Tome 4 1 copy
Alhambra, Vol. II 1 copy
Biography of Lawrence 1 copy
Tales of the Alhambra (Classic Reprint): Selected for Use in Schools, With an Introduction and Explanatory Notes (2018) 1 copy
Child's Rip Van Winkle, The 1 copy
A lenda da Rosa da Alhambra 1 copy
The Life And Voyages Of Christopher Columbus, To Which Are Added Those Of His Companions - Vol II (2007) 1 copy
Historia de la conquista de Granada extractada de la que escribió en inglés Washington Irving 1 copy
Prosa selecta 1 copy
The Works of Washington Irving: The Crayon Papers, Salmagundi, Wolfert's Roost and Miscellanies 1 copy
The Works of Washington Irving: Fulton Edition-Crayon Papers, Wolfert's Roost, Miscellanies (1909) 1 copy
Sketches and Tales 1 copy
Apuntes literarios 1 copy
[Sketches from...] 1 copy
Tales for a Winter's Evening 1 copy
The Sketch Book and Others 1 copy
Washington Irving collection 1 copy
Miscellaneous writings, 1803-1859 (His The Complete works of Washington Irving ; v. 28-29) (1981) 1 copy
Hearthside Tales: Selections from the Sketch Book, Bracebridge Hall and Tales of a Traveller (Signature Series (Union Co (1983) 1 copy
The Works of Washington Irving - Tales of a Traveller, Abbotsford, Newstead Abbey, and Spanish Voyages (1900) 1 copy
The Analectic Magazine...: Comprising Original Reviews, Biography, Analytical Abstracts of New Publications, Volume 1 (2010) 1 copy
The Stout Gentleman 1 copy
The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus to Which are added Those of His Companions, Vol V 1 copy
Rip Van Winkle and The wife 1 copy
Stories by Washington Irving 1 copy
Rip Van Winkle (elementary) 1 copy
An Account of the Funeral Honours Bestowed on the Remains of Capt. Lawrence and Lieut. Ludlow 1 copy
Knickerbocker 1 copy
Stories and legends 1 copy
Miscellanies ; A tour on the prairies / by the author of "The sketch-book" [Washington Irving] 1 copy
Selection from the Alhambra 1 copy
The Governor And the Notary 1 copy
The Adventure of The Mason 1 copy
Washington Irving, Writings 1 copy
The Works of Washington Irving: The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, Crayon Misellany, Vol. V1 (1860) 1 copy
The German Adventure 1 copy
Irving's Works; Popular edition: Alhambra, Astoria, Life of Columbus, Mahomet, Sketch Book History of New York, Tales of a Traveller, 1 copy, 1 review
A History of Old New York 1 copy
Voyages Et Aventures Du Capitaine Bonneville L'Ouest Des Tats-Unis D'Amrique, Au del Des Montagnes Rocheuses, Volume 1 (2010) 1 copy
Wives [from Bracebridge hall] by W. Irving. The henpecked man [from The Spectator] by sir R. Steele 1 copy
Three stories 1 copy
Westminster Abbey 1880 1 copy
Christmas Stories 1 copy
Abu Hassan 1 copy
Great Tales Of Suspense 1 copy
The Works of Washington Irving: Vol. III, Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada, Mahomet and His Successors (1857) 1 copy
The Works of Washington Irving: Life of Washington Vol I and Vol II (Kinderhook Edition) (1857) 1 copy
The wild huntsman 1 copy
7 Best Short Stories 1 copy
Stories 1 copy
Associated Works
The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction (1976) — Contributor — 1,214 copies, 3 reviews
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle [adapted - Great Illustrated Classics] (1995) — Author — 466 copies, 3 reviews
The American Short Story: A Collection of the Best Known and Most Memorable Stories by the Great American Authors (1994) — Contributor — 370 copies
75 Short Masterpieces: Stories from the World's Literature (1961) — Contributor — 317 copies, 2 reviews
American Fantastic Tales : Terror and the Uncanny from Poe to the Pulps (2009) — Contributor — 290 copies, 4 reviews
The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume 1 (1990) — Contributor, some editions — 252 copies, 1 review
Murder on the Menu: Cordon Bleu Stories of Crime and Mystery, Volume 1 (1984) — Contributor — 211 copies, 2 reviews
Classic American Short Stories [Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics] (2001) — Contributor — 175 copies, 1 review
Once Upon a Time: The Fairy Tale World of Arthur Rackham (1972) — Contributor — 136 copies, 5 reviews
