In Irving''s great work, The Sketch Book, fictional historian Diedrich Knickerbocker introduces us to Rip van Winkle, the Dutch colonist who slept through the Revolutionary War; Ichabod Crane, the superstitious, social-climbing schoolmaster; and the pumpkin-topped Headless Horseman, ancestor to countless horror film antiheroes. In addition to ''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'' and ''Rip Van Winkle'', The Sketch Book touches on cultural and historical concerns that remain compelling, thanks to Irving''s modern outlook and impressive foresight.This new edition, with an introduction from Elizabeth L. Bradley, demonstrates how inextricably Irving''s writings are woven into the fabric of American culture - high and low.