Washington Irving

Ten superbly narrated stories that help explain America by America's best writers. Irving's incredible and amusing tale of the archetypal "Rip Van Winkle" relates the story of a man who slept through history. Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage" tells of a young soldier who must struggle with his conscience no matter what the consequences. "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is Mark Twain's hilarious story of a contest to end