The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

“On the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river the ancient Dutch navigators called the Tappan Zee, there lies a small market town known as Tarry Town.”

From Washington Irving's tale

Washington Irving published "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in 1820 as part of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. It is one of the first American short stories and helped establish American literature as distinct from British. Irving frames the tale through the fictional historian Diedrich Knickerbocker, blending folklore, humour, and social observation. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story captures early American rural life and shows how Irving used local legend and Dutch-American culture to create a distinctly American voice in literature, blending the real and the supernatural in a way that invites the reader to decide what to believe.

Band

Red · Complex language and analysisTypical starting range: ages 15–17

Length

long · about 1219 words in 4 sections · 2 pictures

Source

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

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