The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

by Bo Hampton, Tracey Hampton (Lettering), Washington Irving

Please note that this is the graphic novel adaptation of Sleepy Hollow. If you're looking for the short story, go here.

This is Bo Hampton's 1993 Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a faithful adaptation of Washington Irving's tale surrounding the ghostly inhabitants of Tarrytown, New York around the time of the American Revolution. The cast of characters is headed up by the Headless Horseman himself. This edition boasts new covers and 16 pages of new material, including numerous preliminary sketches of scenes and characters.

Genres: Classics, Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories, Graphic Novels, Mystery

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Alaska Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

taaaaaan mi tipo de libro✨✨✨

[Bhuvanesh Manivannan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every aspect of the book is complex: intricate plot, sophisticated language, detailed narration. The author has done a good job by making the story short. The detailed narration brings forth a good imagination.

I'm citing a block below which impressed me a lot.

I profess not to know how women's hearts are wooed and won. To me they have always been matters of riddle and admiration. Some seem to have but one vulnerable point, or door of access; while others have a thousand avenues, and may be captured in a thousand different ways. It is a great triumph of skill to gain the former, but a still greater proof of generalship to maintain possession of the latter, for man must battle for his fortress at every door and window. He who wins a thousand common hearts is therefore entitled to some renown; but he who keeps undisputed sway over the heart of a coquette is indeed a hero.

The author has left us to interpret the conclusion, where there are many possibilities for what had happened to Ichabod Crane: he could have disappeared to nearby territory or he could have killed. But the story clearly implies that Brom Bones was the Headless Horseman in disguise(his efficiency to ride a steed and his hearty laugh at the mention of the pumpkin[later mentioned at the end]).

[Alexa SOF2014 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This creative and magical novel tells the story about Ichabod Crane who is a poor school teacher and only works for 10 dollars a day. This tale takes place around the time of the American Revolution near Tarrytown, New York. Ichabod sleeps in a student's house and does very little work around the house. He falls in love with the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel. She is a wealthy daughter of a Dutch farmer. He goes to dinner one night at her mansion. At the dinner party everyone is talking about a headless horseman who stalks the countryside at night. One man, Brom Bones, a rival of Ichabod, tells how he and the horseman were in a race. Brom was winning but the horseman flew off in a burst of fire. On his way home from the party Ichabod encounters the headless horseman. He rides off in a hurry but feels something hit his head. The next day Ichabod's horse returns but their was no sign of Ichabod except his hat and a smashed pumpkin.

I think I would find it very difficult to live during the time of the American Revolution. The narrator of this tale, Diedrich Knickerbocker, uses sarcasm very well in telling the reader he has an excellent singing voice and looks like the bird, the crane. During the time ghost stories and legends must have been very popular. I think I would have been very scared hearing these stories.

I would give this famous tale 5 stars! It was very well written and kept my attention. We will never know what really happened to Ichabod Crane.

[Mary Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this tale, really enjoyed the story of the headless horseman when I was younger so I was curious to read this edition when they saw it being read by another Goodreads friend. It was fun but I find some of the graphics a bit funky (hope thats a real word) I prefer realistic drawings ............ Although how.realistic can you make a hideous monster so maybe I'm being too picky.

[Erika B. (SOS BOOKS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect scary story! I love the part where it says ..."and he would have passed a pleasant life of it, in despite of the Devil and all his works, if his path had not been crossed by a being that causes more perplexity to mortal man than ghosts, goblins, and the whole race of witches put together, and that was-a woman." Poor Ichabod Crane!

[Dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great Halloween story! Makes me crave deep autumn.

[Sean Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated adaptation of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Bo Hampton's atmospheric artwork captures both the comic whimsy and gloomy terror of Irving's prose. Remarkable the way this story has inspired artists of all stripes -- writers, animators, illustrators, filmmakers -- for two centuries "to dream dreams, and see apparitions." This graphic novel takes a well-deserved place in the canon of Headless Horseman–inspired literature.

