Product Description
Little Britain is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Washington Irving is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Washington Irving then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Delicious Seasonal Treat
What a quaint old book this is!Washington Irving is best known for spooky stories set in the early part of 18th century America but here he looks back to the England that he traveled to in his younger days.There's a grand old country family with it's patriarch who entertains his extended family and even part of the village he heads.Irving describes these pre-Victorian (where lots of our modern traditions hail from) traditions as simple but still very enjoyable.As will most likely always be the case food and drink are a very important part of the celebrations as well as decorative greenery and children's games.In this case Squire Birchbridge, as he's known by all, has a right hand man who's a distant relative who keeps things organized and moving along by herding the children, letting visitors know of the family traditions, and even preparing the Christmas Wassail.The Squire delights in the country customs and shuns London for his country life preferring to read books from previous eras that describe English country gentlemen's lives.He's also a keen amateur musician.....ok not exactly a musician but he does like to hunt out old verse and put it to traditional hymns and get the locals to perform them.

Here's one of my favorite passages from the book.It describes a thrown together church choir and orchestra:

"The orchestra was in a small gallery, and presented a most whimsical grouping of heads,[98] piled one above the other, among which I particularly noticed that of the village tailor, a pale fellow with a retreating forehead and chin, who played on the clarionet, and seemed to have blown his face to a point; and there was another, a short pursy man, stooping and labouring at a bass viol, so as to show nothing but the top of a round bald head, like the egg of an ostrich. There were two or three pretty faces among the female[99] singers, to which the keen air of a frosty morning had given a bright rosy tint; but the gentlemen choristers had evidently been chosen, like old Cremona fiddles, more for tone than looks; and as several had to sing from the same book, there were clusterings of odd physiognomies, not unlike those groups of cherubs we sometimes see on country tombstones.

The usual services of the choir were managed tolerably well, the vocal parts generally lagging a little behind the instrumental, and some loitering fiddler now and then making up for lost time by travelling over a passage with prodigious celerity, and clearing more bars than the keenest fox-hunter, to be in at the death. But the great trial was an anthem that had been prepared and arranged by Master Simon, and on which he had founded great expectation. Unluckily there was a blunder at the very outset; the musicians became flurried; Master Simon was in a fever, everything went on lamely and irregularly until[100] they came to a chorus beginning "Now let us sing with one accord," which seemed to be a signal for parting company: all became discord and confusion; each shifted for himself, and got to the end as well, or rather as soon, as he could, excepting one old chorister in a pair of horn spectacles bestriding and pinching a long sonorous nose; who, happening to stand a little apart, and being wrapped up in his own melody, kept on a[101] quavering course, wriggling his head, ogling his book, and winding all up by a nasal solo of at least three bars' duration."

This description made me laugh out loud!Irving also describes the Squire's many relatives, both young, middle and older aged as almost having stepped down from the manor house portraits since they all resemble one another so much.

There's also a village myth that a crusading knight Bridgebirch, who's buried in his armor, legs crossed to symbolize his having taken part in the Middle Eastern wars, as being restless and walking the church late at night or the church grounds trying to redress an old wrong or let people know where he's buried the family's treasure.One of the very best parts of this book is the lovely contemporary illustrations.Irving's "Old Christmas" is a delicious seasonal treat.

Quiet, pleasant reading of an Old English Christmas
Very enjoyable reading for those who like to pull up a chair, have a cup of tea, and escape to a simpler, more elegant time. Those who enjoy Christmas stories, or Anglophiles who can never get enough of English history will enjoy this insight into an Old English Christmas from one who was there.

Melancholy little "sketch"
"But is old, old, good old Christmas gone? Nothing but the hair of his good, gray, old head and beard left? Well, I will have that, seeing that I cannot have more of him."

-- "Hue and Cry after Christmas," from the opening page of Old Christmas.

