The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories

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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories

by Washington Irving (author), William L. Hedges (Introduction)

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 20,605 ratings · 213 reviews

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...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published October 1st 1999 by Penguin Classics (first published June 23rd 1819)

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Mar 27, 2011 Robert rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-fiction, gothic, history, supernatural-horror, travel

I was a victim of marketing with this book: If it had been The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (the original title) on the cover I almost certainly would have passed it by. However, I could not miss out on the book holding Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, two stories whose fame outstrips that of their author by a few miles (at least in Britain).

It turns out that "Sketchbook" is appropriate, where-as "Stories" is only apt to a minority of the pieces. The collection is a rattle...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Bryan Ball rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, ghost-stories, classics

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 story. Ichabod and the dro...more 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 story. Ichabod and the drowsy, small village/settlement in New York's Hudson country at harvest is beautifully described, in passages such as this: "It was, as I have said, a fine autumnal day; the sky was clear and serene, and nature wore that rich and golden livery which we always associate with the idea of abundance. The forests had put on their sober brown and yellow, while some trees of the tenderer kind had been nipped by the frosts into brilliant dyes of orange, purple, and scarlet." And it is from this lush, secluded, rural autumn setting Irving explores the nature of myth, of legend, of the ghost story.

The work-- somewhere between a novella and a long short story-- is brief, and spares not a word. The reader is told and shown different pieces, viewpoints of this greater story which has become legend. We are told the story was found in papers, and in these papers we are told of the telling to the papers' writer from another. We see Ichabod, in glimpses, and know only what appear to be flashes on his lead up to the now famous ride home from which he never returns. And then we are left with the many tales the locals tell about what they believe happened to Ichabod-- and we are left to wonder. Did Ichabod meet the Headless Horseman on the fateful night? Was he simply a victim of harassment or worse by Brom? It seems, at first, probable that Ichabod did not meet the ghost, but fell victim to Katrina's other suitor. But the questions abound. Because, if so-- why would Brom attack Ichabod after it appeared Katrina rejected him? There are so many questions left unanswered, and so many answers which become the ghost story legend of Sleepy Hollow-- and the reader is beautifully shown just how local legends are born. (less)

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Sep 11, 2011 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Those looking for the origins of some old legends, and the enjoyment of some pretty good stories!

Recommended to Nicole by: American Literature of the 19th Century (Class)

Shelves: education

It's been a long time since I had the pleasure of sitting down and reading pieces of literature written in a time before these last couple of decades, and this one did not disappoint. Mind you, while I'm reading this for my American Literature of the 19th Century class (English Major~ Who'd have guessed it~), it's a really delicious experience to be able to put down the more rampant outlandish stories that so often capture the minds of the youths today and read something that was trying to estab...more It's been a long time since I had the pleasure of sitting down and reading pieces of literature written in a time before these last couple of decades, and this one did not disappoint. Mind you, while I'm reading this for my American Literature of the 19th Century class (English Major~ Who'd have guessed it~), it's a really delicious experience to be able to put down the more rampant outlandish stories that so often capture the minds of the youths today and read something that was trying to establish--for the very first time in our history as a country--a train of literature that could be truly called "American." For that single reason, it's a little taste of wonder to go back to these several short stories that became such well known legends in our culture (some that I admit I never knew of as well~) and see what people wrote on the brink of our beginnings as a nation.

Yet even to put aside the relationship of this small book's worth in the development of a nation and its establishment of a strain of literature all its own, this is a really fun and enjoyable piece of fiction to read. It's refreshing to put aside all the fantasies that we're used to hearing about, and the pathetic attempts at portraying romance in some "cool" and "sexy" (more like "redundant and grotesquely pathetic") way, and just enjoy plain works that have elements of all of the above and more. Adventure, mysticism, the passing of ages, the call and devotion of love, the fits of passion and miscarriage of rage~ There are so many HUMAN and wonderfully engaging themes to this little collection of stories written by Washington Irving! You don't have to like all of them, but each of them has its own little world and fanciful, charming tale that it weaves for you, easily and quickly fretting you along its bends and easygoing ways.

