{"product_id":"what-is-the-story-of-the-headless-horseman-isbn-9780593523674","title":"What Is the Story of the Headless Horseman?","description":"\u003cb\u003eWho HQ brings you the stories behind the most well-known characters of our time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiscover the haunting story of the Headless Horseman, his chilling adventures in Sleepy Hollow, New York, and his historical backstory in this addition to the What Is the Story Of? series.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWashington Irving published \u003ci\u003eThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow\u003c\/i\u003e in 1820, introducing the eerie Headless Horseman character to readers worldwide. Readers were both scared and intrigued by the horrific character, who is the ghost of a soldier who had been decapitated during the American Revolution. Now, the character is an American classic, featured in movies, television shows, cartoons, comic books, and even video games, thanks to his chilling story of a lone horseman seeking revenge. Perfect for Halloween, but an enduring year-round favorite, the Headless Horseman rides forward in this exciting new nonfiction title.Sheila Keenan is an established author of fiction and nonfiction for young people. Her books include the Eisner-nominated graphic novel \u003ci\u003eDogs of War\u003c\/i\u003e, the picture book \u003ci\u003eAs the Crow Flies\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eI Spy The Illuminati Eye,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eO, Say Can You See? America's Symbols, Landmarks and Inspiring Words\u003c\/i\u003e, among other selected titles. She lives in New York City.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAndrew Thomson is an illustrator and artist, currently living and working near Guildford in the south of England. He studied illustration in Preston and graduated in 2010, and has been exchanging pictures for money ever since.\u003cb\u003eWhat Is the Story of the Headless Horseman?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Every October, thousands of people flock to an area along the eastern shore of the Hudson River, about thirty miles north of New York City. They stroll down historic streets, imagining what life was like in the early days of the United States. They \u003ci\u003eooh\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eaah\u003c\/i\u003e at an amazing display of seven thousand carved and illuminated jack-­o’-­lanterns. Some huddle into horse-­drawn wagons for haunted hayrides or hold candlelit lanterns high as they roam through the local cemetery.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The quaint small towns and villages in this region have a long history. They were established by Dutch and then English settlers on land first inhabited by the Weckquaesgeek people. Revolutionary War battles were fought there. But this is also a place where Halloween comes to life. It’s the setting for America’s first ghost story!\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Welcome to Sleepy Hollow, New York, home of the Headless Horseman.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e This dark, menacing figure on a rearing stallion charges through the pages of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” a famous short story by author Washington Irving. More than two hundred years after the story was first published, visitors still flock to Sleepy Hollow. They’re in search of the scary spots where key moments of the ghost story take place. Some of them no doubt secretly hope that the village’s most famous resident will gallop by—­and that they’ll keep their heads if he does!\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Washington Irving’s story has thrilled generations of readers. But how did he come up with this terrifying tale and its terrible main character? And what in the world happened to that horseman’s head?\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The answers are part of America’s own story!\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 1: The Father of American Literature\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Many historians call Washington Irving “The Father of American Literature.” That’s because at the time he wrote his popular books, articles, and short stories, the United States was a new country. Most literature taken seriously by educated people at that time was written and published by Europeans. A snobby English critic of the early 1800s asked, “In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book?”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Everybody! Or at least it seemed like that after Washington Irving started publishing his work. He became the first best-­selling author in the United States and the first American to earn his living by his pen. He was a celebrity when the country itself was still celebrating having become an independent nation.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Irving was born in New York City on April 3, 1783. Just eight days later the Revolutionary War, which freed the American colonies from British rule, ended with a cease-­fire. Washington Irving was named after the war hero who became the first president of the new nation. As a six-­year-­old, Irving watched the presidential inauguration of General George Washington in New York City, then the capital of the United States. He even met the famous man. Irving’s nanny followed the president around lower Manhattan, with her young charge in tow. She finally cornered President Washington in a shop and introduced his namesake. George Washington patted Washington Irving on the head and blessed him. The boy never forgot this, even when he became famous himself.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Washington Irving was the son of immigrants William Irving Sr., a sailor who had come from Scotland, and Sarah Saunders, from England. William Irving Sr. became a successful merchant in New York City, importing and selling hardware, wine, and household goods. He and Sarah had eleven children. Washington was their youngest child.