This book is what Washington Irving called a "sketchbook" -- a collection of impressions about something, gathered into a fictionalized story. It's a melancholy, fond evocation of fading English Christmas traditions of the author's time.

The story's simple: Irving sets himself in the English countryside, where he's travelling one Christmas Eve. At a country inn he runs into an old schoolmate, who invites him home to spend Christmas at the family estate. The friend's father, it turns out, dotes on all things Christmas, and has tuned his household to some of the more quaint and obscure English traditions celebrating the day. That lets Irving include lots of odd little bits and pieces of Christmas tradition, told through the old man, as part of his plot. The book covers a night and a day. The chapters are pieces of that time: the stagecoach ride is one chapter, then "Christmas Eve," and so on through "Christmas Dinner."

I read this every year lately, and it's a nice, low-key, sad and happy little way to mark the Christmases passing. Washington Irving wrote it in the early 1800s -- the dates of most of his "Sketch Book" are right around 1819 or 1820 -- and the story is mostly a reminiscence about even earlier Christmas traditions. Then it took until 1894 for this edition to be printed, with the illustrations by Caldecott. Later the facsimile edition I have was printed, in maybe the early 1980s... For a little book about Christmas past to have made it through all those years, and come down to me in this personal "sketch," is a glad thing. Coming back to the same copy year after year makes a nice little private tradition.

The text to this is available in a few places on the Web. That's an okay way to get to know the language, but a facsimile of the original book, with the illustrations, is still worth the few dollars it'll cost. The Caldecott who illustrated this is the one for whom the children's book award was named, among other things. You need to read this one next to the Christmas tree, not by the glow of a computer monitor. ... Read more

Product Description
Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Tales within tales
4 different stories together in one volume. Writing style is enjoyable.
1. Men gather round a hunting table and tell ghost stories. None are terribly frightening, but well written and some suspense.

2. An aspiring author's anecdotes of a life with a variety of experiences. Okay writing, not terribly engaging.

3. Travelers in Italy along a road plagued by robbers. Tales within tales about the lives of robbers.

4. Pirates and treasure! Stories about treasure hunters searching for booty left behind by pirates.
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

Colorful, wonderful collection of stories!!!
Washington Irving will always be the "Father of American Literature".This collection of stories is an excellent introduction as to why he was such a great writer.Of course, his two most famous tales are here -- "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle".You also have such gems as "The Stout Gentleman" and other various lesser-known tales from his books.Contrary to how many dull, modern critics today pass him off with disdain for not being "deep enough", these stories will prove otherwise.They are thought provoking and engaging.Take for instance, the narrator in "The Stout Gentleman".He is a traveler who becomes fascinated with a loud, demanding, unseen boarder who occupies a room upstairs at the inn where he happens to be staying.The brilliance of the story rests in the narrator's brief, consuming obsession with exactly who and what kind of a person the stout gentleman is.This collection only brings together all of Irving's fiction; however, his sketches, histories, and biographies are also highly recommended.

Witty and charming
I very much enjoy the writers of earlier times for their leisurely pace.This collection of Mr. Irving's tales did not disappoint me.Living in Louisiana, I found "The Creole Village" of particular interest; I only wish it had been longer.

A Spicy Brew
Some give the sheaf to Charles Brockden Brown but I far prefer the mellow stylings of Washington Irving, the sage of Tarrytown.When I was a boy I was introduced to this splendid body of work by one of my grade school teachers, a collateral relative of Washington Irving, a man who hailed from upstate New York and who carried in his bloodlines some of the authentically spooky platelets of colonial America.During the Napoleonic period the US was not necessarily a pretty place to live in, and Irving's famous story THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN shows us some of the dark underbelly of American life.You really weren't safe out of your own good, and at night travel was even more dangerous.Plus, as anyone who's read the story of Ichabod Crane knows, people were just as prone to jeer and mock the funny-looking as they are today.The story is heartbreaking on two levels, the naturalistic and the symbolic.We all know someone like Ichabod Crane, and many of us find ourselves mirrored in his lonely gaze and terrifying gallop through Hessian country.Irving, like Hawthorne, wrote out many of his tales swearing they were as "his grandfather told him," and thus they are set in a period before his own, a misty place of the past that he knew how to make terrifyingly real and relevant.