Irving's work is not difficult to read, for all that his language does give away its age at times. His works are for the most part simple and to the point, with the exception that he--like many of the characters he writes--tend to get carried away on whims of fancy and completely engulf themselves in their own passions. *Laughs* But it's an enjoyable thing in every story! Even when I found myself rolling my eyes or shaking my head, I still read the story, because each one of them contained a smidgeon of something that captured my interest and kept me going just a little bit further. His plots are all quite simple to follow. There's nothing bewildering or confusing, even though most of them have a few mysterious elements thrown in there for a while. But most of those are unraveled before long, and the one time he took me on a journey from one story to another to another, only to shock me with a surprise ending in finding the stories were all related, I was awed with wonder at how he expertly swung all these seemingly unrelated tales fully around and linked them together to form a delightful loop! He is, if nothing else, a masterful executor of language, and his storytelling, whether the subjects seem to be up your alley or not, is almost continuously enjoyable!

In just under two hundred pages, we get thirteen different stories, and I must say that while some dragged a little, there were quite a few that really caught the imagination or spoke to the emotions and the engaged mind! Irving has a spectacular manner of making things that can be so dated still remain absolutely charming outside their time period, and it is only emphasized by my playful attitude while reading his works. While more than a few of them carry a message, and some beautifully philosophize, we still have that amiable storyteller sitting there before us, telling us his tales of all kinds, yet never losing that same enjoyable quality that made this such a pleasant read. And just for the record, my favorite stories would have to be "Rip Van Winkle," "The Mutability of Literature," "The Wife," and then the string of stories that all lead into one another: "Adventure of the Mysterious Stranger," "The Adventure of My Uncle," "The Adventure of My Aunt," and lastly "The Story of the Young Italian." *Laughs* Seven out of thirteen! Guess I really did enjoy this read for the greater part! And these are only the ones that I loved! The others were still really enjoyable too!

It's a fun read, guys. If you're looking for something a little out of the century and common themes, and you're into legends and old folklore (or things from the 19th Century~), then definitely pick this little book up. It's a read that teaches you while you enjoy it, and your vocabulary and mind will thank you for it~! You can so easily have fun with these simple tales, and engage with what's going on. Was it super-spectacular and amazing to me? Not just quite~ But was it a great read regardless? Yeah, it definitely was. :3 Come on! Check it out! A hundred and seventy pages can't hurt you! People read absolute DIRT that's twice as long as that and only zaps brain space instead of increasing it. *Chuckles* Take up this book definitely. It's a skip and a trip~! I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did! ^__^ At the very least, I sure do hope so~!(less)

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Oct 27, 2009 Bookworm rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow starts off with the narrator describing the town of Sleepy Hollow. The mood is set perfectly, the small town is said to be haunted and the townspeople believe there is such a thing as the Headless Horseman.
Enter Ichabod Crane, who is a schoolteacher and arrives at Sleepy Hollow from Connecticut to teach the townchildren. Ichabod is described as being tall and lanky, with his clothes too large for his thin frame. He also enjoyed reading, singing and flirting with the t...more The Legend of Sleepy Hollow starts off with the narrator describing the town of Sleepy Hollow. The mood is set perfectly, the small town is said to be haunted and the townspeople believe there is such a thing as the Headless Horseman.
Enter Ichabod Crane, who is a schoolteacher and arrives at Sleepy Hollow from Connecticut to teach the townchildren. Ichabod is described as being tall and lanky, with his clothes too large for his thin frame. He also enjoyed reading, singing and flirting with the townswomen. He spent winter evenings with the old Dutch wives and loved to hear them tell ghost stories.
When he meets Katrina Van Tassel, he likes her right away. However, Katrina is being courted by Brom Van Brunt, a young man well known for being mischevious.
When there is a party at the Van Tassel home and the whole town is invited, Ichabod is more than happy to go. Ichabod hopes that one day he will marry Katrina and he will inherit the Van Tassel property.

As the night goes on with dancing and drinking, the townspeople begin to tell thier ghost stories. And invetiably, they begin to tell stories about The Headless Horseman.
Once the night is over and everyone starts to go home, Ichabod stays behind to speak to Katrina. When he is done, he leaves, walking home alone late at night. He begins to pass a few of the places where the ghost stories he heard of took place.
Out of the dark appears the Horseman, and comes after Ichabod. The next day all that the townspeople find is Ichabod's horse, hat and a smashed pumpkin. Everyone just accepts that the Horseman killed Ichabod.
A few years later, an old farmer visits New York and comes back to town saying that he saw Ichabod Crane there. He claims that Ichabod ran off that dark night because he was spooked in the woods and because Katrina had turned him down. Brom also seemed a bit suspicious whenever people mentioned Icabod's dissapearance. He would laugh at the story and seemed to know more than he was telling anyone.

