Washington Irving

Compiled during a three-month stay in Granada, Spain, Tales of the Alhambra assembles descriptions, myths, and narratives of historical events. After completing a literary project in Madrid, author Washington Irving traveled to Granada, Spain. Immediately taken by its beauty and extravagance, Irving requested a travel guide and began filling notebooks and journals with his observations and description of the magnificent setting. Beginning with an...

Told from the perspective of a cantankerous man named Deidrick Knickerbocker, A Knickerbocker's History of New York depicts a satirical history spanning from the world's creation to the end of the Dutch dynasty. Beginning with the start of time itself, Knickerbocker reveals historical anecdotes, both real and imagined featuring social commentary, fresh perspectives on the past, and conversations with powerful historical figures. With humor and intrigue,...

When Ichabod Crane becomes the new schoolmaster of Sleepy Hollow, he quickly and happily adjusts to the local ways. He delights in the bountiful dinners he's served when visiting the prosperous farms of the region; he enjoys the local yarns and scary legends that fill the firelit evenings of autumn; and he comes to love the idea of marrying Katrina Van Tassel and of one day owning her father's wealth and lands. There's one problem with his plans,...

Presents stories that deal with a twenty-year sleep, a ghostly apparition, a goblin, a tragic love affair, and a young storyteller.

"Upon his 1829 arrival in Granada, Spain, American author Washington Irving was immediately charmed by the city's beauty and picturesque qualities. While researching a book on the conquest of Granada, he gained access to the Alhambra Palace, which had fallen into disrepair after years of neglect. Irving became a guest at the ancient fortress, where he found himself in the company of several colorful inhabitants. During his sojourn, the writer became...

Washington Irving had a lifelong interest in Spain and its history under the Moors. He crafted this portrait of Mahomet and Muslims, combining both facts and legends, in order to show not only the prophet, but also the faith. Irving wrote this work (deciding not to cite sources, as he deemed them unnecessary here) while he was living in Madrid.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Tales collects the best macabre stories of Washington Irving. Blending sly humor with supernatural thrills, these tales are among the most beloved and re-read of all American fiction. In the thirteen stories gathered for this volume, Irving evokes the colorful landscapes of his Hudson Valley hometown, and conjures characters and creatures from its historical past for a unique kind of weird tale that speaks directly...

This 1831 volume focuses on lesser-known explorers like Alonzo de Ojeda, Diego de Nicuesa, Juan Ponce de Leon, and Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, among others. Followers of Christopher Columbus, these men experienced first hand the excitement of discovery in a time when there were entire worlds to be found.