Rip Van Winkle Story by Washington Irving (PDF - Online Reading - Download - Summary - Review)
Rip Van Winkle is a short story by American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in Colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who encounters mysterious Dutchmen, drinks their liquor, and falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains. He wakes up 20 years later to a much-changed world, having missed the American Revolution.
Summary
Inspired by a conversation about homesickness with his American ex-pat brother-in-law, Irving wrote the story while temporarily living in Birmingham, England. It was published in his collection, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Although the story takes place in the Catskill Mountains of New York, near where Irving later settled, he admitted, "When I wrote the story, I had never been to the Catskills.
Review
Washington Irving's story of a man who sleeps for twenty years in the Catskill Mountains and wakes to find a changed world has been a classic of American literature. This deluxe gift edition carefully reproduces thirty-four of Arthur Rackham's charming and exquisite paintings.
About The Author
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer, and historian of the early 19th century. He began his literary career at the age of nineteen by writing newspaper articles under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle.
Download Rip Van Winkle PDF