I hadn't read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow since I was in grade school, and on re-reading it, I found that I still enjoyed it. This is a great spooky story for anyone, especially older school children.
I liked how Irving sets the mood and there is no dialogue in the story, it is just the narrator telling his tale.(less)

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Aug 17, 2007 John Wiswell rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Classics readers, short story readers, literary readers

Masterworks from one of the pioneers of the American short story, including the classic "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." "Rip Van Winkle," along with several lesser known stories like "The Angler," have aged very well and are very readable literary fiction for something from almost two hundred years ago. Their themes, of cultural change and the people who are lost in it, are prescient today. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" has both examples of dated humor and dated horror, and i...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

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. Once ag...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star, tinta-da-china, meu, 2010

Este é o meu primeiro livro da editora Tinta da China e devo dizer que o cuidado, a qualidade e a excelência estão todos presentes neste pequeno livro de três contos.

Este volume traz-nos três contos mágicos e emocionantes - A lenda do cavaleiro sem cabeça; Rip Van Winkle; A lenda do astrólogo árabe.

Do primeiro conto já conhecia as linhas principais, pois lembro do filme com o mesmo título de Tim Burton. Mas a história original é algo diferente e tem um final com duas possíveis interpretações, fa...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Arwen56 rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: racconti

Era da tempo che desideravo leggere un libro di Washington Irving. Per la precisione, la voglia mi è venuta la bellezza di 28 anni fa, ossia da quando, leggendo quel libro mitico che è “Comma 22”, mi sono imbattuta in Yossarian che firma i suoi "lavori" di censore alternativamente con il nome di Washington Irving e Irving Washington. Ma non me ne era mai capitata l'occasione.

Vorrei poter dire che il procrastinare la soddisfazione del desiderio ne abbia proporzionalmente aumentato il piacere. Ma...more Era da tempo che desideravo leggere un libro di Washington Irving. Per la precisione, la voglia mi è venuta la bellezza di 28 anni fa, ossia da quando, leggendo quel libro mitico che è “Comma 22”, mi sono imbattuta in Yossarian che firma i suoi "lavori" di censore alternativamente con il nome di Washington Irving e Irving Washington. Ma non me ne era mai capitata l'occasione.

Vorrei poter dire che il procrastinare la soddisfazione del desiderio ne abbia proporzionalmente aumentato il piacere. Ma così non è. Non che lo giudichi "brutto", ma non appartiene al genere di letture che preferisco.

Va detto che, anche in questo caso, esattamente come è stato per la "La bambina che salvava i libri", il titolo dato alla traduzione italiana è del tutto fuorviante: "Il mistero di Sleepy Hollow e altri racconti". "Il mistero di Sleepy Hollow" è effettivamente un racconto. E qualche altro racconto c'è anche, tipo "Lo sposo fantasma", ma sono assolutamente in minoranza rispetto agli altri scritti, che raccolgono per lo più impressioni di viaggio, considerazioni personali, annotazioni varie e appunti forse da usarsi per futuri racconti poi mai scritti. Infatti, il titolo originale è “The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Cryon, Gent.”. E "sketch" significa proprio schizzo, abbozzo, tratteggio sommario e ben definisce il contenuto del libro. Altra bella cazzata degli editor, a mio modesto avviso.

Leggendo le diverse recensioni che su questo libro hanno scritto gli aNobiiani, le lamentele più frequenti in cui sono incorsa sono che, disgraziatamente, "Sleepy Hollow" nulla avrebbe in comune con il film che ne è stato tratto e che ci sono troppe, noiosissime descrizioni. Sulla prima considerazione non dico nulla, perché la pellicola non l’ho vista. Sulla seconda, invece, posso esprimere la mia opinione. In prima battuta, considerando il periodo storico in cui lo scrittore si colloca, era assolutamente ovvio che vi sarebbero state un buon numero di descrizioni e stupirsene mi sembra fuor di luogo. Se si sa già che si preferiscono azioni rapide e dialoghi serrati, non si acquistano certo testi scritti ad inizio ‘800. In seconda battuta, personalmente quel che ho apprezzato sono proprio le descrizioni, la precisione del linguaggio usato, alcune folgoranti osservazioni, l’eleganza di certe immagini. Certo, sono molto datati i concetti, ma vanno presi considerando il momento in cui sono stati messi nero su bianco. Il tenore dei racconti veri e propri, invece, l'ho apprezzato poco, perché, come ho già detto, non rientra nel genere da me preferito. Tuttavia anch’essi hanno il pregio di un’accurata scrittura.

