Travel back in time to the days before the American Revolution, when Dutch settlers populated the little towns along the Hudson River and ghosts roamed the mountains and river valleys. In "Rip Van Winkle," a henpecked husband escapes his nagging wife by wandering the Catskills, where he encounters some mysterious mountain men and tastes a strange brew with unexpected effects. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" recounts schoolmaster Ichabod Crane's dream of marrying a wealthy farmer's daughter. But Ichabod's ambitions take a sudden turn with his terrifying late-night encounter with the dreaded Headless Horseman. In addition to these famous fables by Washington Irving, America's first popular author, the collection includes two other short stories: "The Spectre Bridegroom," a tale of an arranged marriage that comes to a chilling conclusion; and "Mountjoy," in which a bookish young man discovers romance and learns a real-life lesson. AGES: 7 to 11 AUTHOR: Author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat, Washington Irving (1783–1859) is best known as the creator of "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." One of America's first bestselling writers to achieve international acclaim, Irving served as U. S. Ambassador to Spain from 1842–46.