In the years before the American Revolutionary War, in a village at the foot of New York’s Catskill Mountains, lives a kindhearted Dutchman named Rip Van Winkle. He’s admired by all his fellow villagers except for his wife, who incessantly nags. One day, in order to avoid her, Rip heads off into the mountains. There he discovers a group of mysterious men wearing antiquated clothes and playing ninepins. Soon Rip falls asleep amongst these strangers—only to wake up twenty years later to a vastly changed world.
 
Originally published in 1819 in Washington Irving’s book, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., “Rip Van Winkle” was one of the first works of American literature to be widely read abroad and helped shape American folklore. Nearly two hundred years later, the story endures, continuing to capture the imaginations of readers young and old.