“Rip’s Knickerbockers” by Linden J. DeBie

Rip’s Knickerbockers

Linden J. DeBie
Resource Publications (2024)
ISBN: 979-8385227655
Reviewed by Joan Kirschner for Reader Views (08/2026)

Many readers are familiar with Washington Irving’s whimsical short story, Rip Van Winkle, which was first published in 1819 and has become a classic. Rip’s Knickerbockers, a novella-length work by Linden J. DeBie, is a retelling of Irving’s story with some new twists and framed by a highly detailed reworking of its historical context.

In both tales, Rip is a Knickerbocker, a person of Dutch descent. The term “Knickerbocker” originated from the name of the knee-length pants worn by the early Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam, later New York, and came to be a reference for anyone of that background (and is now associated with the leading families of old New York society, such as the Roosevelts).

Rip lives in a small village at the foot of New York’s Catskill Mountains in the years before the Revolutionary War. He’s a kindly but lazy farmer who would rather go off to hunt and fish with his loyal dog than face the wrath of his wife, Katrina, who constantly nags him about his general lack of productivity.

While hunting one day, Rip comes upon a group of oddly dressed men, playing a bowling game and quaffing ale. Rip, after a few draughts of the strong drink, falls into a deep sleep. When he awakens, his rifle has rusted beyond use, his dog is gone, and his beard has grown long and gray.

Back in the village, he finds that everything is different, and that his old friends have left or died in the war. He soon learns that he has slept for 20 years. His wife has also died, and his farm and home are a complete ruin. Eventually his daughter, now grown and married, recognizes Rip and takes him in.

Irving’s Rip Van Winkle notes the changes that arise from the Revolutionary War and the founding of the United States. DeBie’s Rip’s Knickerbockers upends the specifics of what Rip encounters once he awakens from his long sleep. It offers a vastly different account of the historical events of the era and both the previous and the following decades. DeBie incorporates characters who are strangers to Rip’s village and relate to him a much-changed version of events. Subsequent chapters describe the further life and times of the Knickerbockers of Rip’s Catskill home.

At times as fanciful as a folktale, and at others reading almost like a non-fiction work of history, Rip’s Knickerbockers moves into a realm that requires a true suspension of belief. It incorporates more than a few famous names in American history playing new and unexpected roles. It is a mix of facts and real-life historical figures incorporated into an unlikely alternative narrative versus actual occurrences.

The book’s structure alternates between chapters that provide a new spin on the Rip Van Winkle story and others that create a historical narrative. The historical chapters begin with the early history of the Dutch and British colonies in what became New York and New England, but that account soon moves from the factual into a different direction that turns history upside down.

Rip Van Winkle is a beloved character created by one of America’s greatest writers. I reread the original work in preparation for writing this review. DeBie successfully incorporates him into Rip’s Knickerbockers and retains the vivid description of the Dutch attributes of Rip’s village, along with conveying the legendary charm and mystery associated with the surrounding Catskill Mountains. Generations of New Yorkers still flock to the region from the city to enjoy its beauty, engage with its history, and capture a piece of its enduring magic. I have visited there many times.

The alternative historical narrative that DeBie has created, however, is very different – in style and tone. I was not sure of his intention or the impression he wished to create. Was it a warning or a suggestion as to how the concepts and beliefs we accept about our history and identity as a nation can swiftly change? Or could it be that the intention was satirical, or comic? The serious tone the author takes in the historical chapters ruled that out for me, but other readers will draw their own conclusions.  Unfortunately, there are more than a few spelling and grammatical errors, including some of the names of the historical characters.

Rip’s Knickerbockers by Linden J. DeBie is a book for adult readers with an interest in early American literature, history, and politics. As I read it, I checked the references to actual events and certain historical figures, and in that way, I was motivated to revisit and review my own knowledge and understanding of American history and politics.