Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Simplified For Modern Readers

“Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving were first published in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gentleman in 1819. Since then they have been adapted and interpreted in countless ways--from the comical to the serious and for the very young to the adult.
The versions that follow are as close to the original as possible but with the now dated language of two hundred years simplified so that modern readers can understand and appreciate these classic stories.
End notes, discussion of major themes, and a short biography follow the texts.