Yeah, I know -- You’ve all seen the Disney version of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." There’s more to Irving than silly cartoons, though. In his day, Irving was one of America’s most celebrated authors – and with good reason. At his best, his prose simply sings. Where other writers beat description to death (e.g., Tolkien’s irritatingly detailed accounts of Middle Earth’s scenery), Iriving uses it to accent his pieces tastefully, and to create genuine atmosphere. His descriptions of Dutch farmhouses and settlements in colonial New York, for example, make the reader feel as if he’s actually there. Beyond his flair for atmosphere, Irving was a clever and accomplished humorist, as attested by one of his best pieces, "The Chronicles of the Reign of William the Testy."