A man who sleeps for twenty years in the Catskill Mountains wakes to a much-changed world.

From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by name of Sleepy Hollow... A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere. Washington Irving

Ichabod Crane is a young schoolmaster from Connecticut now living in Sleepy Hollow, a settlement in New York State notorious for rumours of ghostly visitations, especially from the infamous Headless Horseman. Considered an outsider by the local inhabitants, he falls in love with the eighteen-year-old Katrina Van Tassel, but has to contend with the loutish Brom Bones for her affections. Then one night Crane's mounting problems come to a head when he finally experiences the horrors of the supernatural first-hand... A classic tale of American Gothic, 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' has found a central place in the collective imagination and inspired many adaptations. Also included in this volume is a selection of some of Irving's most celebrated ghostly tales, such as 'The Phantom Island' and 'The Devil and Tom Walker'.

One of America’s most beloved authors, Washington Irving penned some of the most popular and enduring tales of fiction. From Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman to Rip Van Winkle’s prolonged nap, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories also includes literary sketches and essays about the author’s life. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories was originally published as The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (or just The Sketch Book) and was one of the first works by an American author to be widely read in England and Europe. HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle, and Other Stories" is a volume of essays and short stories by Washington Irving that were first published serially between 1819 and 1820 and was originally collected as "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent." It includes some of the works for which would establish Irving as one of the preeminent American authors of his day and cement his literary legacy. The most famous of the works in this volume are arguably "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle." The first is the story of Ichabod Crane, a schoolmaster from Connecticut who has moved to the New York countryside settlement of Tarry Town whose secluded glen called Sleepy Hollow is haunted by an infamous spectre, the Headless Horseman. The second story "Rip Van Winkle" tells the tale of a Dutch-American villager living during the time of the American Revolution who mysteriously falls asleep in New York's Catskill Mountains only to discover when he awakes that many years have passed and much has changed. Along with these two classic tales thirty-two other stories and essays are included. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories by an American writer Washington Irving. The story is set in the end of the 18th century in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town, called Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod Crane, a lean, lanky and extremely superstitious teacher from Connecticut competes with Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt for the hand of 18-year-old Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter and sole child of a wealthy farmer, Baltus Van Tassel. One autumn night, when Ichabod was returning from the party at the Van Tassels' homestead, he was followed by a rider without a head. Presumably, it was a ghost of Hessian cavalryman, who had been beheaded by a stray shot in one of the “unnamed battles” during the War of Independence (USA) and after that “rode during the night in a search of his head”…

Before the fall premiere of the new television series, read the original legend of Ichabod Crane, the Headless Horseman, and the singularly spooky town of Sleepy Hollow in Washington Irving's classic book When Washington Irving first published this collection of essays, sketches, and tales—originally entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.—readers greeted it with enthusiasm, and Irving emerged as America's first successful professional author. This volume includes "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle," two of America's most recognizable and loved works of fiction and displays Irving's ability to depict American landscapes and culture so vividly that readers feel themselves a part of them. And it is on the basis of these two classic tales that Irving is generally credited with inventing the short story as a distinct literary genre. Also included here are gently ironic pieces about life in England that reflect the author's interest in the traditions of the Old World and his longings for his home in the New.

Sage, storyteller, and wit, Washington Irving created such staples of American fiction as the stories “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” He earned his preeminence in early American literature with the masterpieces in miniature collected here: dozens of stories, travel essays, biographical discourses, and literary musings. “His influence on American writers is unquestioned,” wrote Edgar Allan Poe, and his stories have proved as enduring as the Catskill Mountains the author immortalized. “Exceptional talent….I am one of his most ardent admirers. I admired Mr. Irving’s work so much, in fact, that I gave it the ultimate praise; I ‘borrowed it.’”—Edgar Allan Poe With an Introduction by Wayne Franklin