My teacher also reminded us that Washington Irving was a very cultured man who believed, like Johnny Appleseed, in planting America with the fruits of other, older lands, so that among his stories you will find some from Europe, re-told to make them apropos and socially relevant for the rawness of a new world.

For horror and fright Washington Irving has few rivals, and the bonus is an added richness as of old apples carpeting a winter meadow, and thus this book, edited by a Twain expert, smells like spicy cider on New Years Eve; lots of good cheer along with your ghosts.

Mystery and Romance in Rural Settings
(This review refers to the PUFFIN Anthology.)

This Puffin anthology presents five of Irving's short stories--tales of fantasy, legend and unrequited love--all set in rural New York and Europe, orignally published in 1820.His literary genius
was quickly evident; the elegant style contributed to his
accolade as "the father of American literature."Despite minimal dialogue the author captivates serious readers with his lush descriptions of scenery, bizarre twists of fate or

imagination, often interspersed with touches of wry humor.

Examining the follies of the human mind, as well as the foibles of the human heart, Irving has chosen the following subjects:
romance, ghosts, ambition, naivety, and pedantry. RIP VAN WINKLE and THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW are set in Dutch New York; THE SPECTRE BRIDEGROOM in the forests of Germany. THE PRIDE OF THE VILLAGE takes place in rural, Hardyesque England, while MOUNTJOY returns readers to Yankee New York state. This anthology provides delectable reading for an armchair by the hearth--especially in chilly, hobgoblin weather--by a premier raconteur
and US diplomat.

Proof of the talent of an important American author
This wonderful collection proves once and for allthat there is more to Irving than "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". The stories contained within this volume are wonderfully told and sparkle with imagination. The pieces from "The Alahambra" were the most impressive. ... Read more

Product Description
In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators the Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they crossed, there lies a small market town or rural port, which by some is called Greensburgh, but which is more generally and properly known by the name of Tarry Town... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (58)

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
ISBN 0824985745 - Printed and bound in Mexico (boo hiss to Ideal Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee, for that decision - the US can print and bind, too!). Amazon says this book is for ages 4 to 8. I'll disagree, in a small way. This book is for your child when you think your child is old enough for it - and that will be so individual that suggested ages are irrelevant. If I had to choose an appropriate age group, myself, I'd think 8 to 12.

Before I get to my review, I'd like to ask Amazon review readers to notice the line above each review, where it says "This review is from:". Click the book title next to a few different ones and you'll see that they lead back to different editions. Amazon has this somewhat annoying habit of lumping reviews together when they're not really for the same book at all. In kids' books, especially, this matters, since illustrations are a huge portion of the package and the quality can vary so much. Remember to keep that in mind! On with the review.

Ichabod Crane, a schoolmaster, came to teach in Tarry Town, a place that happened to have a local legend about a headless horseman who haunted the nearby woods. Ichabod, moving from one family's home to another on a weekly basis, passed through those woods frequently, spooking himself with memories of the tales. Tired of his slightly vagabond-like life, Crane decides to win the hand of a local young lady, putting himself in place to inherit her family land and a stable home of his own, finally. With his heart set on Katrina, he is challenged at every turn by the very strong Brom Bones, and on the night when Ichabod finally speaks up about his feelings, only to have his hopes dashed, a scary and suspicious appearance of The Headless Horseman occurs - and Crane disappears forever!

The text is framed by the outline of spooky, leafless trees in colors that match the color of the illustration on the facing page. Those images are large, bold and match the mood of the text superbly. For the classic American folk tale by Washington Irving, alone, I'd give it five stars, but when you add in the absolutely wonderful illustrations by Russ Flint, this is one edition of this book that is staying on my keeper shelf for good. The adaptation is good, not flawless, and the person who did the adaptation isn't named anywhere on the book that I could see.

