Rip Van Winkle

The Writing of Diedrich Knickerbocker

The story of Rip Van Winkle, a villager in colonial America who who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains in New York and wakes up 20 years later, having missed the American Revolution. Inspired by a conversation on nostalgia with his American expatriate brother-in-law, Washington Irving wrote the story while temporarily living in Birmingham, England.

First published in 1819, this edition’s illustrations are derived from the book published in 1921 with 8 color and over 30 black and white illustrations and page decorations throughout by N. C. Wyeth. As always, this edition is complete and unabridged.