PREFATO RY N TE O . THE fa mous story of Rip Van Winkl e first ap eared 1 8 1 8 an d w as e s e Lon p in , r publi h d in don th e following y ear as on e of a series of pape rs which had th e c ollective title of Th e Sketch- book o Geo re Cra on s f fi y y , thi being a pseud onym which Wa shington Irving Th r e to se er of his or s. e o attach d v al w k auth , or New or 17 8 3 of o er b n in Y k in , a Sc tch fath and s o er w as res an Engli h m th , iding in Eng h - k r He h ad land when t e Sketch boo appea ed . already become known to th e reading world of Britain by h is humorous and fictiti ous His ’ tor o New ork b D iedmch Knicker y f Y , y r h er c n bocke . It is to t e sam e mythical Am i a Dutchm an that h e ascribes th e admirabl e tale e e rese e as th e rea er i e rom h r p nt d , d w ll l arn f th e s em e e e to ro esse ro tat nt pr fix d it , p f dly p (7) 8 o Prefat ry Note. c edin ro th n of e e g f m e ne Geoffr y Crayon . v e for er of e s Ir ing liv d a numb y ar in England, a nd w as on e e s oore » intimat t rm with M , Camp b e er o o er s s e ll , Sir Walt Sc tt , and th di tingui h d n f h His er e rs ere m e o t e time. lat y a w spent ’ a t o e s oos . or s e h is re e W lf rt R t ( Sunny id ), tr at on th e e so e e h e ed Riv r Hud n, and h r di in 18 5 9 . Th e speciality of this editi on c onsists in th e i s r o s or o ro e ese llu t ati n by G d n B wn , and th r h s peak fo thems elves . T e text is divided i o es of r o s s es or e th e nt pag va i u iz , in d r that p assages illustrated may c ome directly op h p osits t e respective illustrations. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIO N S. R IP V A N I N W KLE . Th e drea m Fron tispiece ’ Th e author s material An old Dutch garden ’ Rip s ancestor Th e village gossips Rip and th e children Rip fishing Assisting a n eighb our ’ Rip s wife and son Th e t ermagant wife ’ Wolf s characteristics ’ Th e t errors of a woman s t ongue Th e village club Nich olas Vedd er Th e club rout ed Rip and h is dog On th e mountain “ A voice calls Rip Van Winkle Th e meeting (9) 0 L st of us r 2 i Ill t ations. e nd L nding a ha . O dd- looking personages Th e nine- pin players Th e first taste Th e deserted hom e i A p olit cian Federal or Democrat R esting- place of Nicholas Vedder V an Bumm el translated Rip juni or Like fath er like son T h e rising generatio ’ D ora V an Winkle s grave T h s r eto e tory r ld . T 11 JiSt of Illustrations. In th e hands of th e barber Henpe cked EN S EE W THE LEG D or L PY HOLLO . A pleasing lan d of drowsy h ead His sch ool-house Ichabod Cran e and h is sch olars A child on one knee Balt would sit smokin g Ichabod would carry on hi s sui t Th e goblin His partner in th e dance So e hi e m s s e a an d m t ng hug , i hap n, bl ck towering Gun powder seemed possessed with a demon th e er a f r hi In v y ct o hu ling s h ea d . Headpiece to Postscript Tailpiece to Postscript HE WHENCE T STORY CAME . ! THE following tale w as found am ong th e a e s of th e e e er oc er p p r lat Di drich Knick b k , an old en e a of New or wh o w as e g tl m n Y k, v ry curious in th e Dutch history of th e province and th e mann ers of th e d esc endants from its i hi mi e se t e s . His s o rese es pr tiv tl r t rical arch , o e er not lie so o oo s as h w v , did much am ng b k am o m en for th e or er are e ng , f m lam ntably s a on h is o r e o s ere s h e c nty fav u it t pic , wh a o th e old r e s an d s ore e f und bu gh r , till m th ir wi es e e r ore so e a v , rich in that l g nda y l inv l e to i h e e er er r e s o . e o e h e abl tru h t ry W n v , th f , e e o e e happ n d up n a g nuin Dutch family, s s its low - roo e r - o se nugly hut up in f d fa m h u , (13) 14 e Rip Van Winkl . er a s e s ore h e oo e o it und pr ading ycam , l k d up n as a e s ed o e of - e er and littl cla p v lum black l tt , ed th e e l of o - o studi it with z a a b ok w rm . Th e result of all these resea rch es w as a his » tory of th e province during th e reign of th e t o er o s h e s e so e Du ch g v n r , which publi h d m years sinc e. Th ere h ave b ee n various opin o s as to th e er r e of h is or i n lit ary cha act r w k, and to te th e is n ot a e er , ll truth , it whit b tt o Its ie e is i u tha n it sh uld b e . ch f m rit ts ecr io s r ee w as e pu n accu acy, which , ind d, a littl es o e on its fi s e r e h as qu ti n d r t app a anc , but since bee n complem established : and it is n ow admitte d into all historical c ollections as a book of unquestionable authority . Th e old gentleman died sh ortly after th e publication of h is work ; and n ow that h e is dead and gone it cannot do much harm to h is 15 Rip Van Winkle. memory to say that his time might have been h e er e o e e e muc b tt mpl y d in w ighti r lab ours. He o e er w as to e h is o his , h w v , apt rid h bby ow n way ; and though it did now and then kick up th e dust a little in th e eyes of his n e o rs r e e th e s of so e ighb u , and g i v pirit m friends for wh om h e felt th e tru est deference ec o et h is erro s o es are re and aff ti n , y r and f lli “ ” e ere ore so o er m mb d m in rr w than in ang , a n d it begins to b e suspected that h e n ever in» r o tended to inju e or offend . B ut h wever his m em or m a b e re ed r s is s y y app ciat by c itic , it till e e r n o ose oo o io h ld d a by ma y f lk, wh g d pin n is e o t t r e w ll w r h having, par icula ly by c rtain b s c — ers wh o a e o e so as to im i uit bak , h v g n far ri his e ess on e r ew - e r es p nt lik n th i N y a cak , and have thus given him a chanc e for imm or tality almost equal to th e b ein g stamped on a ’ W aterloo medal or a Qu een Ann e s farthing .