What do you think?
Rate this book
Three Tales from the Sketch Book
three tales. fiction. based on the sketch book of geoffrey crayon. a great interpretation.
- GenresClassics
71 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1850
About the author
Washington Irving
5,774 books1,113 followersPeople remember American writer Washington Irving for the stories "
Rip Van Winkle
" and "
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
," contained in
The Sketch Book
(1820).
This author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century wrote newspaper articles under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle to begin his literary career at the age of nineteen years.
In 1809, he published The History of New York under his most popular public persona, Diedrich Knickerbocker.
Historical works of Irving include a five volume biography of George Washington (after whom he was named) as well as biographies of Oliver Goldsmith, Muhammad, and several histories, dealing with subjects, such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra, of 15th-century Spain. John Tyler, president, appointed Irving to serve as the first Spanish speaking United States minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846.
This author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century wrote newspaper articles under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle to begin his literary career at the age of nineteen years.
In 1809, he published The History of New York under his most popular public persona, Diedrich Knickerbocker.
Historical works of Irving include a five volume biography of George Washington (after whom he was named) as well as biographies of Oliver Goldsmith, Muhammad, and several histories, dealing with subjects, such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra, of 15th-century Spain. John Tyler, president, appointed Irving to serve as the first Spanish speaking United States minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 20, 2026
It seems hard to believe that I’ve just finished reading a little book whose short stories date to 1820. 2 of these stories have become a part of greater Americana and have passed into our cultural history. I probably heard of Rip Van Winkle & the Headless Horseman from my mother reading to me from one of those little Golden Books for children. But this edition is from my old friends at The Book of the Month Club from 1993 before they totally went down the toilet.
Just to give some background on just how long ago this was, not only was there no TV, radio or internal combustion engines; there were no rifles, bicycles, frozen or canned food, or even railroads. The latest technology was Mr. Fulton’s steamboat. In other words, it was walking or horseback. Which brings me to the 1st of the 3 tales because horses feature prominently;
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The title page states that it was ‘Found Among the Papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker’. Of course we now know that the words ‘Gotham’ and ‘Knickerbocker’ have become synonymous with New York City. Irving is a master of description, and it takes a little getting used to his writing style. The tale itself is primarily about the local schoolmaster, Icabod Crane. Here is Irving describing Mr. Crane: “He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and flat on top, with huge hears, large green glassy eyes, and a long, snipe nose, so that it looked like a weathercock, perched upon his spindle neck, to tell which way the wind blew.” I think that paints a pretty descriptive picture!
One last note: I learned that “Brom Bones” is an abbreviation of “Abraham”. I did not know that. 5 stars.
Rip Van Winkle; TLDR... lazy man gets drunk while dodging work, wakes up 20 years later to discover his house dilapidated, wife dead, dog dead, kids gone, learns nothing, the end.
The Postscript to the tale is worth reading as it sets the table after the fact. “The following are traveling notes from the memorandum book of Mr. Knickerbocker: The Kaatsberg, or Catskill (or Kaatskill) Mountains, have always been a region full of fable. The Indians considered them the abode of spirits, who influenced the weather, spreading sunshine or clouds over the landscape, and sending good or bad hunting seasons.” 4 stars.
The Spectre Bridegroom; While set in Germany & Flanders instead of colonial New York, this story follows much the same style. A weary traveler checks in at an inn and in search of company, visits the kitchen where he is regaled by other travelers and staff, and ‘...composed partly of travelers who had arrived some hours before in a diligence, and partly of the usual attendants and hangers-on of inns. They were seated round a great burnished stove, that might have been mistaken for an alter, at which they were worshiping.’
It is there we are introduced to the narrator of the tale of the Spectre Bridegroom. “He was a corpulent old Swiss, who had the look of a veteran traveler. He was dressed in a tarnished green traveling-jacket, with a broad belt round his waist, and a pair of overalls, with buttons from the hips to the ankles.” And so on.... Did I mention Irving likes description? There is honestly more description than actual dialogue and it really works for Irving and the reader.
The actual story contains the widower nobleman, his beautiful daughter, the feud with his neighboring nobles and the prince suitor (the nominal Bridegroom) which could have been drawn from the Brothers Grimm. Suffice to say, the story itself is more of a framework Irving uses to hang his descriptive talents. A cute story, well told. 4.5 stars
Coda: Irving Park here in Chicagoland is named for our author.
Just to give some background on just how long ago this was, not only was there no TV, radio or internal combustion engines; there were no rifles, bicycles, frozen or canned food, or even railroads. The latest technology was Mr. Fulton’s steamboat. In other words, it was walking or horseback. Which brings me to the 1st of the 3 tales because horses feature prominently;
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The title page states that it was ‘Found Among the Papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker’. Of course we now know that the words ‘Gotham’ and ‘Knickerbocker’ have become synonymous with New York City. Irving is a master of description, and it takes a little getting used to his writing style. The tale itself is primarily about the local schoolmaster, Icabod Crane. Here is Irving describing Mr. Crane: “He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and flat on top, with huge hears, large green glassy eyes, and a long, snipe nose, so that it looked like a weathercock, perched upon his spindle neck, to tell which way the wind blew.” I think that paints a pretty descriptive picture!
