The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Since this story's first appearance in 1820, generations of readers, young and old, have thrilled to the headless horseman galloping through the haunted woods of Sleepy Hollow. The rollicking tale of Ichabod Crane and his ill-fated courtship of Katrina Van Tassel has proven irresistible to illustrators. Now Michael Garland brings his trademark realism to this immortal clas...more
Hardcover, 112 pages
Published
August 17th 1990
by HarperCollins
(first published May 9th 1820)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-29
of
3,198)
Reading this classic short story by Washington Irvin really, truly 'cleansed the palate', as some book reviewers would put it. After reading mainly contemporary fiction, it was a breath of fresh air to read a classic piece of literature.
Some years ago, I saw the film adaptation of this book by Tim Burton, with Johnny Depp (who else? Say “Tim Burton” and the next name should be “Johnny Depp”) in the lead role of Ichabod Crane. Although the writers of the movie took certain liberties ...more
Some years ago, I saw the film adaptation of this book by Tim Burton, with Johnny Depp (who else? Say “Tim Burton” and the next name should be “Johnny Depp”) in the lead role of Ichabod Crane. Although the writers of the movie took certain liberties ...more
view all 9 comments
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
2.5
My first exposure to the story was the Disney cartoon version, which I always enjoyed as a kid.
And then there was Burton's version, which I knew differed from the story, but I didn't really know how or to what extent, since I'd never read the story.
And so when I came across it while browsing free downloads from amazon, I decided to get it.
It was a quick read, being so short, but there were also a few places where I skimmed, as the author went in...more
My first exposure to the story was the Disney cartoon version, which I always enjoyed as a kid.
And then there was Burton's version, which I knew differed from the story, but I didn't really know how or to what extent, since I'd never read the story.
And so when I came across it while browsing free downloads from amazon, I decided to get it.
It was a quick read, being so short, but there were also a few places where I skimmed, as the author went in...more
In case you were wondering, this book bears very little resemblance to the recent movie of the same name – there is a headless horseman in the book, and many of the characters’ names are the same, but that’s about it. There are no wicked stepmothers, no crazy witches, no secret Wills, no bizarre dreams about long-dead parents, no magical symbols drawn on the floor, no autopsies and not much of a love story. Also, the hero isn’t anywhere as good-looking as Johnny Depp, but then dentistry wasn’t a...more
I thought this would be a great addition for the Children's Book Club to read, if they wanted. It seemed an appropriate choice for the October meeting along with the Hugo Cabret book.
I'll be re-reading it and will hopefully apply some of the missing portion of my memory to it. I love the story but this time I plan to enjoy the Arthur Rackham illustrations.
This is still such a great classic. The kids in the book club who read it all loved it. I'm glad. It's a really t...more
I'll be re-reading it and will hopefully apply some of the missing portion of my memory to it. I love the story but this time I plan to enjoy the Arthur Rackham illustrations.
This is still such a great classic. The kids in the book club who read it all loved it. I'm glad. It's a really t...more
Illustrated by Robert Van Nutt
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is another fantastic story from Rabbit Ears’ “Storybook Classic” series. Everyone knows the famous story of Icabod Crane and his encounter with the Headless Horseman. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is one of the greatest stories ever created by Washington Irving and with Glenn Close’s haunting narration along with Tim Story’s eerie music and Robert Van Nutt’s beautiful yet haunting illustrations makes this one classic that...more
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is another fantastic story from Rabbit Ears’ “Storybook Classic” series. Everyone knows the famous story of Icabod Crane and his encounter with the Headless Horseman. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is one of the greatest stories ever created by Washington Irving and with Glenn Close’s haunting narration along with Tim Story’s eerie music and Robert Van Nutt’s beautiful yet haunting illustrations makes this one classic that...more
Washington Irving painted beautifully detailed scenes of rural New England. He also had a healthy sense of humor and wit. This story read like it was being narrated by the fireside in a tavern or pub on a blustery autumn evening.
I read the Project Gutenberg ebook found here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/41
I read the Project Gutenberg ebook found here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/41
I have always been fascinated by, and loved, the ghost story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. Since childhood, I loved everything I had seen about the tale on TV, in the Disney animated version, in children's novel adaptations. But I had never read the original source material of Washington Irving's story.