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e As a boy, he lived with his family on William Street in lower Manhattan, a part of the city that was bustling and thickly settled. But young Washington liked to roam north along the  Hudson River where the city turned into smaller villages and open countryside. “I was always fond of visiting new scenes and observing strange characters and manners,” he said. This curiosity came in handy when Washington turned to writing.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e As a teenager, Washington Irving studied to become a lawyer. He needed a profession in order to support himself. But he was not a very dedicated student. Nor was he really interested in the law. Irving preferred going to the theater, accepting dinner invitations, traveling, and keeping up with an interesting circle of friends and acquaintances. In 1802, when he was nineteen years old, he started writing letters that were published in his brother’s newspaper. Readers enjoyed Irving’s letters, which included theater reviews, funny descriptions of rowdy audiences, and mocking comments about marriage, fashion, and even dueling. He wrote these pieces using a pen name, a different name authors use to conceal their identity. Nonetheless, most people knew that printed letters signed by “Jonathan Oldstyle” were really written by Washington Irving. Pen names became a signature style for Irving in many of his later works.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Though he squeaked through the bar exam and became a lawyer, Washington Irving was still much more interested in dining, drinking, and gossiping about literature, culture, and politics. These interests cost money, though. Irving wasn’t all that excited about practicing law. And so he turned to writing.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In 1807, Washington Irving, his brother William, and some friends wrote and published a literary magazine called \u003ci\u003eSalmagundi.\u003c\/i\u003e The articles in it poked fun at New York politics, well-­known people, and the “fashionable world.” \u003ci\u003eSalmagundi\u003c\/i\u003e was very popular; more and more readers became familiar with Washington Irving’s writing. Two years later, he became an even bigger success.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Washington published his first major book, \u003ci\u003eA History of New York, from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty\u003c\/i\u003e, in 1809. He was twenty-­six years old. It is a very clever blend of history, geography, and satire (a writing style that uses humor and exaggeration to mock something). In \u003ci\u003eA History of New York\u003c\/i\u003e, facts can be funny and often aren’t even factual! Irving’s main intent was to poke fun at people who were too full of themselves, expose social or political ideas that were false or insincere, and ridicule behavior that was too stuffy or snobby.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e But he also was concerned with how Americans would establish the history of their  new country, the United States. Washington Irving understood that “history” often reflects the point of view of whoever is explaining what happened.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In between the humorous sections of his book, Irving also asked what he called the “gigantic question”: “What right had the first discoverers of America to land and take possession of a country, without first gaining the consent of its inhabitants . . . ?”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eA History of New York\u003c\/i\u003e is narrated by a character named Diedrich Knickerbocker, described as an eccentric “well-­known Dutch historian.” There was no such person in real life. Knickerbocker came straight out of Washington Irving’s imagination.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The author also used the character of Diedrich Knickerbocker as a brilliant marketing tool to help sell his book. In October 1809, this notice and others like it appeared in several New York newspapers:\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eLeft his lodgings, some time since, and has not since been heard of, a small elderly gentleman, dressed in an old black coat and cocked hat, by the name of \u003c\/i\u003eKnickerbocker\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e And readers paid attention! The missing man became a big topic of conversation and speculation in New York.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e A few weeks later, in mid-­November, another newspaper notice appeared. This one was from a man claiming to be Knickerbocker’s landlord. The landlord said the old man had disappeared, owing rent. But he had left a “very curious kind of written book” in his room. If Knickerbocker didn’t show up and pay up, the landlord was going to “dispose of his book to satisfy me for the same [overdue rent].”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Now New Yorkers were really intrigued: who—­and \u003ci\u003ewhere\u003c\/i\u003e—­was Diedrich Knickerbocker?\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Nowhere to be found, it seems. So the “landlord” had the book published to pay off \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Knickerbocker’s debt. Meanwhile, Washington Irving had invented the whole mystery, including the old man and his landlord, and had planted all the newspaper notices. His hoax paid off! Everyone was talking about Knickerbocker, and more importantly, they were buying copies of \u003ci\u003eA History of New York\u003c\/i\u003e hoping to learn more about him!","brand":"Penguin Workshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302927945957,"sku":"NP9780593523674","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593523674_ba51aae1-83a0-49ca-9c61-d5883f5ab537.jpg?v=1742929397","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/what-is-the-story-of-the-headless-horseman-isbn-9780593523674","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}