The Legend of Sleepy Hollow [Hardcover]

Washington Irving (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2007

Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher, came to Tarry Town in the glen of Sleepy Hollow to ply his trade in educating young minds. He was a gullible and excitable fellow, often so terrified by locals' stories of ghosts that he would hurry through the woods on his way home, singing to keep from hysterics. Among these stories was the legend of the Galloping Hessian, the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow. Readers of all ages will enjoy this classic American short story about courtship, rivalry, and ghosts. WASHINGTON IRVING (1783-1859) was born in New York City to Scottish immigrant parents. Considered by some the "Father of American Literature," Irving is best known for his short stories, including "Rip Van Winkle," but he also produced an extensive bibliography of essays, poems, travel books, and biographies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The San Souci brothers (The Legend of Scarface have retold the story of Ichabod Crane's last days alive, admiring the lovely Katrina and attending, at her father's home, a party where he hears of the Headless Horseman. Like A Christmas Carol, this story has been routinely reworked in strange and terrible ways. Here the artist has provided full-color paintings that show an awkward, frightfully thin Ichabod and the sweetly petite Katrina, set in 18th century surroundings. The pursuit at the end is shown in sweeping, eerie scenes. For those who find Washington Irving's original version hard going, this one is a fine alternative, especially for reading aloud.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-- Ichabod Crane's peculiar looks may not have found favor in Katrina Van Tassel's eyes--but in Flint's illustrations, Katrina's own eyes are crossed, and pop from a fleshy, sharp-nosed visage, thin-lipped, jowly, and neckless. (Irving's original description of Katrina as a "blooming lass" has been deleted from this adaptation.) Her favored suitor, Brom, looks like an early avatar of The Incredible Hulk (badly in need of orthodontics): Irving wrote of his "bluff but not unpleasant countenance." Even skinny Ichabod doesn't look so bad next to this loutish yokel, making Katrina's choice rather puzzling. The lurid color (a midnight sky of tomato soup, a pea green Crane) and bizarre perspective (the Headless Horseman's steed seems to be falling on its neck, although it's only rounding a corner at speed) owe something to modern art, but only caricature Irving's own art. There is humor in Irving's tale, but what we have here is parody. Choose Diane Wolkstein's retelling (Morrow, 1987), despite the indifferent cartoon illustrations; or stick with the "unadapted" meandering, dreamy prose of the original text, with color and line art by Rackham (Morrow, 1990). --Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: Cosimo Classics (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602067821
• ISBN-13: 978-1602067820
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (165 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,189,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

128 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Surprise, June 28, 2009

By 

S. Marston (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Kindle Edition)

I grabbed this for the Kindle since it was free, and like the previous reviewer, I only had a vague idea of the story from various cartoon versions.

I was very pleasantly surprised. I've not read anything else by Washington Irving. The story is simple; the prose is easy to read but in spots is downright beautiful. Some of the scenic descriptions border on poetry. Irving writes with a dry sense of humor; and he has faith in the reader's ability to connect the dots, so he doesn't spell everything out.

It's a short read - in print I guess it would be 30 to 40 pages. One GREAT thing about reading it on Kindle is having the dictionary function, as there were a number of archaic terms with which I was not familiar.

I give it 5 stars for the combination of price and quality of writing. If you'd like some good writing, a peek into America (upstate New York) at the end of the 18th century, and a little wit, go ahead and grab it - especially if it's free!

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, September 10, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Wildside Fantasy Classic) (Paperback)

How would you feel if every time you walked outside in the dark, you felt a chill? What if you lived in a town that everyone said was haunted? How would you like it if you were running for your life from a headless horseman? Well that's what the schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane does in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.

To begin with this book will keep you on the edge better than any other book. When Ichabod is alone in the woods at night and starts hearing noises you have no idea what's going to happen to him. From experience my heart was pumping faster than it ever had before while I was reading a book.

Another good reason to read this book is it will hook you in from the very beginning. It was so good that I was anxious to turn the next page and see what was going to happen. I liked the book so much that I finished the it the same day I started it!

The next reason is it can be scary. When Ichobod is in panic as he rides his horse down the road because he is being chased by the headless horseman you don't know if Ichabod will live or die. Even though it may not be that scary in the beginning it gets a lot scarier later on. Besides the book being scary it is also a love story. Ichabod is deeply in love with the beautiful Miss Katrina Van Tassle but unfortunately so is Brom Bones. He is a rough, bold, and strong man that would do anything to get what he wants. In the book he trashes Ichabod's schoolhouse because he caught him talking to Katrina. That still doesn't stop Ichabod from trying to get the one he believes is his one true love.

Out of all the books that I have ever read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has hooked me in faster than any other. If you like scary/mystery books this would be the book for you. Although it is a cool book I recommend it to kids 8 years of age and older because of the scary and suspenseful moments the book has in it. So next time you are at the library and want a good book, get The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Then you can get chills in the dark, too!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great folk tale classic!!!, November 1, 2004

By 

Jordan Lynn (Louisville, Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Wildside Fantasy Classic) (Paperback)

Washington Irving had a way with words that none could compare with. His simple and not very scarry at all tale of one of the most famous "ghosts" in history is both delightful in it's humor and wit and charming in it's character description. If you are looking for something to send shivers up your spine and make you quake in fear, you have looked to the wrong story master. Irving was a story teller of everyday people in everyday situations. The comical and the endearing. He made his observations on life and living it and left the afterlife to speculation. That is why "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a true literary classic!