[Natalie E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun tongue-in-cheek folktale that set the tone in many ways for New England spooky vibes. If you’ve only seen the Tim Burton version of Sleepy Hollow or the last time you saw the 1949 film was as a child, you might be startled to realize Ichabod is no hero. I throughly enjoyed reading this short story and was delighted to find the 1949 film (which has always been a favorite of mine) wonderfully captured it. Recommend for anyone looking for a cozy autumn tale that you can read in an hour or less.

[Reagan Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

My whole childhood right here.

[Luuka9999 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eee Thomas Mayne Reid bardziej mi się podobał 🙈

[Ronald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Washington Irving certainly had a firm grasp on language, and he flaunts it here. Still, the flowery description and excruciating attention given to the scenery, vegetation, the food on tables, etc. gets old fast. This is already a short book as it is and said flowery descriptions make up the majority of its length; not much actually happens in terms of story. In fact, the entire plot (which is almost nonexistent) could probably be told in 5 or so pages if we didn't stop to smell the roses so often, and at such great length. I'm all for digression in a book as long as it's interesting (as in philosophical ramblings on the human condition or some such); but I can only stare at a rock or a bale of hay for so long before I'm ready to move on.

Not really a book that I'd recommend, but if you're curious about it then by all means, check it out. It's really not horrible, the writing is quite good, it's just far too tedious for my liking. In all honesty, this is one of those rare instances in which I hold the modern movie adaptation in much higher esteem than the original writing. Sure, the Tim Burton film took great liberties with it and added much that wasn't originally there, but if they hadn't then there simply wouldn't have been enough material for a feature film.

[Clint Keller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh the story of the headless horseman, what better story to read while trying to scare kids or enjoy a nice halloween weekend. The classic horror story created by Washington Irving has been twisted and tweak countless amounts of times to creat movies, shows, and even other books. But there is nothing like the original, and it is evident when reading "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". A story which until the end is just about a man, Icabod Crane, who tries to win a young woman's hand in marriage. But as the story comes close to ending, Icabod runs into a dark figure, the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow.

This short story was very entertaining since before I read this book the only version I knew was from the movie which took a completely different approach. This book, as previously stated, would be perfect around halloween time. I really enjoyed the pictures throughout the book, they were neatly drawn and kept the story very interesting. I would suggest to reading this book to a younger audience but to no one else.

[Leyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the film Sleepy Hollow a couple of weeks ago and I found it very funny and enjoyable (I mean, I like anything by Tim Burton and anything with Johnny Depp in it, so it wasn't such a big surprise) and I decided to read the short story that inspired the movie.

It was a nice and very short read, and even though the director developed and altered the story a bit, I can understand the appeal it posed.


[image error]



Did I say that I'm totally in love with Johnny Depp? :D

[Linds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. I like the gothic old fashioned atmosphere and language.

[Carolyn F.]

Read as a kid - pretty scary. I remember wondering why the teacher was so skinny and then later learned at that time teacher's were more on a starvation salary than now.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scary tale from America's past, but sadly, much of it is lost to another time.

[Riana (RianaInTheStacks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read, particularly close to Halloween. The artwork is very spooky and ethereal with lots of watercolors and lots of blues, blacks, and oranges. Seeing the original sketches at the back was also neat.

The wording is pretty much all taken from the original story, though this is not word-for-word the whole story. The selected parts and accompanying illustrations set up a nice flow and definitely give it the feeling of listening to a ghost story by the fire.

[Innocent · Rating 5 out of 5]

extremely creepy

[synzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

the 1999 movie >>>

t'was a 2 star BUT I added another 0.5 ⭐️ because I absolutely loveddddddd the narration style!!!!!! 🧎🏻‍♀️
I've said it before and I'll say it again I LOVEEEE when the narrator is an actual PERSON telling a story (to the reader or another character idc) especially in this context with him reciting this urban legend that's been told over and over again, so we can't ever be sure how much of it actually happened or if it happened at all, if the narrator is reliable, if he's just making it all up- 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ gets me everytime

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrations are fantastic and story is true to original. Great creepy graphic novel.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

My book club read this for October. I'm not sure I've ever read it all the way through before, and now that I have I'm still not sure why it's such a classic. I guess tales of ghosts and pathetically maladroit schoomasters made a far greater impression on people in the 19th century. Also, it seems to me that people take a lot more out of the story than is actually in there. In which case, Irving has done a tremendous thing by creating tale that we all personalize to some extend.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025 - I wish the part with the headless horseman was much longer! It was a lot of buildup for such a small amount of spookiness at the end!