The Glorious American Essay: One Hundred Essays from Colonial Times to the Present (2020) — Contributor — 117 copies
Writing New York: A Literary Anthology (Expanded 10th-Anniversary Edition) (2008) — Contributor — 101 copies, 1 review
H.P. Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural: 19 Classics of the Macabre, Chosen by the Master of Horror Himself (2006) — Contributor — 98 copies, 2 reviews
A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Tales (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classic Collection) (2021) — Contributor — 91 copies
Great Tales of Terror from Europe and America: Gothic Stories of Horror and Romance 1765-1840 (1972) — Contributor — 76 copies
The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Concise Edition (2003) — Contributor — 73 copies, 1 review
Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle [Adapted - All Aboard Reading] (1997) — Original Story by — 57 copies
The Signet Classic Book of Contemporary American Short Stories (1985) — Contributor — 47 copies, 1 review
Witches, Wraiths, and Warlocks: Supernatural Tales of the American Renaissance (1971) — Contributor — 42 copies
Children's Classic Compendium: Jungle Book / Rip Van Winkle / Guilliver's Travels (1999) — Author — 40 copies
60 Westerns: Cowboy Adventures, Yukon & Oregon Trail Tales, Famous Outlaws, Gold Rush Adventures & Much More (2017) 33 copies
Transformations II: Understanding American History Through Science Fiction (1974) — Contributor — 32 copies
American Literature: The Makers and the Making (In Two Volumes) (1973) — Contributor, some editions — 25 copies
The Tavern Lamps Are Burning: Literary Journeys through Six Regions and Four Centuries of New York State (1964) — Contributor — 24 copies
The Greatest American Short Stories: Twenty Classics of Our Heritage (1953) — Contributor — 21 copies, 1 review
Isaac Asimov Presents : The Best Horror and Supernatural of the 19th Century (1983) — Contributor — 19 copies, 1 review
Best plays of the early American theatre : from the beginning to 1916 (1967) — Contributor — 18 copies
International Short Stories, Volume 1: American Stories (1910) — Contributor; Contributor — 15 copies
Library of the World's Best Mystery and Detective Stories: American (1908) — Contributor — 15 copies, 1 review
Oogst Der Tijden. keur uit de werken van schrijvers en dichters aller volken en eeuwen (1940) — Contributor — 12 copies
Great Classic Hauntings: Six Unabridged Stories (Audio Editions Mystery Masters) (2000) — Contributor, some editions — 11 copies, 2 reviews
Tales of the Undead: Vampires and Visitants (1947) — Contributor, some editions — 10 copies, 1 review
Classic Ghost Stories: By Charles Dickens, M.R. James, Washington Irving, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde and more (2019) — Contributor — 7 copies
A Treasury of Great Short Stories — Contributor — 7 copies
Penny Dreadful Multipack Volume 7 – The Americans: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Mosses From An Old Manse, Owl Creek Bridge, The King In Yellow and… (2015) — Contributor — 7 copies
Bruin's Midnight Reader: Strange and Engaging Stories for the Curious (2022) — Contributor — 3 copies
For Want of a Horse: Twenty-Three Tales of Supernatural Stallions, Magical Mares, and Paranormal Ponies (2015) — Contributor — 2 copies, 2 reviews
About Time: The Forerunners of Time Travel and Temporal Anomalies in Science Fiction and Fantasy (2008) — Contributor — 2 copies
The Night of the Headless Horseman [1999 TV movie] — Original story — 2 copies
Shadows from a Veiled Creation: Classic Tales of Supernatural Fiction in the Christian Tradition (2006) — Contributor — 2 copies
Short Stories Retold - Book 1 — Contributor — 1 copy
One hundred best novels condensed: 3 of 4 see note: Adam Bede; Tess of the D'Urbervilles; Don Quixote; East Lynne; Count of Monte Cristo; Paul and Virginia; Tom Brown's School… — Contributor — 1 copy
Best of Classic Christian Literature for 99 Cents - EXTRACTS FROM ADAM'S DIARY by Mark Twain ... EVE'S DIARY by Mark Twain ... PARADISE LOST by John Milton ... THE DIVINE COMEDY… — Contributor — 1 copy
