Washington Irving was the first American writer to kindle worldwide interest through his intoxicating tales. With Rip Van Winkle, Ichabod Crane, and Diedrich Knickerbocker, Irving created three lasting folklore characters worthy of comparison to Huckleberry Finn and Captain Ahab.
These stories have done much to promote pride in America's past and in American settings, and are narrated by a well-known radio personality who resides, not coincidentally, in the land once occupied by Ichabod, Rip, and the Headless Horseman: New York's Hudson Valley.