The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., commonly referred to as
The Sketch Book, is a collection of 34 essays and short stories written by American author
Washington Irving. It was published serially throughout 1819 and 1820. The collection includes two of Irving's best-known stories, attributed to the fictional Dutch historian
Diedrich Knickerbocker, "
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "
Rip Van Winkle". It also marks Irving's first use of the
pseudonym "Geoffrey Crayon", which he would continue to employ throughout his literary career.