Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle

By Arthur Rackham and Washington Irving

These magnificent illustrations, created for a 1905 edition of Washington Irving's enchanting fairy tale, established Arthur Rackham as a leading illustrator of his time. The illustrations featured traits that soon were to characterize much of Rackham's art: flowing pen lines and muted watercolors, forests of looming trees, lovely fairy maidens, and quizzical troll-like figures. Today these images are recognized as among Rackham's very best works.
This edition features all 51 full-page color plates, as well as the full text of Irving's classic tale. And enduring foundation of Catskill lore, the captivating narrative recounts the fanciful adventures of an amiable ne'er-do-well colonial farmer who wanders into the highlands, falls asleep after drinking with a band of strange little mountain men, and wakes twenty years later in a world that has passed him by.
Effusing a gentle humor, Rackham's art is a constant reminder of a more innocent era. This edition — sure to enchant art lovers — will also delight Rackham devotees and fantasy fans alike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Dec 19, 2012
• ISBN: 9780486141541

Arthur Rackham

Arthur Rackham (1867–1939) was a British illustrator.

Book preview

Rip wakes up. Surely, thought he,

"I have not slept here all night. . . . Oh! That flagon!

What excuse shall I make to Dame Van Winkle?"

FRONTISPIECE [See page xv.]

By Woden, God of Saxons,

From whence comes Wensday, that is Wodensday

Truth is a thing that ever I will keep

Unto thylke day in which I creep into

My sepulchre—

CARTWRIGHT.

Bibliographical Note

This Dover edition, first published in 2005, is an unabridged republication of the work originally published as Rip Van Winkle: With Drawings by Arthur Rackham by William Heinemann. London, and Doubleday. Page & Co., New York, in 1905. The Note that originally appeared at the end of the text in the standard edition of Rip van Winkle has been included in the present edition.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Irving, Washington, 1783—1859.

[Rip van Winkle]

Washington Irving’s Rip van Winkle / illustrated by Arthur Rackham.

p. cm.

Reprint. This ed. originally published: London : Heinemann ; New York : Doubleday, 1905.

9780486141541

1. Van Winkle, Rip (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Catskill Mountains Region (N.Y.)—Fiction. I. Rackham, Arthur, 1867—1939. II. Title.

PS2068.Al 2005

813’.2—dc22

2004063543

Manufactured in the United States of America

Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, N.Y. 11501

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

INTRODUCTION

POSTSCRIPT

THE PLATES

INTRODUCTION

[The following Tale was found among the papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker, an old gentleman of New York, who was very curious in the Dutch history of the province, and the manners of the descendants from its primitive settlers. His historical researches, however, did not lie so much among books as among men; for the former are lamentably scanty on his favorite topics; whereas he found the old burghers, and still more their wives, rich in that legendary lore, so invaluable to true history. Whenever, therefore, he happened upon a genuine Dutch family, snugly shut up in its low-roofed farmhouse, under a spreading sycamore, he looked upon it as a little clasped volume of black-letter, and studied it with the zeal of a book—worm.

The result of all these researches was a history of the province during the reign of the Dutch governors, which he published some years since. There have been various opinions as to the literary character of his work, and, to tell the truth, it is not a whit better than it should