14 h 30 minAudiobook11 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What stories cling to an old house, a Christmas custom, or a path into the Catskill Mountains?
In The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Washington Irving moves between American legends and an American traveller’s impressions of Britain. His invented observer, Geoffrey Crayon, notices old buildings, local customs, and small encounters. Across the Atlantic, he finds a country that feels familiar through books, yet offers its own life to explore.
The collection includes Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow alongside essays and connected Christmas pieces. Rip escapes household demands into the Catskills, where a strange encounter interrupts ordinary life. At Bracebridge Hall, an old-fashioned host keeps traditional celebrations alive with food, games, ceremony, and hospitality.
What you’ll discover
- Legends rooted in place Discover American tales where landscapes hold stories that grow with each telling.
- A traveller’s curious eye Follow Crayon toward small encounters, old buildings, and the customs that give places character.
- Christmas at Bracebridge Hall Enter an English country household where hospitality gives old celebrations room to live.
- Humour beside sadness Enjoy short pieces that let affection, gentle comedy, and sadness share the same space.
- The past close by Explore how memory survives in family stories, familiar landscapes, and customs people cherish.
Who will love it
For readers who love travel writing, ghost stories and old England. It suits anyone who enjoys a wandering narrator with a warm sense of humour, village scenes, Christmas customs and the early voice of American fiction.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Stranger Crosses the Sea to England
- Quiet Lives Prove Courage and Loyalty
- Rip Van Winkle and the Silent Bowlers
- England Seen Through Its Churches and Roads
- A Library, a Tavern and a Royal Poet
- The Spectre Bridegroom and the Inn Kitchen
- Christmas at the Squire's Old Hall
- Old London, Stratford and a Native American King
- Sleepy Hollow and the Rider Without a Head
Who’s who
- Geoffrey CrayonThe wandering American narrator who sketches England as he finds it, drawn to old customs, quiet corners and kind people.
- Rip Van WinkleA gentle, idle villager beloved by children, who flees his nagging wife into the Kaatskill Mountains.
- Ichabod CraneA lanky, gullible schoolmaster who loves ghost stories and food, and hopes to win a rich farmer's daughter.
- Brom BonesA loud, strong, mischievous young horseman who courts Katrina Van Tassel and torments his rival with pranks.
- Katrina Van TasselThe plump, flirtatious daughter of a wealthy Dutch farmer, courted by both Ichabod and Brom.
- The SquireMr. Bracebridge, an old country gentleman who keeps every ancient Christmas custom alive in his hall.
- Master SimonThe squire's lively bachelor cousin, who sings old songs and leads the Christmas games.
- Baron Von LandshortA proud, fussy German lord who loves ghost stories and prepares a feast for his daughter's bridegroom.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 14 h 30 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 11 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Das Skizzenbuch von Geoffrey Crayon in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Das Skizzenbuch von Geoffrey Crayon
by Washington Irving · 1819
A homesick American sketcher wanders England, from Westminster Abbey to a Christmas feast.
Challenging10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon is a collection of essays, portraits and tales by Washington Irving, who died in 1859. He wrote it as an American living in England, and he published it in parts.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Stranger Crosses the Sea to England
The book opens with the narrator explaining himself. He loved travel from childhood, he says, and he pictures himself as a sketcher who draws what pleases him, not what a serious tourist should. He has seen the beauty of his own country, yet Europe calls to him with its history, its ruins and its great men.
The voyage comes next. Irving argues that a long sea crossing is the best preparation for Europe, because it cuts you off from home like turning the page of a book. He sits for hours on deck watching clouds and porpoises. One day the ship passes a drifting mast with rags tied to it, the last mark of some lost crew.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Das Skizzenbuch von Geoffrey Crayon
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon about?
It is a collection of essays, sketches and tales by Washington Irving. The narrator, Geoffrey Crayon, travels in England and describes churches, inns, Christmas customs and writers, and includes the stories of Rip Van Winkle and Sleepy Hollow.
Who is Geoffrey Crayon?
Geoffrey Crayon is the name Irving gives to the wandering narrator of the book. He presents himself as an idle sketcher who records what pleases him, much as a painter fills a sketchbook with corners and cottages.
Are Rip Van Winkle and Sleepy Hollow in this book?
Yes. Both tales appear here. Rip Van Winkle is a gentle villager who wanders into the Kaatskill Mountains, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman.
The author
Washington Irving
1783–1859 · American writer and historian
Washington Irving (1783–1859) was an American writer, historian and diplomat. He was born in New York City and died in Tarrytown, New York. He also lived in Britain and Spain. He published The Sketch Book in 1819–1820 and The Alhambra in 1832. He served as American minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846.
More by Washington Irving
All 8 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