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Aug 17, 2012 Todd rated it 3 of 5 stars

Review Essay/ Sleepy Hollow
Washington Irving
Student / Todd W. Geyer
Excelsior College

Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American author. The story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", written in 1819 by Washington Irving, has been depicted as a horror story for over a hundred years. Characters include Katrina Van Tassel, Ichabod Crane and Brom Van Brunt. Ichabod Crane is a school teacher who travels and stays with local residents. The name of the town he resides is Tarry to...more
Review Essay/ Sleepy Hollow
Washington Irving
Student / Todd W. Geyer
Excelsior College

Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American author. The story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", written in 1819 by Washington Irving, has been depicted as a horror story for over a hundred years. Characters include Katrina Van Tassel, Ichabod Crane and Brom Van Brunt. Ichabod Crane is a school teacher who travels and stays with local residents. The name of the town he resides is Tarry town. There has been a mythical figure associated with the area surrounding Tarry town for many years. A headless horse man. It is said that the Author, Washington Irving, wrote this story during the era of gold , silver and the new concept of credit. The legend of Sleepy Hollow symbolizes this impact and how it affected Irving’s writing. Relevant story quotes depict possible meanings to Washington when the script mentions Ichabod, a teacher who” lived successfully a week at a time”. Thus relating to people who rely on credit for support. There were other indicators in the tactics in when it came to trying to win Katrina’s heart. Ichabod was a school teacher and Brom was a thug. There methods for winning her heart were significantly different in the story. Although Ichabod fully believed he was the better choice, after the party at the Van Tassels , Katrina had picked Brom. Ichabod appeared to be the better choice of man throughout the story. He was kind and charming. Again identifying relevance to his use of credit to buy her love but ultimate losing by Brom who indicted strength and not wealth. During the party the headless horseman makes his appearance. He rides around the towns graveyard at night … Ichabod after leaving then party comes across the headless horseman. His encounter left him missing and nowhere to be found. The headless horseman symbolizes the fate of the men who use credit too often. When Ichabod was already at a low point and just realized he had lost his prize, the headless horsemen came by and took away any hope he had left. Much how men were figuring out that credit couldn't buy them everything and wouldn't always work out; Ichabod was figuring out that his charm couldn't win him everything. Then much like the headless horsemen, the men's realization of their financial situation would destroy whatever hope they have left. (jorgy2009) "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" symbolizes Irving Washington and other men's short comings during the shift in the American market from paper, gold, and silver to credit. There is a lot of evidence within the text and in Irving Washington's past to support this analysis. Even though "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" makes for a great horror story, there is a bigger meaning to it, and it summarizes the story of many Americans during a rough economic time.(jorgy2009)

Work Cited

Anthony, David. "'Gone distracted': 'sleepy hollow,' gothic masculinity, and the panic of 1819." Early American Literature 40.1 (Wntr 2005): 111(34). Academic OneFile. Gale. Michigan State University Libraries. 28 Apr. 2009 .
Blackson, Robert M. "Pennsylvania Banks and the Panic of 1819: A Reinterpretation." Autumn 1989. JStor. Michigan State University Libraries, East Lansing, MI. 28 Apr. 2009 .
Dan Jorgy/ review
http://voices.yahoo.com/the-legend-sl...
http://www.americanliterature.com/Irv...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingt...
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Aug 11, 2012 Nicole Green rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was nice to re-read the stories I had grown up knowing and loving. I also realized, like most movies, they are completely different from the books. I knew the animated version of the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" quite well and as I grew older I fell in love with Tim Burton's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. The book however, wasn't as terrifying as I remembered it to be. But I guess back in the 1800s when Iriving wrote it, things were quite different.

Also in...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Renee King - Hooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: YA and Adults

Shelves: own

From the Publisher:

When Ichabod Crane becomes the new schoolmaster of Sleepy Hollow, he quickly and happily adjusts to the local ways. He delights in the bountiful dinners he's served when visiting the prosperous farms of the region; he enjoys the local yarns and scary legends that fill the firelit evenings of autumn; and he comes to love the idea of marrying Katrina Van Tassel and of one day owning her father's wealth and lands. There's one problem with his plans, though: Brom Bones, the local...more

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Jan 02, 2012 V H rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It has been a while since I saw the movie Sleepy Hollow but when I saw this book I had to get it as I seemed to remember I liked the movie, and the book is usually better than the movie.

