The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving is the classic Halloween story. It appears to be a ghost story, but is it?It was published in 1819 and has some classic features of later horror stories and contemporary Gothic tropes.  In summary, a hapless, awkward, greedy, and self-opinionated schoolmaster fancies he has a chance with the coquettish 18-year-old daughter of a local landowner. He wants to marry her as much for the monetary rewards and food as for her own charms. But this Ichabod Crane had to contend with a headless horseman in this earliest of spooky tales.It's a book in itself, albeit a short one, and the tale is very well written by author Washington Irving, who injects wry humor and who clearly was a great observer of human character and failings. It was made into a scary movie by Tim BurtonNew Patreon RequestBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREESupport the showVisit us here: www.ghostpod.orgBuy me a coffee if you're glad I do this: https://ko-fi.com/tonywalkerIf you really want to help me, become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/barcudMusic by The Heartwood Institute: https://bit.ly/somecomebackLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices