The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Rare Book of the Week

This week's Rare Book of the Week is today's launch offering from Macmillan's new Fablelistik Editions, a limited and fine press books publisher. In its first collection, Fablelistik is offering three editions of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, all of which will include illustrations from awardwinning painter, Gregory Manchess.

Washington Irving’s 1820 tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman is set in the village of Sleepy Hollow, New York, which is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its incorporation this year.

“We could not be more excited to launch with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,”  said Taylor Armstrong, Publishing Director at Fablelistik. “The intricate and thoughtful artistry our partners brought to these editions is extraordinary and created the foundation for us to preserve and champion the literary and visual arts community while exemplifying books as works of art.”

Available for pre-order today, Fablelistik’s editions of Sleepy Hollow feature painted illustrations, a biography of Washington Irving by Catalina Hannan, Librarian of the Hudson Valley Historic Archive, and an afterword from Andrew Burstein, historian and author of The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving.
 
Fablelistik is producing three limited editions:

* a Lettered Edition (Print run of 26, lettered A-Z) in collaboration with designer bookbinder Gavin Dovey, hot metal letterpressed on handmade paper, handbound with a stone leaf veneer laser-cut from a drawing inspired by the landscape of Washington Irving’s estate, Sunnyside. This oversized 10x14” edition will be housed in a clothbound handmade articulated clamshell case, lined in suede.

* a Numbered Edition (Print run of 325), hot metal letterpressed on mould-made paper, handbound by bookbinder Roger Grech with a cloth case featuring an exclusive illustrated silhouette design and quarter-fine leather binding. This edition will be housed in a clothbound rigid slipcase with letterpress printed ornamental details.


* a Collector’s Edition (Print run of 2,500) in a three-piece bradle-bound case featuring four-color art, cloth spine with hot metal press printed label, and two-color art on the endpapers. Each will be housed in a rigid acrylic slipcase with laser-etched trimmings


Fablelistik plans to publish a minimum of seven titles in 2025 and will announce its next collection on December 3.