Sleepy Hollow is the last story in the book, and so I had to read a lot of other ones before I got to it. They seemed to get more and more boring. The stories themselves wasn't necessarily boring, but the way they were written was. My mind started wandering in all of them and I had to re-read whole pages because...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Clarkhou rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: folklores, january, fiction

Pg.1-43
Various tales are being told by elders that a hessian soldier died in a war and its ghost appears in the form of a headless horseman. Then the story begins in a dutch settlement, when it's autumn, fruits and veggies ripe for picking and harvesting. And then came a horse rider who is also a school teacher, named Ichabod Crane being introduced in the story. Who also is competing with Brom Bones to court and marry a woman named Katrina, daughter of Old Man Van Tassel. So as the season winds...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Martha Smith rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic-literature

The story is set circa 1790 in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (based on Tarrytown, New York), in a secluded glen called Sleepy Hollow. It tells the story of Ichabod Crane, who is a lean, lanky, and extremely superstitious schoolmaster from Connecticut, who competes with Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, the town rowdy, for the hand of 18-year-old Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter and sole child of a wealthy farmer, Baltus Van Tassel. As Crane leaves a party he attended at the Van Tassel home on...more

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Oct 26, 2010 Louize rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"That's for kids", most people would say.
But more than that, this book is paranormally satisfying and inspiring.
It is surprisingly readable, witty, well-narrated, and unsoapy of dialogues.

I can't rightly say which of the stories is my favorite; one thing's for sure, Irving's stories were simply ahead of his time. And Arthur Rackham's illustrations were amazing.

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Dec 03, 2012 Chaitra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, short-story-collection, anthology, made-into-a-movie, gothic, humor, young-adult, classic, paranormal, supernatural, suspense

I'll confess that I had no interest in reading this whatsoever, but did so for a challenge. It's mostly a disappointing set of stories.

My copy had:

1. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This was the most disappointing of the lot for me. I love the Tim Burton movie, and it's amazing what was done with it now that I know that the story is so slight. Oh, Irving fills it with atmospheric details, enough to put Wordsworth and his daffodils to shame, but it still does not change the fact that the story is.....more

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Jan 27, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read_2012

I had this collection, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Tales”, of ghost stories targeted to read for Halloween 2011, but never was able to start it until after Christmas. I have been on a classics kick and try, when possible, to read classics that align with the time of the year. This was my first exposure to Washington Irving’s short stories and was impressed with his unique characters such as Ichabod Crane, Rip Van Winkle, and Dolph Heyliger, his clear writing prose, and description of...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was very disappointed in this book. There was way too much of describing everything. I always liked all the movies/shows they made about this so I had high hopes for the book. It was very hard getting through this book.

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Jan 24, 2013 g-na rated it 3 of 5 stars

Before picking up this book I never realized what a prolific author Irving was. While I really just wanted to read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" I ended up also reading "Rip Van Winkle" (since it's a classic), and a couple other tales. I quickly discovered that I had no interest in reading all the short stories because the writing style from this time period, the early 1800s, is quite different from what we are used to today. That certainly doesn't make it bad, but it's just not my style.

If you...more

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Oct 19, 2010 Katherine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-kids

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.

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May 07, 2012 Kathy Jackson rated it 2 of 5 stars

Decided to read this as it is a classic and not that long so fit into the amount of time I had to read. In the beginning I loved the dialect it was written in - the old English - however, by the time it was done, I was rather tired of it.

It had some wonderfully discriptive lines such as "Though many years has elapsed ince I trod the drowsy shades of Sleepy Hollow, yet I question whether I should not still find the same trees and the same families vegatating in its sheltered bosom."

I was disappoi...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Becky rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, horror, non-fiction, historical, literary

You can check out my full review here: http://beckysblogs.wordpress.com/2013...
Some great atmospheric short stories hidden within a cascade of irrelevant non-fiction.
I should first mention that the reason for my negative rating is to do with this specific edition of the book by Collins Classic. The short stories – my original reason for purchasing, were entertaining and historically interesting. I set out only to buy The Sleepy Hollow but discovered this edition was cheaper. Getting more pages f...more You can check out my full review here: http://beckysblogs.wordpress.com/2013...
Some great atmospheric short stories hidden within a cascade of irrelevant non-fiction.
I should first mention that the reason for my negative rating is to do with this specific edition of the book by Collins Classic. The short stories – my original reason for purchasing, were entertaining and historically interesting. I set out only to buy The Sleepy Hollow but discovered this edition was cheaper. Getting more pages for a better price seemed like a win win at the time. Hm, turns out not so much… the title is clever, it tends to suggest the book will be full of chilling stories when in fact, there are only three (73 pages worth). The rest of the 332 pages are non-fiction, not quite what I had in mind!

