Showing results by author "Washington Irving" in All Categories

The perfect introduction to storytelling and a wonderful accompaniment to bedtime. This collection includes well-loved tales such as 'Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving, “Henny Penny” by Joseph Jacobs, and “The Reluctant Dragon” by Kenneth Graham which are sure to charm children of all ages.

This famous tale featuring a headless horseman is among the earliest examples of American fiction with enduring popularity, especially during Halloween. It is set in 1790 in the countryside around a Dutch settlement of present-day Tarrytown, New York, in a secluded area called Sleepy Hollow.

In this delightful Washington Irving tale, after Van Winkle drinks to excess on the sly, he stumbles his way into the woods and falls into a deep sleep beneath a tree. He awakens to find it is 20 years later - and the American Revolution has occured as he slept!

Everyone knows the story of the Headless Horseman but perhaps you, like me, did not remember what a marvelous story teller Washington Irving was. He observed human nature closely and, like any good humorist, lets us laugh at our own silly and superstitious sides through the joy of having strangers be the ones to display them. If you, like me, have only vague and muddy memories of this story, you owe it to yourself to listen and laugh along with the rest of the world.

Ichabod Crane, a lanky and superstitious man and school teacher from the North, is vying for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel who happens to have another suitor named Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt. Crane has ill intentions in winning the hand of Katrina and Brom decides to try to spook the school teacher out of Sleepy Hollow through a series of pranks.

Once there was a young school teacher named Ichabod Crane who was entranced by a young maiden by the name of Katrina, daughter of Dutch farmer Baltus Van Tassel. Hoping to win her heart from the hero (and infamous rowdy) of Terrytown, Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, young Ichabod attends a lavish party at the Van Tassel home. As the school teacher leaves after the party, he is pursued by the deadliest, most famed of all specters, the ghost of a Hessian Trooper, more famously known as….The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow.

Rip Van Winkle lived in a quiet colonial town, and had a habit of attending to everyone else's chores. Henpecked and poor, he goes squirrel hunting in the woods one day, only to exit twenty years later.

Six classic ghost stories including "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe read by Basil Rathbone, "The Judge's House" by Bram Stoker read Emma Topping and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving read by Ronald Colman and Sidney Miller.

Rip Van Winkle is known as a good neighbor, a friend to animals and children, and a regular at the discussions held at the town tavern. His sudden disappearance causes consternation in the small town. Where did he go? What happened to him? When a lean, white bearded old man appears 20 years later, claiming to be Rip, he has a tale to tell that is quite incredible.

An old pilot of the sea who had been driven by tempests "he knew not wither" returns to Lisbon to tell of a wonderful lost island that his ship had been driven to by a storm. Survivors of a shipwreck many years ago had thrived there and built seven wonderful cities. Upon leaving however, the sailor meets another storm and could not say where this mysterious island lay. The public immediately names this island, the "The Island of the Seven Cities." and there was much talk of its wealth.

Washington Irving's two most famous stories are combined here. One tells of Rip Van Winkle, who escaped the dreadful life of a hen-pecked husband by magical means. The other is the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman on their midnight ride.

Tom Walker was not the nicest soul you'd ever meet. When he agrees to work with a stranger he comes upon in the woods, more things change than just his fortune. A strange twist of fate not only changes Tom's marital status but also hisstation & profession. A slip of the lip when least expected adds another turn to this classic story of light and dark.

Washington Irving was an American author of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories, with his two most famous being "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip van Winkle".

In these wonderful short stories, Washington Irving created two of the earliest, most endearing and enduring characters in all of American literature. Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane (not to mention the Headless Horseman) will keep you smiling as they wrestle with the strange and fantastic forces, characters and events that baffle and terrify.

The author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", Washington Irving perfected the American short story. His stories were written in an approachable tone and intended to entertain rather than enlighten. Originally published in 1819, "The Spectre Bridegroom" is a ghost story about a baron and his daughter in historic Germany. The tale revolves around the daughter’s betrothal to Count Van Altenburg and the strange occurrences that lead up to the wedding. One of the few Irving stories set outside of the United States, "The Spectre Bridegroom" is often seen as a commentary on the differences between American and European society.

Ichabod Crane, a city slicker from Connecticut becomes the pedagogue (teacher) of a small school in the Catskills of New York. Interestingly enough the area is haunted by a Hessian trooper who was beheaded by a cannonball, and he roams at night, probably in search of his head. When Ichabod attempts to woo the only daughter of a wealthy farmer, he must contend with a local hero. This classic American short story has been a staple in classrooms for well over 100 years.

The Devil and Tom Walker is a classic short story by Washington Irving. When you make a deal with the devil you have to shake his hand. At the time Tom made his deal, it seemed like a good idea, but as Tom aged and death approached, he became very pious and even carried two Bibles with him. But a deal is a deal as Tom would discover.

Die Legende von Sleepy Hollow: In den ländlichen Kreisen des Staates New York gehen Gespenstergeschichten um. Ein hessischer Söldner ohne Kopf spuke des Nachts umher...

Was there really a Headless Horseman? This dramatic story will draw you into the life of Ichabod Crane as you ponder the question.

In "Old Christmas" we join in the celebrations of a Christmas Eve and a Christmas Day in Old England. The selection from The Pickwick Papers involves a Dickensian skating party.