Haunted Travels in the Hudson River Valley of Washington Irving … The Sketch Books Volume One

Journey from Sleepy Hollow to the Catskills, exploring the folklore, hauntings and magic of this historic region

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Essays, travelogues – the story of my ramblings through the Hudson river valley, looking for the inspiration Washington Irving found and imbued into the landscape. With over a hundred original images, it’s a great companion for those with a hunger to explore this mystic corridor of America, even if you only do it from your armchair.

One of the things that’s always interested me was how the landscape, and the mythology of a place inspires writers, artists and musicians. Perhaps no place in America has exemplified that idea as clearly as the Hudson river valley.

Plus there are some really spooky tales from the region. What’s not to love?

Includes:

• Return to Sleepy Hollow … Washington Irving returned to Sleepy Hollow and revisited the inspiration for the legend, wanting to see if the old magic was there. Includes tours of his home, Sunnyside, Philipsburg Manor, the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow and other sites featured in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
• Daily Life of the 19th Century: Patent Medications and  Homeopathic cures at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside
• True Confessions: In which the author relates his own supernatural encounters in the land of Sleepy Hollow
• Daily Life of the American Colonies: Spoons
• The legend comes to life with Jonathan Kruk in the  Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow
• Tip your hat to the Imp of Donder-Berg mountain, who still haunts the highlands of the Hudson River
• Peter Stuyvesant: A citizen of old New Amsterdam, carrying on nearly 400 years later in New York City
• Eating Poe Part III: Poe’s life New York City, where he found fame, tragedy & madness, and I search Il Buco for The Cask of Amontillado
• Historical attractions in Gotham: A gin-soaked stroll through Manhattan
• Christmas Ghost Stories: The Ghost of Christmas Past Goes Further Back Than You Might Realize
• Exploring the imagination of Washington Irving and early American folklore along the Rip Van Winkle Trail in the Catskills
• Into the Mystic: Looking for the beating heart of the Hudson valley and finding it inside myself

Over a hundred original images, 176 pages, 6″ x 9″. Ebook coming soon!

Browse a gallery of images for fine art prints from the book, along with an essay on Washington Irving and his role in folk horror

Color Images and Prints

Available now from Blurb!

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