Irving’s writing style is interesting in the fact that his fiction reads exactly like his non-fiction, a strange trait. I think this is because the non-fiction is rarely based in fact and instead tends to rely on his observations of others and weighty descriptions. He is great at building a narrative, sweeping the reader up into one of his mysterious short stories and ending on a note that makes you want to hear more, yet I have to say I never really warmed to his writing. I appreciated his way of crafting a story but for the most part his prose felt somewhat self indulgent to me. A lot of his sentences last a whole paragraph which in some cases can be half a page. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as you mix up with some smaller ones too, but this rarely seemed to happen which made reading quite exhausting. This seemed even more prominent because there is barely any dialogue, not even in the short stories. This may have been a reflection of the way he wanted to portray the story but I have to admit I wasn’t really a fan of it.

I will start by talking about the short stories which for the most part, I really enjoyed! Rip Van Winkle was the first I encountered about a man who is great at dealing with everyone’s business except his own. One day in an attempt to avoid his responsibilities he makes a trip up the mountains and when he gets back down he seems to have fast forwarded through time. I thought Rip Van Winkle was really fun with a definite wistful fairytale feel about it. Irving’s descriptions painted a clear picture of the quaint surroundings and the people that lived there and for such a short tale it worked really well. The characters felt surprisingly fleshed out and Rip carried me along with him on his journey; I felt the same annoyance at his wife’s nagging, his joy at escaping for the day and his confusion on seeing that his home ceased to exist as he had known it. I give this tale a happy 3 stars.

The second short story in the book was The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, or as many others know it, the tale of the headless horseman. In this we follows a school teacher named Ichabod Crane, an odd fellow who relies on the townspeople to lodge him, staying at a different house each night. He is a newcomer to Sleepy Hollow, a place where elaborate stories and mysterious happenings are frequent, but none are more well known than that of the headless horseman, a ghost said to terrorise villagers looking for his missing head and in the hopes of finding a new one.
Although this is the most well known and longest story of the three, it was actually my least favourite because it to me, showed up some of the main issues I had with his writing. The imagery was great, striking a balance between the magical and the sinister. However, the majority of the story I found extremely dull, there were a lot of pointless pages full of endless descriptions with no bearing on the plot. I found myself flicking forward regularly to see how many pages of the story I had left, and there was a lot of exasperated sighing on my part. Again the main reason for this I felt was the lack of dialogue, it doesn’t become an issue with the other stories because they are short, but this one was 32 pages and without dialogue to break the story up it really drags and there is so much telling rather than showing! For the same reason I didn’t get a sense of the main characters, you are told what they look like but don’t get a chance to see it in action with the way they speak. That being said, I absolutely loved the ending with the headless horseman chase, I kept looking over my shoulder to check no one was there, it was a great atmospheric, creepy ending, it’s just a shame that it took so long to get there. I give this tale 2 frustrated stars.

The final short story and my favourite overall was The Spectre Bridegroom. The prettiest young girl around (because they are always the prettiest and fairest in these stories don’t you know?) is set to be married to a returning soldier. The soldier meets a companion along the way and they make the journey back together, but disaster strikes when they are ambushed by robbers and the bridegroom is mortally wounded. He tells his friend to explain to his bride why he never arrived to marry her, or his soul will not rest peacefully.
I thought this story was great, there were a lot of funny elements due to the tongue and cheek narration style. The plot was perfectly paced and there didn’t seem to be any overindulgent descriptions to slow the story down. The characters shone more brightly out of this one as their typical cliché’s were made fun of which made very entertaining reading! One of the aspects I did truly love about all of Washington Irving’s short stories, especially this one is that he leaves them open ended. His narration throughout always suggests supernatural tendencies, but at the end of each he plants a seed of doubt, an alternate explanation and you are left to wonder what really happened. Everything is up to interpretation. This story gets 4 happy stars from me.

