Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Penguin Classics (2008), Paperback, 400 pages
Description
Fiction. Historical Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML: Today, author Washington Irving is best remembered for the iconic tales The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. However, Irving also produced a number of well-regarded works of history and biography. This brilliant volume combines fact and fiction, offering a satiricalâ??and often imaginedâ??history of New York from the perspective of make-believe Dutch historian Diedrich Knickerbocker
User reviews
LibraryThing member keylawk
In 1809, Irving published his first book, A History of New York, from the point of view of a Dutch professor named Diedrich Knickerbocker. He promoted the book by claiming the professor was a real person. As Irving was working on this book, he fell in love with Matilda Hoffman, and shortly after
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the book was published, she died of "consumption". Irving dropped his writing and traveled aimlessly in Europe, eventually taking up a room in the Alhambra, which revived him with its grace and beauty, and its history of great suffering and irony. Show Less
LibraryThing member tungsten_peerts
I remember thinking when I started reading this odd little book (for no reason, really -- I'd just seen it listed at gutenberg.org) "wow -- who knew that Washington Irving was so goofy?" It's actually pretty hysterical at times, and made me want to explore Irving further. He was certainly never
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even on the fringes of my attention before this. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1809
1865
Physical description
400 p.; 7.76 inches
ISBN
0143105612 / 9780143105619