Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Washington Irving

Nov 2013 · Recorded Books · Narrated by James Hamilton and George Guidall

About this audiobook

This selection includes two world-famous children's tales by American author, Washington Irving, well known for his ability to bring humor to the silly vanities that characterize human nature. In the first story, Rip Van Winkle falls asleep only to wake up 20 years later, finding he has literally slept his life away. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells the tale of the gawky schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, and his rival Brom Bones, who each woo pretty Katrina Van Tassel until a Headless Horseman makes his ghostly ride. Washington Irving was one of America's earliest and most popular writers. Famous for his short stories, Irving was also a chronicler of the frontier, a folklorist and a noted political satirist and essayist. In The Sketch Book, of which these two selections are a part, Irving drew upon the myths and legends of local and European folklore. His original creations of characters like Ichabod Crane and Rip Van Winkle have become lasting contributions to our national literary heritage, as distinctly American as Natty Bumppo, Captain Ahab, and Huckleberry Finn.

Ratings and reviews

àllan Waite

About the author

Washington Irving, one of the first Americans to achieve international recognition as an author, was born in New York City in 1783. His A History of New York, published in 1809 under the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker, was a satirical history of New York that spanned the years from 1609 to 1664. Under another pseudonym, Geoffrey Crayon, he wrote The Sketch-book, which included essays about English folk customs, essays about the American Indian, and the two American stories for which he is most renowned--"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle." Irving served as a member of the U.S. legation in Spain from 1826 to 1829 and as minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846. Following his return to the U.S. in 1846, he began work on a five-volume biography of Washington that was published from 1855-1859. Washington Irving died in 1859 in New York. George Guidall is one of the most prolific narrators of audiobooks in the world. He has recorded nearly 650 unabridged novels, everything from "Crime and Punishment" and "The Iliad" to "Snow Falling on Cedars." He began his career as an actor, appearing on Broadway and touring Europe with Helen Hayes in the "Glass Menagerie," " Miracle Worker" and "The Skin of Our Teeth." He received an Obie Award for Best Performance Off-Broadway, and has continued his performances in theater for over 40 years. Guidall has also appeared on television, with roles on the soap "One Life to Live" and "Law and Order," and in movies such as "Malcolm X" and "Tales from the Darkside." His first job reading audiobooks was for the Library of Congress' American Foundation for the Blinds' Talking Books. Since then he has won the most prestigious Audiobook Award, the Audie Award, for Best Unabridged Narration of a novel for his recording of John Irving's "A Widow for One Year." He won the Audie again in 2000 for Wally Lamb's "I Know This Much is True."