So all sounds pretty good so far right? Unfortunately I felt my enjoyment was heavily impacted by the rest of the book which was a torturous slog through what felt like pointless non-fiction. It mostly covers the authors trips through Europe, especially England and his personal reflections, but that is the only thing they seem to have in common. I did enjoy a few of them, descriptions of his voyage and some of his comments on people’s views on Indians were vaguely interesting, I also learnt a lot of random facts about James I of Scotland, but the majority of them were an utter snore-fest. For example he spent around 45 pages droning on about Christmas and had absolutely nothing worth interest to add. WHY IS THIS STUFF IN HERE? I DON’T UNDERSTAND. I struggled to force myself to read it. I know a normal person would just read the short stories and leave the rest, but I was physically incapable of doing that. I knew that it would bug me and scream unfinished from its position on the shelf so I slowly struggled through the whole thing. I’m sure in their original context their existence as pieces of work would probably make sense, but as they stand in this book they are nothing but useless and irrelevant. A future tip to Collins Classics: DO NOT STUFF YOUR BOOKS FULL OF IRRELIVENT BORING FILLER JUST TO MAKE IT LOOK BIGGER AND MORE WORTH BUYING OKAY? IT WILL BACKFIRE.

I wouldn’t recommend this version of Washington Irving’s stories unless you are able to bypass the non-fiction without it bothering you. However, I would definitely recommend the short stories in another format to anyone who loves supernatural tales with ambiguous endings left for the reader to interpret. They have a great mixture of fairytale-esk and sinister vibes!(less)

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Jun 22, 2012 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ghost-stories

Sleepy Hollow, Rip van Winkle, Irving is the supposed proto-architypal American folklorist, but he wrote pretty late in American letters (mid-19th century) and actually it's his European sketches and ghost stories that I found most fascinating here. (Well, also the misogyny, but let's be positive.) Among them, my very favorite was The Mutability of Literature, which I think every literature survey course should read, and Mountjoy, about an insufferable know-it-all who assumes the object of his a...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Andrea Walker rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, fantasy, fiction, horror

I was expecting something more from this. I'm not entirely sure what, but I was rather disappointed. I found this to be a rather tame story that failed to engage my interest in the characters and their respective fates. I think it could have been extremely well done if it had been longer, with more attention given to the characterisation and the building of some sort of personalisation between the reader and the main character. The suspense could have been built more slowly and more effectively...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Timothy Ferguson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: librivox

Not what I expected at all

A very English book for an early light in the American literary scene. Contents a very strange admixture. Ghost stories, as you'd expect, and tales like Rip van Winkle, but literary criticism of the love poetry of an obscure Scottish king? Thoughts on English customary funereal practicies? Basically he just threw together anything that wasa bit colourful, so far as I can see.

So, good, but wordy, so you'll need to be a patient listener (if, like me, you listened to the...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Joseph (Millennium Man) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: goal-books

He is a fantastic writer and historian. This collection was originally published as Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon.

It contains two most famous works, Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. He has essays of his voyage an visit to England where he lived for at least two years. Included is his essays of time spent with the local people celebrating Christmas with them. His visit and notes from Westminster Abby along with visits to local taverns and local haunts. He is a master of description. He...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Anna Ligtenberg rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ISBN 0824985745 - Printed and bound in Mexico (boo hiss to Ideal Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee, for that decision - the US can print and bind, too!). Amazon says this book is for ages 4 to 8. I'll disagree, in a small way. This book is for your child when you think your child is old enough for it - and that will be so individual that suggested ages are irrelevant. If I had to choose an appropriate age group, myself, I'd think 8 to 12.

Before I get to my review, I'd like to ask Amazon review...more ISBN 0824985745 - Printed and bound in Mexico (boo hiss to Ideal Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee, for that decision - the US can print and bind, too!). Amazon says this book is for ages 4 to 8. I'll disagree, in a small way. This book is for your child when you think your child is old enough for it - and that will be so individual that suggested ages are irrelevant. If I had to choose an appropriate age group, myself, I'd think 8 to 12.

Before I get to my review, I'd like to ask Amazon review readers to notice the line above each review, where it says "This review is from:". Click the book title next to a few different ones and you'll see that they lead back to different editions. Amazon has this somewhat annoying habit of lumping reviews together when they're not really for the same book at all. In kids' books, especially, this matters, since illustrations are a huge portion of the package and the quality can vary so much. Remember to keep that in mind! On with the review.

