Most Popular Books by Washington Irving

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.Written while Irving was living abroad in Birmingham, England, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was first published in 1820.Along with Irving''s companion piece Rip Van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is among the earliest examples of American fiction with enduring popularity, especially during Halloween because of a character known as the Headless Horseman believed to be a Hessian soldier who was decapitated by a cannonball in battle.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), both of which appear in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.His historical works include biographies of Oliver Goldsmith, Muhammad and George Washington, as well as several histories of 15th-century Spain that deal with subjects such as Alhambra, Christopher Columbus and the Moors.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The classic book, The Headless Horseman by Washington Irving! There''s a reason why The Headless Horseman is one of the best books of all time. If you haven''t read this classic, then you''d better pick up a copy of The Headless Horseman by Washington Irving today!

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.. Written while Irving was living abroad in Birmingham, England, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was first published in 1820. Along with Irving''s companion piece "Rip Van Winkle", "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is among the earliest examples of American fiction with enduring popularity, especially during Halloween because of a character known as the Headless Horseman believed to be a Hessian soldier who was decapitated by a cannonball in battle

Knickerbocker''s History of New York is a satire on self-important local history and contemporary politics. Prior to its publication, Irving started a hoax akin to today''s viral marketing campaigns; he placed a series of missing person adverts in New York newspapers seeking information on Diedrich Knickerbocker, a crusty Dutch historian who had allegedly gone missing from his hotel in New York City. As part of the ruse, Irving placed a notice-allegedly from the hotel''s proprietor-informing readers that if Mr. Knickerbocker failed to return to the hotel to pay his bill, he would publish a manuscript Knickerbocker had left behind.

Sleepy Hollow is known for being home to ghosts and spirits, the most famous of which is the terrifying Headless Horseman, a spectre searching for the head he lost to a stray cannonball during the American Revolutionary War. Ichabod Crane, a superstitious schoolmaster, is more concerned with earning the hand of Katrina Van Tassel than worrying about ghosts, but the night that he expects to earn Katrina''s affections holds something quite different in store for him. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is one of the first examples of American fiction writing and has since become a celebrated folk tale. It has been adapted many times for stage, theatre, television and film, including the 1999 Tim Burton film starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci, and the hit television show, Sleepy Hollow, starring Tom Mison, Nicole Beharie, and Orlando Jones.

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.. Written while Irving was living abroad in Birmingham, England, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was first published in 1820. Along with Irving''s companion piece "Rip Van Winkle", "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is among the earliest examples of American fiction with enduring popularity, especially during Halloween because of a character known as the Headless Horseman believed to be a Hessian soldier who lost his head to a cannonball in battle.

With his beloved Gothic tales, Washington Irving is said to have created the genre of the short story in America. Though Irving crafted many of the most memorable characters in fiction, from Rip Van Winkle to Ichabod Crane, his gifts were not confined to the short story alone. He was also a master of satire, essay, travelogue, and folktale, as evidenced in this classic collection.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, "Every reader has a first book.... which, in early youth, first fascinates his imagination, and at once excites and satisfies the desires of his mind. To me, this first book was The Sketch Book of Washington Irving or the legend of sleepy hollow... The charm of The Sketch Book remains unbroken; the old fascination still lingers about it."

One of the early examples of American fiction, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow continues to enthrall the readers of today. The story is set in Sleepy Hollow, an isolated and gloomy town, full of secrets and rumored to be haunted by ghosts. The "Legend" begins when the two of the Sleepy Hollow''s inhabitants- an ordinary school teacher Isabod Crane and a local hero Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt- begin competing for the heart of a beautiful eighteen year-old Katrina Van Tassel. On one night, both men meet at a party thrown by Katrina''s family, and Bones recalls his encounter with the Headless Horseman, the town''s infamous ghost. Bones''s story appears as a mere myth, until that very night, after an unsuccessful attempt to get Katrina''s hand, Crane himself meets the Headless Horseman and mysteriously disappears... One of the most engrossing stories of all time, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow now became even more entertaining in this exclusive illustrated edition.

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a gothic story by using American writer Washington Irving, contained in his series of 34 essays and brief memories titled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Written whilst Irving used to be residing abroad in Birmingham, England, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was once first posted in 1819. Along with Irving''s partner piece "Rip Van Winkle", "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is amongst the earliest examples of American fiction with enduring popularity, particularly at some stage in Halloween due to the fact of a persona recognized as the Headless Horseman believed to be a Hessian soldier who used to be decapitated through a cannonball in battle. In 1949, the 2nd movie adaptation used to be produced by using Walt Disney as one of two segments in the packaging movie The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Washington Irving''s classic, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," has been making spines tingle since 1820! Irving tapped into a timeless fear: the prospect of a late night journey shrouded in fog turning suddenly fatal. Our imaginations conjure every conceivable danger, but in one of history''s most famous encounters, one Ichabod Crane comes--dare we say it, face to face? --with the "specter known at all the country firesides," the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. A classic, distinctively American tale, that evokes additional terror as Halloween comes and goes each year, this is the original, 1820 version, as originally found in Irving''s collection of short stories entitled "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent."