

He is often called 'the father of American literature' because of the charm and style of his writing and because he was always breaking new ground.In the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town, New York, in a secluded glen called Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane arrives to educate the children of the region. These classic stories have kept Washington Irving's name alive. The immediate result was The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent which contained his two most famous fantasy stories, Rip van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. When the family business collapsed in 1817, He had to make a living for the first time. In 1815 he moved to London to manage the British end of the family business and stayed for seventeen years. It was a great success but Irving continued to be only a part-time writer. His first book, Knickerbocker's History of New York (1809), was the first American humorous book which was also literature. As an adult he didn't have to worry about earning a living and after practising law for a few years he began to write for newspapers and magazines.

Young Washington's early education was patchy but he developed an early love for books and writing.

He was named after the great future American President, George Washington. Washington Irving (1783 – 1859) was born into a rich New York family, the youngest of eleven children. 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. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. This collection of larger-than-life tales contains Washington Irving’s best-known literary inventions-Ichabod Crane, the Headless Horseman, and Rip Van Winkle-that continue to capture our imaginations today.įor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. Originally published under a pseudonym as The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories gave America its own haunted mythology. Perhaps the marker of a true mythos is when the stories themselves overshadow their creator. The timeless collection that introduced Rip Van Winkle, Ichabod Crane, and the Headless Horseman Bradley, this new edition of Irving's greatest work demonstrates how inextricably his tales are woven into the fabric of American culture and celebrates his enduring contributions to the dream life of a nation.
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With an introduction by Irving expert Elizabeth L.
