“IF ALL ELSE WERE LOST, RIP VAN WINKLE AND ICHABOD CRANE WILL LIVE FOREVER”: WASHINGTON IRVING’S SKETCH BOOK, SCARCE WITH FIVE (OF SEVEN PARTS) ALL FIRST ISSUE, WITH THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF “THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW”

(IRVING, Washington). The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. New York: C.S. Van Winkle, 1819-20. Seven parts bound in one. Thick octavo, period-style three-quarter polished brown calf, raised bands, contemporary marbled boards. Housed in a custom clamshell box.

Scarce first edition, mostly first issue, of Irving’s Sketch Book (with a scarce second editions of Parts I and VI), featuring “Rip Van Winkle” and the first appearance of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Within these pages of Washington Irving’s pseudonymously published sketches, Americans “first read of Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane… [here] they learned of… the Indians, and of Old England, through the medium of a musical, rhythmical style, quiet humor and dreamy charm, which instinctively taught taste and sweetness” (Grolier 100:31). “Irving’s graceful, humorous, stylistically careful writing is in the tradition of Addison, Steele and Goldsmith,” and his Sketch Book was an immediate success in the United States (Hart, 369). Like Emerson, Irving “married American literature to the literature of the world. He has every right to retain the title enthusiastically bestowed upon him, of ‘Father of American Literature.’ And if all else were lost, Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane will live forever” (Kunitz & Haycraft, 407). Featuring the complete first appearance of some of Irving’s most famous stories, including “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Very scarce first issue of five of seven parts: Volumes II, III, IV, VI, VII; second edition of Volumes I, V. With title page of Volume I; bound without remaining title pages. Without scarce copyright infringement slip in Volume II, rarely found. Bound without wrappers. Occasional mispagination, without loss of text. BAL 10106. Blackburn, 15-23. Barron 3-72. Contemporary presentation bookplate. Owner signature on title page. Bookseller ticket. Vestiges of plate removal to verso of front free endpaper and traces of tape remnants opposite.

Text generally fresh with light scattered foxing, slight edge-wear and mild rubbing to boards. An extremely good copy, quite scarce.