1 h 22 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 34 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 34 pagesAbout this book
In a valley full of ghost stories, a hungry schoolmaster has plenty to desire—and even more to fear.
Sleepy Hollow lies among old Dutch farms beside the Hudson River, where quiet lanes invite strange stories. Into this dreamy place comes Ichabod Crane, a thin Connecticut schoolmaster with a taste for food, folklore and wealth. Katrina Van Tassel, a prosperous farmer’s daughter, seems to promise everything he wants.
But Ichabod has a rival in Brom Bones, the strong, boisterous village hero who enjoys practical jokes. And the valley has its own terror: the Headless Horseman, said to ride at night seeking his lost head. Washington Irving brings humor and Gothic unease together as Ichabod’s ambition meets his eager belief in ghosts.
What you’ll discover
- A valley steeped in legend Enter a dreamy rural world where local stories give quiet lanes an unsettling life.
- An unlikely romantic hopeful Meet a vain, fearful schoolmaster whose appetite for comfort makes his courtship sharply comic.
- Rivals with different strengths Watch Ichabod and Brom Bones pursue Katrina, with her father’s rich farm adding temptation.
- Fear fed by stories Explore how witches, omens and ghosts fill Ichabod’s mind and shape what he fears.
- Humor beside the shadows Enjoy Irving’s playful portrait of village life alongside the legend of a headless rider.
Is it for you?
This tale suits anyone who enjoys a ghost story told with a smile, readers of American folklore, and people who want a short classic to read before Halloween. If you want constant action or real horror, you may find it gentler than you expect.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A sleepy valley breeds strange stories
- Ichabod Crane is clever, greedy and fearful
- Katrina Van Tassel and her father's rich farm
- Brom Bones plays the rival
- What the story says about fear and belief
- How Irving tells it with humor and mood
Who’s who
- Ichabod CraneA tall, thin Connecticut schoolmaster who loves food, ghost stories and the idea of marrying into a rich farm.
- Katrina Van TasselThe rosy, flirtatious daughter of a wealthy Dutch farmer, courted by two men for her charms and her father's land.
- Brom BonesAbraham Van Brunt, the strong and boisterous village hero, who loves practical jokes and wants Katrina for himself.
- Baltus Van TasselKatrina's easygoing father, a rich farmer whose barns, orchards and livestock tempt the schoolmaster.
- The Headless HorsemanA legendary ghost, said to be a Hessian trooper who lost his head in battle and rides at night seeking it.
- Hans Van RipperA farmer who lends Ichabod his old horse, Gunpowder, for the trip to the Van Tassel party.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 34 pages: 5,95 USD when you start free, 11,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 34 pages: 12,95 USD when you start free, 18,95 USD on its own.
- 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.
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
by Washington Irving· 1820
A schoolteacher’s courtship is shadowed by a headless rider.
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Language: Deutsch
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A sleepy valley breeds strange stories
The story opens with a place. Sleepy Hollow is a quiet glen near a small market town called Tarry Town, on the east bank of the Hudson. The narrator says a drowsy, dreamy spell hangs over the land. The people there, mostly descendants of Dutch settlers, seem to live inside that spell.
The valley is full of tales. Old women tell of haunted brooks, of ghosts seen at twilight, and of strange lights and voices. The local people say the place was once under the power of a German doctor, or perhaps an Indian chief, who cast a charm over it. Whatever the cause, the neighbors are said to walk in a waking dream and to see visions and hear music in the air.
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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.
“A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere.”
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What is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow about?
It tells of Ichabod Crane, a superstitious schoolmaster who courts a rich farmer's daughter in a Dutch valley on the Hudson. His rival is Brom Bones, and the valley is said to be haunted by a headless horseman.
Who is the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow?
Local legend says he is the ghost of a Hessian trooper, a German soldier fighting for the British, whose head was carried off by a cannonball in a Revolutionary War battle. He rides at night looking for it.
When was The Legend of Sleepy Hollow written and is it a true story?
Washington Irving published it in 1820 in The Sketch Book. It is fiction, but it draws on Dutch settlers' folklore and German tales, and it is set in the real Hudson Valley near Tarry Town.
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