Rip Van Winkle is the title character of one of the most famous short stories in American literature. The author, Washington Irving, published "Rip Van Winkle" in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (1819-1820). Irving based the story on a German folk tale, "Peter Klaus," setting it in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Irving's picturesque descriptions of the Hudson River Valley scenery help create the story's dreamy mood.