Ichabod Crane, a schoolmaster, came to teach in Tarry Town, a place that happened to have a local legend about a headless horseman who haunted the nearby woods. Ichabod, moving from one family's home to another on a weekly basis, passed through those woods frequently, spooking himself with memories of the tales. Tired of his slightly vagabond-like life, Crane decides to win the hand of a local young lady, putting himself in place to inherit her family land and a stable home of his own, finally. With his heart set on Katrina, he is challenged at every turn by the very strong Brom Bones, and on the night when Ichabod finally speaks up about his feelings, only to have his hopes dashed, a scary and suspicious appearance of The Headless Horseman occurs - and Crane disappears forever!

The text is framed by the outline of spooky, leafless trees in colors that match the color of the illustration on the facing page. Those images are large, bold and match the mood of the text superbly. For the classic American folk tale by Washington Irving, alone, I'd give it five stars, but when you add in the absolutely wonderful illustrations by Russ Flint, this is one edition of this book that is staying on my keeper shelf for good. The adaptation is good, not flawless, and the person who did the adaptation isn't named anywhere on the book that I could see.

- AnnaLovesBooks(less)

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Dec 29, 2012 Leonardo Navarro rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: three-star-books, reviewed-books

Es un libro difícil, sin duda. Difícil de leer (aunque tenga muy pocas páginas), de explicar, entender y gustar. Es difícil que no te guste el libro que inspiró una de tus películas favoritas (bueno, me pasó con éste libro).

Cuando era más pequeño (como a los once, doce años) vi la película El jinete sin cabeza, y se convirtió en una de mis películas favoritas. Hace muy poco (fue este año, no sé cuando) me enteré de éste relato, que había inspirado la película que ya tenía olvidada desde hacía m...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites-of-youth

I can't tell you how old I was when this story was first read to me, but I was very, very young and already had a keen interest in the paranormal. I do recall the library book my mother read the story from, it was an anthology of children's literature with Arthur Rackham illustrations.

It was required reading in my 8th grade English class, when I was reintroduced to the story. My teacher led classroom discussion and I think she made this an interesting literary work for our age group.

As an adult,...more

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Aug 03, 2012 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, vampires-and-dark-themed

First of all: despite the fact that the book uses the cover of Tim Burton's film as a marketing strategy, the book has very little to do with the Burton film.

I've been wanting to read this book for many years. Actually, since I discovered it was a book. Up until then, I only knew 2 versions of this tale:
- 1st the Disney short animated film (known in English as "Ichabod Crane". The version I grew up with, dubbed in Brazilian, was more appropriately named "The Legend of the Headless Horseman") wh...more First of all: despite the fact that the book uses the cover of Tim Burton's film as a marketing strategy, the book has very little to do with the Burton film.

I've been wanting to read this book for many years. Actually, since I discovered it was a book. Up until then, I only knew 2 versions of this tale:
- 1st the Disney short animated film (known in English as "Ichabod Crane". The version I grew up with, dubbed in Brazilian, was more appropriately named "The Legend of the Headless Horseman") which is, up until today, one of my favourite Disney animated films. I like it way more than I like Bambi or Dumbo, or Snow White or Pinnochio.
- 2nd the Tim Burton film which I like a lot too.

When I then found out they were based on a book, I obviously wanted to read it, mainly to discover which version - Disney or Burton's - was the more faithful. Then I found a copy of the book on sale for 3€ so I didn't waisted time and bought it to put to rest my curiosity.
Well, now I know what I wanted to know and I discovered something sort of "shocking".

Basically Tim Burton's version has NOTHING to do with the original book, apart from the place where the action takes place and the name of 3 main characters - Ichabod, Katrina and Baltus. But that's not REALLY shocking.
What "shocked" me the most was HOW FAITHFUL the DISNEY version is! From the depiction of the places where the story takes place to the drawings of the characters, everything is faithful to the book! The only exception is Katrina, which in the book is described as what to the modern standards would be considered a fat woman. There, obviously, Disney had to modernize de design to make the appeal towards her be relatable to a modern male audience.

The tale itself is very nice. If you've seen the Disney short film you know the tale. I still love the tale after reading the book. I may from now on forget Tim Burton's version is based on the book, but I'll still like both versions.
I would have given it 5 stars if the Portuguese translation wasn't so week and filled with errors.(less)

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About Washington Irving

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 histories of 15th-centu...more

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Legend Of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories (the Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.)

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