The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Haunted American Classic, First Published 1820

By Washington Irving

Book Overview

"A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere." - Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

First published in 1820 as part of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is Washington Irving's most enduring tale and one of the earliest classics of American literature. Set in the quiet Dutch settlement of Sleepy Hollow, the story follows the lanky schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, whose pursuit of the wealthy heiress Katrina Van Tassel brings him into conflict with the formidable Brom Bones-and into the path of the legendary Headless Horseman.

Blending folklore, humor, and Gothic suspense, Irving's tale captures the spirit of early America while drawing upon Old World ghost stories and New World superstition. At once a ghostly legend, a satire of rural life, and a timeless story of love and rivalry, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has secured its place as one of the most famous short stories in the English language.

Essential for students of American literature, lovers of Gothic fiction, and readers of folklore, this story continues to enchant and haunt audiences more than two centuries after its first publication.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1667306901
• ISBN13: 9781667306902
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Antiquarius
• Length: 68 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

You feel that you are there.

As with many readers, my previous exposure to this story was the Disney Cartoon and the ghoulish adaptation by Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci in the Movie "Sleepy Hollow" [Blu-ray] (1999). With my purchase of the story, I was catching up on the classics or samples from different writers. I did not realize this was so short of a story and had to get the images out of my head from the films. I am amazed by the good descriptive writing of Washington Irving. I had to set the book down occasionally to look up people and words. Now I ordered information on Hudson and Cotton Mather. I spent a year near the location of the story at West Point. Now I wonder if there was such a place as Sleepy Hollow. This is another example of the book being better than the movie. And I look forward to reading more of Washington Irving. You will be hooked on him also. In any event, it is worth the read.