One last note: I learned that “Brom Bones” is an abbreviation of “Abraham”. I did not know that. 5 stars.
Rip Van Winkle; TLDR... lazy man gets drunk while dodging work, wakes up 20 years later to discover his house dilapidated, wife dead, dog dead, kids gone, learns nothing, the end.
The Postscript to the tale is worth reading as it sets the table after the fact. “The following are traveling notes from the memorandum book of Mr. Knickerbocker: The Kaatsberg, or Catskill (or Kaatskill) Mountains, have always been a region full of fable. The Indians considered them the abode of spirits, who influenced the weather, spreading sunshine or clouds over the landscape, and sending good or bad hunting seasons.” 4 stars.
The Spectre Bridegroom; While set in Germany & Flanders instead of colonial New York, this story follows much the same style. A weary traveler checks in at an inn and in search of company, visits the kitchen where he is regaled by other travelers and staff, and ‘...composed partly of travelers who had arrived some hours before in a diligence, and partly of the usual attendants and hangers-on of inns. They were seated round a great burnished stove, that might have been mistaken for an alter, at which they were worshiping.’
It is there we are introduced to the narrator of the tale of the Spectre Bridegroom. “He was a corpulent old Swiss, who had the look of a veteran traveler. He was dressed in a tarnished green traveling-jacket, with a broad belt round his waist, and a pair of overalls, with buttons from the hips to the ankles.” And so on.... Did I mention Irving likes description? There is honestly more description than actual dialogue and it really works for Irving and the reader.
The actual story contains the widower nobleman, his beautiful daughter, the feud with his neighboring nobles and the prince suitor (the nominal Bridegroom) which could have been drawn from the Brothers Grimm. Suffice to say, the story itself is more of a framework Irving uses to hang his descriptive talents. A cute story, well told. 4.5 stars
Coda: Irving Park here in Chicagoland is named for our author.
October 12, 2013
4 stars for Rip Van Winkle and the Spectre Bridegroom, 5 for the longer Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This is the perfect time of year to read this story. I hadn't read it since high school so had a very different outlook on it now--more than the story, Irving's command of the English language is breathtaking. I had no memory of how good his descriptions were of nature--lush language that paints a perfect picture of Sleepy Hollow, an area my parents lived in for a time. So I know how well he captures the dells, the rivers, the orchards, the wildlife. I can see Twain and Sherwood Anderson learning from these pages. A classic must for any writer, and a fun read for Halloween.
March 15, 2019
I’m keeping this on my bookshelf and will read it again. It’s a fast read and made me feel more intelligent. :-D
I like the big words!
I find it interesting that I enjoy this so much when there is little to no dialogue. He writes each story as if it were a story teller speaking around a campfire. I’m not bothered by it at all. Maybe because he went into so much detail. Here’s a taste:
“As he approached the stream his heart began to thump; he summoned up, however, all his resolution, gave his horse half a score of kicks in the ribs, and attempted to dash briskly across the bridge; but instead of starting forward, the perverse old animal made a lateral movement, and ran broadside against the fence.”
That’s what happened as Ichabod ran to escape the Headless Horseman! One sentence and it says so much. Tremendously fun to read.
I like the big words!
I find it interesting that I enjoy this so much when there is little to no dialogue. He writes each story as if it were a story teller speaking around a campfire. I’m not bothered by it at all. Maybe because he went into so much detail. Here’s a taste:
“As he approached the stream his heart began to thump; he summoned up, however, all his resolution, gave his horse half a score of kicks in the ribs, and attempted to dash briskly across the bridge; but instead of starting forward, the perverse old animal made a lateral movement, and ran broadside against the fence.”
That’s what happened as Ichabod ran to escape the Headless Horseman! One sentence and it says so much. Tremendously fun to read.
January 16, 2022
If you charted my appreciation for Washington Irving over time, the graph would be a U. I loved his stories as a kid (or at least the abridged versions I was exposed to), but in my teens I thought he was unnecessarily verbose, and in my twenties I thought he was pointless and shallow. Now in my thirties I find his stories, somehow, endlessly charming.
This collection contained three stories: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Spectre Bridgroom, and Rip Van Winkle. My only complaint is that it didn't contain Irving's entire Sketch Book. I want to read it. Since that is, admittedly, on me for buying "Three Tales from the Sketch Book" rather than the whole thing, I begrudgingly have to give it five stars. Now to Gutenberg to find the rest of the collection . . .
This collection contained three stories: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Spectre Bridgroom, and Rip Van Winkle. My only complaint is that it didn't contain Irving's entire Sketch Book. I want to read it. Since that is, admittedly, on me for buying "Three Tales from the Sketch Book" rather than the whole thing, I begrudgingly have to give it five stars. Now to Gutenberg to find the rest of the collection . . .
October 11, 2026
Rip Van Winkle: Masterful,
Sleepy Hollow: Amazing,
Spectre Bridegroom: Okay.
Sleepy Hollow: Amazing,
Spectre Bridegroom: Okay.
May 11, 2011
Great short stories, glad to read the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle.
September 14, 2013
Great stories! They make you think.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews