Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Penguin Readers, Level 1) [Abridged] [Paperback]

Washington Irving (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Readers | Publication Date: March 28, 2000

One day Rip Van Winkle goes to the mountains with his dog, but who are the strange old men there? Why are they there and what are they drinking? In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane is a teacher who likes ghost stories. Are there really ghosts at Sleepy Hollow and will Ichabod see one of them? Classic American short stories by Washington Irving (1783-1859).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Washington Irving, one of the first Americans to achieve international recognition as an author, was born in New York City in 1783. His A History of New York, published in 1809 under the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker, was a satirical history of New York that spanned the years from 1609 to 1664. Under another pseudonym, Geoffrey Crayon, he wrote The Sketch-book, which included essays about English folk customs, essays about the American Indian, and the two American stories for which he is most renowned--"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle." Irving served as a member of the U.S. legation in Spain from 1826 to 1829 and as minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846. Following his return to the U.S. in 1846, he began work on a five-volume biography of Washington that was published from 1855-1859. Washington Irving died in 1859 in New York. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Pearson ESL; Abridged edition (March 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582420512
• ISBN-13: 978-0582420519
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #466,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Revisit these American classics for the first time, December 11, 2011

By 

Ash Ryan (Salt Lake City, Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Paperback)

If you're like me, you basically know these stories from the many retellings of them in various media, but never actually got around to reading the originals written by Washington Irving. I finally did, and found it well worth doing. Irving is a fine writer, and puts in many details that make these stories much more vivid than in any other version I've heard and bring them to life. They also give fascinating glimpses into early American life, as when Rip Van Winkle declares his allegiance to King George and is nearly strung up by an angry mob. There is a reason these stories have become iconic, and that is because the originals drew these characters and their tales so brilliantly, much more so than any of the second-hand (and usually second-rate) versions.