LibriVox Short Ghost and Horror Collection 035 — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Irving, Washington
- Other names
- Crayon, Geoffrey
Knickerbocker, Diedrich
Oldstyle, Jonathan
Ървинг, Уошингтън
अर्विंग, वाशिंग्टन - Birthdate
- 1783-04-03
- Date of death
- 1859-11-28
- Gender
- male
- Education
- law offices of Henry Masterson
Judge Josiah Ogden Hoffman - Occupations
- lawyer
editor
novelist
short story writer
essayist
historian (show all 8)
U.S. ambassador (Spain)
diplomat - Organizations
- State Bar of New York (1806)
New York State Militia
Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York - Awards and honors
- Royal Society of Literature, Gold Medal (1830)
American Philosophical Society (1829)
Member, Real Academia de la Historia (Spain)
American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1855)
The Hall of Fame for Great Americans (1900)
Honorary Doctorate, Civil Law, Oxford University (1831) (show all 8)
Honorary Academician, National Academy of Design (1841)
Honorary Doctorate of Law, Harvard University (1833) - Agent
- Henry Brevoort (USA), Ebenezer Irving (USA), Thomas Aspinwall (UK)
- Relationships
- Irving, Pierre (nephew)
- Short biography
- Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820). His historical works include biographies of Oliver Goldsmith, Muhammad and George Washington, as well as several histories of 15th-century Spain.
Irving served as ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846. He made his literary debut in 1802 with a series of observational letters to the Morning Chronicle, written under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle. He moved to England for the family business in 1815. He continued to publish regularly throughout his life. - Cause of death
- heart attack
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- New York, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- London, Middlesex, England, UK
Granada, Spain
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
Paris, Île-de-France, France
Tarrytown, New York, USA
New York, New York, USA - Place of death
- Tarrytown, New York, USA
- Burial location
- Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Tarrytown, New York, USA
- Map Location
- USA
Members
Discussions
Washington Irving Appreciation in Easton Press Collectors (September 2024)
Mystery storys book? in Name that Book (November 2023)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Spectre Bridegroom" by Washington Irving in The Weird Tradition (January 2022)
Reviews
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, Fiction, Classics (Wildside Fantasy Classic) by Washington Irving
I have to say that re-reading this as an adult is a much different and more wonderful experience than as a snot-nosed kid of 15. I was able to appreciate the nuances much more, enjoying just how established Mr. Crane could be as a realistic and sympathetic character, even if he was slightly foolish.
In other words, he felt real, I felt invested, and as any lover of horror knows, we must also feel superior to our victims before their inevitable and somewhat moralistic demise by supernatural or show more nefarious deeds.
Now, whether this was a mortal practical joke played on a lover of the fantastic and the horrible or whether this was actually a real-life ghost story, as the Dutch Wives would insist, is a matter for debate.
Either way, it was nice and ghoulish and ramped up perfectly to a thrown screaming head. :)
Quick tale, fascinating, and expertly described. :) And an eternal Halloween Treat. :) show less
In other words, he felt real, I felt invested, and as any lover of horror knows, we must also feel superior to our victims before their inevitable and somewhat moralistic demise by supernatural or show more nefarious deeds.
Now, whether this was a mortal practical joke played on a lover of the fantastic and the horrible or whether this was actually a real-life ghost story, as the Dutch Wives would insist, is a matter for debate.
