Best Selling Books by Washington Irving

In 1809, New Yorkers were buzzing about a series of classified ads concerning the whereabouts of Dutch historian Diedrich Knickerbocker. They were unaware that Washington Irving had invented the man entirely and placed the ads himself. Knickerbocker''s purported manuscript, A History of New York, was Irving''s own. Told from Knickerbocker''s point of view, A History of New York is a chronicle of New York''s fifty years under Dutch rule in the 1600s that plays fast and loose with the facts, to uproarious effect. The book propelled Irving to the heights of literary stardom. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1843.

A collection of timeless short stories by Washington Irving, this edition includes his two best-known classics, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle."

Beginning with the chilling preface, "Found among the papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker." Washington Irving''s classic short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" tells the story of Ichabod Crane, 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. As Crane leaves a party, he is pursued by the Headless Horseman, who is supposedly the ghost of a Hessian trooper who had his head shot off by a stray cannonball during "some nameless battle" of the American Revolutionary War, and who "rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head."

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

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a short story of speculative fiction by American author Washington Irving

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!

Washington Irving, an author, biographer, historian, and diplomat, completed his first major work, a satire of contemporary local history and politics entitled A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker in 1809. Prior to its publication, Irving started a promotional hoax (not unlike some modern-day publicity stunts?) by placing fake missing persons advertisements in local newspapers asking for help in locating Diedrich Knickerbocker. As a continuation of the hoax, Irving also published a notice purported to be written by the proprietor of the hotel where Knickbocker was staying, in which he threatened to publish a manuscript "left behind" by Knickerbocker if the hotel bill was not paid. 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 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-century Spain dealing with subjects such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors and the Alhambra. Irving served as the U.S. ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846. He made his literary debut in 1802 with a series of observational letters to the Morning Chronicle, written under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle. After moving to England for the family business in 1815, he achieved international fame with the publication of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. in 1819-20. He continued to publish regularly-and almost always successfully-throughout his life, and just eight months before his death (at age 76, in Tarrytown, New York), completed a five-volume biography of George Washington. Irving, along with James Fenimore Cooper, was among the first American writers to earn acclaim in Europe, and Irving encouraged American authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe. Irving was also admired by some European writers, including Walter Scott, Lord Byron, Thomas Campbell, Francis Jeffrey, and Charles Dickens. As America''s first genuine internationally best-selling author, Irving advocated for writing as a legitimate profession and argued for stronger laws to protect American writers from copyright infringement.

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."

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."

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."

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.

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 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.