- AnnaLovesBooks

Great Book! Must read!
This book is a must read! I thought it was a great book. It has two stories, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. They were both great stories that were scary.

In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a school teacher who teaches in a junky schoolhouse. One day, a woman came in that was his age. He liked her in seconds. The problem is that other people like her, too. He has to fight his way to her. One night, they danced and they were happy. That night, he heard noise he thought someone was there. Instead, the headless horse-man appeared and he was running for his life to his horse.

In Rip Van Winkle, It's about a guy who does jobs for people that don't want to do it for their wifes. One day, he was in the forest and he met a guy and he showed him a secret bowling team. Rip drunk and drunk intil he passed out. When he woke up, it was ten years later!

To find out what happens, go read this book please! I'm not going to tell the ending if you want to know the ending for both, go read this book. Go get from a library or go buy it.

Excellent
Of course the story is a great one, but the illustrations in this book are just beautiful. Very well done and my granddaughters love looking through it.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Small book but it still packs a punch about the classic tale about the Headless Horseman.It's basically word for word of the Disney version that you've seen on tv.Makes for nice reading.

Good Version for Kids
This book is a good version to read to kids.The language is basic enough for kids to follow the plot.I plan on using it as a lesson on legends around Halloween time for my fourth grade students. ... Read more

Product Description
1836. Washington Irving was the first American literary artist to earn his living solely through his writings and is considered to be the Father of the American Short Story. In the course of his visits to Canada, Irving became acquainted with the principals of the great Northwest Fur Company. At the request of John Jacob Astor he agreed to give an account of the nature and extent of the enterprise, which is to be found in this volume. See other Irving titles available from Kessinger Publishing. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Raphael Tuck in 1875 in 296 pages; Subjects: Spain; Architecture / History / General; Fiction / Classics; History / Europe / Spain & Portugal; Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / General; Literary Criticism / American / General; Social Science / Folklore & Mythology; Travel / Europe / Spain & Portugal; Travel / Essays & Travelogues; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Rather Dated!
I purchased this audio book in anticipation of my trip to Spain in October.It is a rather dated performance.I just have "read" The Constant Princess.That presentation was lively and beautifully done.This is a chore to listen to.Sorry.

Tales of the Alhambra
This book is out of print, our local stores couldn't get it for us.An antique dealer on Amazon shipped it to us and within the week we where lost in Granada, Spain, with Washington Irving. We will visit the Alhambra shortly and will think fondly of this book, which gave us quite an insight to its history.There is a good progression to the short stories that make up the book, all of which revolve around the Alhambra.I truly enjoyed reading this one.

An Orientalist Tale
Washington Irving's "Tales of the Alhambra" is really two books in one.The first section chronicles Irvings 1829 visit to the crumbling Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.Irving was permitted to reside within the palace grounds.His beautifully detailled descriptions of the deteriorating palace and its inhabitants fit well within the romantic vision that was beginning to sweep Europe.One can only imagine Irving's influence in shaping the Orientalist craze that played out in the Nineteenth Century European art.

As a young man, Washington Iriving was inspired to learn Spanish after having read Miguel Cervantes' "Don Quixote".In that work, Cervantes interjected long romantic tales into the middle of the narrative.The second half of "Tales of the Alhambra" is a collection of romantic tales inspired by the Alhambra's Moorish and Spanish past.They are charming tales clearly inspired by Miguel Cervantes.

"Tales of the Alhambra" was published in 1832 and has been in continous print.This book survives because of Irving's ability to recreate a beautiful and romantic past for the ever elegant Alhambra Palace.

lovely book
great book about a fascinating place.Read before or after visiting, but be sure to visit.