Either way, it was nice and ghoulish and ramped up perfectly to a thrown screaming head. :)
Quick tale, fascinating, and expertly described. :) And an eternal Halloween Treat. :) show less
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow still has the power to connect readers with memories of the Revolutionary War era that lingered into the 19th century. Reduced to its essential elements, it's the story of a classic love triangle. Which suitor will the lovely Katrina Von Tussell choose – brawny bad boy Brom Bones or nerdy schoolmaster Ichabod Crane? It's what Washington Irving does with the story that makes it so much fun. His descriptions of Ichabod Crane's appearance*, the school room, food, show more Sleepy Hollow, and, of course, the Headless Horseman are so detailed that you can easily conjure up mental images. The undertone of sarcasm lets you know just how seriously to take the story. Other than some jarring racial stereotypes, the story holds up well almost 200 years later.
*Speaking of Ichabod Crane's appearance, I wonder if Cooper might have borrowed from Irving in creating David Gamut's character in The Last of the Mohicans? show less
*Speaking of Ichabod Crane's appearance, I wonder if Cooper might have borrowed from Irving in creating David Gamut's character in The Last of the Mohicans? show less
In honor of Hallowe'en, I read (re-read?) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, and what a treat it was. Naturally, I sorta kinda knew the story, but if I had actually read it before, it must have been when I was in 7th grade, or thereabouts, and under orders. It is very well done, full of wicked humor and my copy (OK, my daughter's copy) marvelously illustrated. Irving's descriptions are outstanding, and no more flowery than befits the 19th century. "...the sky was clear and show more serene, and nature wore that rich and golden livery which we always associate with the idea of abundance...some trees of the tenderer kind had been nipped by the frosts into brilliant dyes of orange, purple, and scarlet. Streaming files of wild ducks began to make their appearance high in the air; the bark of the squirrel might be heard from the groves of beech and hickory, and the pensive whistle of the quail at intervals from the neighboring stubble- field." Picture the lank and bony Ichabod Crane, a terror to young scholars in the classroom, ingratiating himself with their parents (who lodged and boarded him, turn-about, a week at a time) by helping with farm chores and minding the younger children--"he would sit with a child on one knee, and rock a cradle with his foot for whole hours together." And then, of course, he put himself crosswise of the formidable Brom Bones, when they each set their caps for Katrina Van Tassel, the "blooming lass of fresh eighteen; plump as a partridge; ripe and melting and rosy-cheeked as one of her father's peaches" (I say, Wash, take a cool dip in the stream!). Well, we know how Brom decided to eliminate the competition, now don't we? Fine stuff.
10-31-2017 show less
10-31-2017 show less
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, Fiction, Classics (Wildside Fantasy Classic) by Washington Irving
Many a year since I had read this one and I found I liked it better than I had remembered. Who wouldn't appreciate the descriptive powers of Washington Irving:
On all sides he beheld vast store of apples; some hanging in oppressive opulence on the trees; some gathered into baskets and barrels for the market; others heaped up in rich piles for the cider-press. Father on he beheld great fields of Indian corn, with its golden ears peeping from their leafy coverts, and holding out the promise of show more cakes and hasty-pudding; and the yellow pumpkins lying beneath them, turning up their fair round bellies to the sun, and giving ample prospects of the most luxurious of pies; and anon he passed the fragrant buckwheat fields breathing the odor of the beehive, and as he beheld them, soft anticipations stole over his mind of dainty slapjacks, well buttered, and garnished with honey or treacle...
I could see the bounty, I could taste the honey, I could feel the cool Autumn breezes and feel the golden sun. Writing that endures. show less
On all sides he beheld vast store of apples; some hanging in oppressive opulence on the trees; some gathered into baskets and barrels for the market; others heaped up in rich piles for the cider-press. Father on he beheld great fields of Indian corn, with its golden ears peeping from their leafy coverts, and holding out the promise of show more cakes and hasty-pudding; and the yellow pumpkins lying beneath them, turning up their fair round bellies to the sun, and giving ample prospects of the most luxurious of pies; and anon he passed the fragrant buckwheat fields breathing the odor of the beehive, and as he beheld them, soft anticipations stole over his mind of dainty slapjacks, well buttered, and garnished with honey or treacle...
I could see the bounty, I could taste the honey, I could feel the cool Autumn breezes and feel the golden sun. Writing that endures. show less
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A Reading List (1)
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- Also by
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- Popularity
- #766
- Rating
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- Reviews
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- ISBNs
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- Languages
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