2008 - I loved the descriptions of Ichabod Crane!

"...for he was a huge feeder, and, though lank, had the dilating powers of an anaconda."

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I must say I expected something different. Still it was quite an interesting read and I liked the rather unusual portrayal of the main character who was nothing less tan a hero. A nice read for Halloween.

[Yodamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio- fun and spooky in audio. A short quick clasic

[Lania Fatma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow weaves a haunting and atmospheric tale that keeps me captivated with its eerie charm. The town of Sleepy Hollow, filled with superstition and shadowed by the legend of the Headless Horseman, sets the stage for an unsettling story of fear, rivalry, and fate. Ichabod Crane, with his quirky nature and ambition, contrasts sharply with the darker forces lurking around him. The story expertly builds tension, leaving me wondering if the ghostly apparition is truly real or a product of Ichabod’s imagination and the town’s collective fears. It’s a story where the supernatural and human vulnerability collide, making it impossible to forget.

What resonates with me most is the way the tale blends humor and horror, showing the complexity of its characters. Ichabod’s comical personality and his rivalry with Brom Bones add layers to the suspense, while the mystery surrounding the Headless Horseman keeps me questioning what is real. The open-ended conclusion, with Ichabod’s fate left uncertain, speaks to the power of imagination and the role of fear in shaping reality. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a fascinating reminder of how stories, both terrifying and humorous, shape our perception of the world and the unknown.

[Hector · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read that was more about a poor school teachers attempt in trying to court the favor of the towns rich pretty farmers daughter. I did not really like either Him or his rival as both had pretty terrible personality traits. With him being only interested in material gain and thought himself intellectually superior to others while Bram, his rival, was a hot headed stereotypical bully and brute. The actual writing itself was great and the postscript had a good insight i liked. Overall it is a great short story that can easily be read in one night; Just be well fed beforehand because the description of the food will leave you looking for something to munch on.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a big fan of graphic novels, but what a fun, beautiful, and intricate adaptation of one of my favourite stories of all time! Each panel is well-coloured and well-illustrated and the dialogue and overall plot are faithful to the original tale. The author’s focus on Ichabod’s terror as well as the more supernatural elements of the story are refreshing compared to the Disney-laden emphasis on Brom and everyone’s least-favourite coquette, Katrina. The skull shape of the horseman’s pommel and the one-eyed gunpowder are details not lost on this Sleepy Hollow fan. Highly recommend!

[Gail DiVico · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's that time of year again when it's time to read the great legend story. This time it was an audible version but very good. Ichabod Crane is still the same shy, skittish school master, listening to the tales of the Horsemen galloping through the woods of Sleepy Hollow at night. Of course, in the end all that is found is the horse and a smashed pumpkin. Wonderful every year!!!!! If you haven't read it, you're missing out on one of Washington Irving's best.

[Sudeshna Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Read This Book For The First Time And I Must Say That Washington Irving Had A Firm Grasp On The Language And He Flaunts It In The Story. It Is A Scary Tale From America's Past But Sadly Much Has Been Lost In Time. I Have Watched The Sleepy Hollow Movie And I Really Enjoyed It And That's The Reason I Decided To Read This Book And I Enjoyed It. I Will Give This Book A 3.5 Rating Out Of 5 As I Feel This Adaptation Could Have Been Better.

[Hayden Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic adaptation of my favorite story. It’s a bit truncated, as can be expected, but really well adapted.

The whole “every frame is a painting” compliment has become a bit of a cliche at this point, but there are more than a handful of frames from this thing that I would rip my face off to have big prints of to adorn my walls.