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The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., commonly referred to as The Sketch Book, is a collection...

The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., commonly referred to as The Sketch Book, is a collection of 34 essays and short stories written by Washington Irving. Published serially throughout 1819 and 1820, the collection includes two of Irving's best-known works, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle." It also marks Irving's first use of the pseudonym "Geoffrey Crayon," which he would continue to employ throughout his literary career. The Sketch Book, along with James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, was the first widely read work of American literature in Britain and Europe. It also helped advance the reputation of American writers with an international audience. Apart from "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" — the pieces which made both Irving and The Sketch Book famous — other tales include "Roscoe," "The Broken Heart," "The Art of Book-making," "A Royal Poet," "The Spectre Bridegroom," "Westminster Abbey," "Little Britain," and "John Bull." His stories were highly influenced by German folktales , with the The Legend of Sleepy Hollow being inspired by a folktale recorded by Karl Musäus. Stories range from the maudlin (such as "The Wife" and