Irving's tale-- part of a larger work "Sketchbook"-- has everything one could want for a pastoral, autumnal work of the small town tale, fable and ghost stor...more
Irving's tale-- part of a larger work "Sketchbook"-- has everything one could want for a pastoral, autumnal work of the small town tale, fable and ghost stor...more
I audio-ed the BBC version of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving in the car. To me, this is the perfect way to read Sleepy Hollow, especially coming into it from reading nothing but YA. Now don't get me wrong, YA is awesome, but it is a tough transition to make from YA to the classics.
I felt the audio had set the mood perfectly. There were creepy sound effects (yeah driving to this on a dark stormy night is not such a good idea). There was also piano mood mu...more
As much as I love to read... and as much as I love this story... I grew up watching the Disney cartoon, and the actual story always seems to pale in comparison :(
Reread 10/11/11 The trees are beautiful, the pumpkins set out, apple cider in the fridge & so the hubby and I decided to get into the season by reading this out loud to each other. As always it is the imagery from Disney which is stuck in my head. Those folks definitely got it right when they animated poor old Ichabod Crane....more
Reread 10/11/11 The trees are beautiful, the pumpkins set out, apple cider in the fridge & so the hubby and I decided to get into the season by reading this out loud to each other. As always it is the imagery from Disney which is stuck in my head. Those folks definitely got it right when they animated poor old Ichabod Crane....more
I'm not sure what I was expecting but I was a bit disappointed. Although I don't remember much of the TV versions of this book (probably because the thought of a headless man scares the heck out of me!), I thought it'd be more exciting. Still, excellent writing of its time and the book wasn't scary ... which is a plus for me! ~Hmmm, so what did happen to Ichabod Crane? I think he was like Zorro in training... hiding out until he gets the knack for becoming the next headless horseman. ~BTW, ...more
This is great. If you are the kind of person that reads Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" every Christmas then you should probably read Washington Irving’s "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" at Halloween. I think I will anyway. I was inspired to read it because of Disney’s fun cartoon of the tale. One of the things I liked about the Disney version was the beautiful wording throughout the film. Well I found all my favorite phrases in the book itself. Disney’s version is pre...more
I read this book as part of my endeavour to read more of the classics, and because I had recently been in the Irvington-on-Hudson area. While I generally enjoy books where the hero, while flawed, is still basically likeable, this is not the case in this story. In fact, I'm not sure there is a character in the book that I did like. However, I loved Irving's writing and the beauty of the language that he used. Some of my favorite quotes:
"In the bosom of one of those spacious co...more
"In the bosom of one of those spacious co...more
This book does not take long to read. It is the story of schoolteacher Icabod Crane and his fateful run in with the specter called the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. Despite being small, the book is surprisingly descriptive and enjoyable to read. The image of Crane riding his horse made me laugh and the descriptions of food at the banquet made my mouth water. If you want to read a short, quick story for Halloween, I would recommend this one.
I chose to read this in order to fill a line in a challenge in which I am participating: "Something with a Halloween reference in the Title or Theme." Well, scary stories are the essence of Halloween. There's a Goodreads list of the best reads for Halloween, and I wasn't in the mood for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
I'm sentimental about this book. It was the first "adult" work that I made a stab at (when I was ten). And while most all it was beyond my comprehension, I remember reading it in the cab of my father's pickup truck in the parking lot of Orthopaedic Hospital after having been told by my doctors that the cyst in my leg had responded to treatment.
Maybe my life wouldn't turn out like Ichabod's after all?
Maybe my life wouldn't turn out like Ichabod's after all?
Short enough to take on in a couple of lunch breaks, I've wanted to read this for some time.
I spent a bit of extra time looking up the story on Wikipedia, and I was glad I did. It mentioned media based upon this story, some I'd never heard of, and some that had helped inspire me to read this original, such as Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow".
Also of note is a great amount of homage to this story in New England itself. Bronzed statues depicting the horseman, highschool s...more
I spent a bit of extra time looking up the story on Wikipedia, and I was glad I did. It mentioned media based upon this story, some I'd never heard of, and some that had helped inspire me to read this original, such as Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow".
Also of note is a great amount of homage to this story in New England itself. Bronzed statues depicting the horseman, highschool s...more
I last read this as required reading in middle school. I have to say that I now have a much greater appreciation for the way the author used words to paint verbal pictures of the countryside and especially of the characters. At the time, the interesting story was the scarecrow image of Ichabod that Irving created - and The Headless Horseman!
