Rip Van Winkle

Literature index page

Whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the Kaatskill Mountains. They are a dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family, and are seen away to the west of the river, swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country. Every change of season, every change of weather, indeed, every hour of the day, produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains, and they are regarded by all the good wives, far and near, as perfect barometers. When the weather is fair and settled, they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky; but sometimes, when the rest of the landscape is cloudless, they will gather a hood of gray vapors about their summits, which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will glow and light up like a crown of glory.
 
 
 

The full text of Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle as well as commentary on it can be found on a Rip Van Winkle Site   developed at the University of Texas. The Mountain Top Edition of Rip Van Winkle is available from the Mountain Top Historical Society for $8.00.  It features line drawings by N. C. Wyeth.  The Cover illustration of "Old Rip" was commissioned by MTHS and was done by Mark Murtagh after a similar drawing of a young Rip by Wyeth.  See our Order Form . Click on the book for an enlarged image.