Washington Irving (1783-1859) was the first American literary artist to
earn his living solely through his writings and the first to enjoy
international acclaim. In addition to his long public service as a
diplomat, Irving was amazingly prolific: His collected works fill forty
volumes that encompass essays, history, travel writings, and
multi-volume biographies of Columbus and Washington. But it is Irving's
mastery of suspense, characterization, tempo, and irony that transforms
his fiction into virtuoso performances, earning him his reputation as
the father of the American short story. Charles Neider has gathered all
sixty-one of Irving's tales, originally scattered throughout his many
collections of nonfiction essays and sketches, into one magnificent
volume. Together, they reveal his wide range: besides the expected
classics like Rip Van Winkle, The Spectre Bridegroom, The Legend of
Sleepy Hollow, and The Devil and Tom Walker, his fiction embraces
realistic tales, ghost stories, parodies, legends, fables, and satires.
For those familiar only with secondhand retellings of Irving's most
famous tales, this collection offers the opportunity to step inside
Washington Irving's imagination and partake of its innumerable and
timeless pleasures.