There are reasons certain stories stand out through history. When I started reading this one I discovered why this is a classic. The imagery is amazing, the language is astounding, and the story is simple yet clear. All in all it contains many of the elements that make for an excellent story. The one thing that stood out the most for me was the literary description that went into this book. Some of the descriptions that appear in this text paint a vivid picture that one can't help but slow down ...more
The classic is an enjoyable, but dated tale of a cross between an attempt at mystery and horror. However, who can resist reading about the fictitious Ichabod Crane, Katrina, Brom, and of course the Headless Horseman.
Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress"
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classic-horror,
short-story
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I read this book to my library 1st and 2nd graders. Many have since checked it out on their own. It's a story that will keep their interest.
More for older children or adults. The text is hard to understand at times but the story is a good spooky one for Halloween.
The legend of sleepy hollow by Washington Irving was a good book because it based on this headless horseman. Ichabod Crane is the schoolteacher as I was reading it said that other than being a teacher he worked on farms, lived with families, and also sang in the church choir. When I finished reading the book is felt like the horseman was after me to get my head to replace his pumpkin head. I also saw the movie and I tried to compare it to the book, but I thought to myself that there were no simi...more
This book follows the story of Ichabod Crane, a schoolmaster living in the quiet (yet strangely creepy) town of Sleepy Hollow, and gives an insight into their (seemingly true) somewhat macabre folklore.
I have to admit, all the way through reading this one, I was mentally cross-referencing it to the movie, which I have to admit, made me jump way too much when I was a kid. I have to admit, I was impressed by the movie following reading this, because it actually sticks quite closely ...more
I have to admit, all the way through reading this one, I was mentally cross-referencing it to the movie, which I have to admit, made me jump way too much when I was a kid. I have to admit, I was impressed by the movie following reading this, because it actually sticks quite closely ...more
The narration is adequate but not memorable or particularly good. It is a lackluster choice of voice and actor interpretation . . . although in her defense poor Glenn Close never stood a chance to win over those listeners who have heard Bing Crosby narrate The Legend of Sleepy Hollow for Disney's 1949 animated feature "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad." In fact, his narration released in an audiobook version with be fantastic.
The soundtrack overpowers the narr...more
from my blog: (\__/)nymfaux
Although it was one of those stories that everybody kind of knows, I didn’t actually read it until I was in high school. Actually, I’m pretty sure that one of my earliest introductions to the story was via Nickelodeon. (Raise your hand if you remember Special Delivery) On weekends they used to show anime-esque cartoons of fairy tales and classics. One of which happened to be The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I’m pretty sure that’s why I always have a cartoo...more
Although it was one of those stories that everybody kind of knows, I didn’t actually read it until I was in high school. Actually, I’m pretty sure that one of my earliest introductions to the story was via Nickelodeon. (Raise your hand if you remember Special Delivery) On weekends they used to show anime-esque cartoons of fairy tales and classics. One of which happened to be The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I’m pretty sure that’s why I always have a cartoo...more
I've been reading a lot of classics lately, which has been enjoyable. You hear lots of things about them so you expect one thing and get another. This was not the case with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. All the tellings of it, the movies I've seen and the children's books I've read are identical to the original.
In some ways, the story matching so well to all the versions of it that I have come across in my life was nice. It was very easy to picture Icabod. Not only does Irving do...more
In some ways, the story matching so well to all the versions of it that I have come across in my life was nice. It was very easy to picture Icabod. Not only does Irving do...more
Relecture de cette nouvelle d'Irving, sans doute plus célèbre pour le film que Burton en a tiré que pour elle-même, bien que cette adaptation cinématographique ne s'en soit que faiblement inspirée (les scénaristes ont repris la légende utilisée par Irving et ont construit une tout autre histoire autour de celle-ci).
M'attendant à une nouvelle plus proche du film, j'avais été très déçue à la première lecture. Avec du recul, et sans doute plus de maturité, j'ai mieux su l'apprécier. Il s'...more
M'attendant à une nouvelle plus proche du film, j'avais été très déçue à la première lecture. Avec du recul, et sans doute plus de maturité, j'ai mieux su l'apprécier. Il s'...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of George Washington, Oliver Goldsmith and Muhammad, and several his...more
More about Washington Irving...
Share This Book
2 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
