Softcover, 6" x 9" format, 330 pages
70+ (black & white) Maps and Illustrations
All sources clearly cited – 31 pages of Endnotes
New Book: Sleepy Hollow - Birth of the Legend
Was Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” a true story? Is Sleepy Hollow a real place? Were Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel real people? Did Ichabod really encounter the ghost of a Headless Hessian? (Or someone masquerading as one??)
Almost as soon as “The Legend” first appeared in March 1820, readers began trying to guess the “true identities” of the characters in the story. Many of these theories evolved into “local traditions” passed down through many generations – but which, if any, are correct? (And which are nonsense??)
Sleepy Hollow – The Birth of The Legend is the result of more than seven years of studying Irving’s stories, letters, journals and notebooks; contemporary newspaper and magazine articles; church and genealogical records; and 19th century local histories. The author uses the evidence gathered to sort fact from fiction, debunking a few long-standing “traditions” while validating others.
Where did Irving find his Ichabod, Katrina and Brom? And exactly how much of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is true? Come inside and find out!