The Complete Tales Of Washington Irving

Washington Irving (17831859) 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 multivolume biographies of Columbus and Washington. But it is Irvings 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 sixtyone of Irvings 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 Irvings most famous tales, this collection offers the opportunity to step inside Washington Irvings imagination and partake of its innumerable and timeless pleasures.