Part Spanish Arabian Nights, Part Travel Writing, All Wonderful
Many Americans know Washington Irving as the author of "the Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle". Few realize that he was also a world traveler, scholarly fluent in Arabic and Spanish and something of an Hispanophile, to the say least.
Irving's book is largely responsible for the widespread romantic image of Spain. It is a collection of observation, history, fairy tale, written in Irving's unique blend of romanticism and healthy skepticism. It is roughly framed by his journey to the Alhambra and his departure from it, an in between we are given a tour of the grounds and hear a few tales (including tales of Moorish ghosts on headless horses) which are roughly intertwined as in the Arabian Nights. Indeed, this little book is the 'Arabian Nights' of the west.
Before visit the Alhambra read this book. If you are not planning on going, read it and you'll probably change your mind.
... Read more

Product Description
This is the legendary enchantment of Rip Van Winkle in the Kaatskill Mountains; the gruesome end of Ichabod Crane, who met the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow; the spectre bridegroom who turned out to be happily substantial; the pride of an English village and the come-uppance of the over-zealous Mountjoy - these witty, perceptive and captivating tales range from fantasy to romance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Difficult for the average reader to get through
While I enjoyed re-reading classics like "Rip Van Winkle" and "Legend of Sleepy Hollow", the new stories were difficult to get a grasp for. The language in all of Irving's stories is rich and very heavy in description. Like any other classics writer, he lives up to his name of being a wonderful writer. The difference being is that Irving decided to write short stories where the reader does not have nearly as much time to dive into the book as other authors allow. Maybe I'm not a short stories reader. I am by no means saying that this book is not a wonderful piece of literature; but what I am trying to get across is though great, was difficult for me to get through.

Rip Van Winkle
Rip Van Winkle is a story of an regular man that came in contact with some irregular people that would change his life forever.It all started out one day when Rip decided to go hunting with his dog. Up to this point in his search for freedom, he had lived a sleepy and uneventfull life with two kids and a wife.He was always trying to get out of work and find a way out of doing everything.One day he gets fed up with his life and finds himself out in the woods hunting;There he gets asked by a strange man to carry a keg to a nine pin party. Also during this party he ends up getting drunk and finds himself dosing off to sleep.When he finally wakes up he has a long white beard and twenty years older!He had fallen asleep for twenty years and found that he was now old, grey and still alive.At this point in the story he goes back to the village where he had lived for so long and finds that his wife and friends had all passed away and had left him. He also finds that his daughter got married and was raising a family.She sees him one day and recognizes him to be the man that was once her father. At this point in Rip's life, all he wants to do is settle down and he is satisified to become the village story teller to all who would hear his tales.This is a tale of suspense and just plain old good reading for all ages.It was written many years ago and could speak to all people of all ages and races. I would recomend this book to anyone from my Grandfather to the Queen of England.

Classic folk tales from the father of American literature.
Washington Irving's (1783-1859) claim to fame is as a pioneer of American fiction, and he is widely recognized as the "father of American literature."The book that especially propelled him to fame was "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent." which contained his two most famous fantasy stories - "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" - both of which are contained in this collection.

But it is not merely his ground-breaking efforts that garnered him literary recognition, because Irving's stories are at the same time characterized by charming and colourful prose befitting a skilled writer.The stories in this collection (the "Puffin Classics" series) are an excellent sampling of his craft.It's not always easy reading - in fact many of these stories would be too dense even for older children.His vocabulary is extensive, and sentences structure verbose and lengthy - a style rather unlike that employed by contemporary writers.But despite this, Irving demonstrates a wonderful command of the English language, and has the ability to create a vivid picture of his setting, characters and events. Particularly delightful is the attention he devotes to describing his characters.And yet his stories are far from mere character portraits - they are exciting and enchanting tales that make the reader eager to find out the outcome.

"Rip Van Winkle" has gained the status of a classic, and is familiar to most children, but likely few have read Irving's original.It breathes an authenticity and air not found in the contemporary abridged versions of the story.Irving presents his tale as the alleged discovered manuscript (complete with postscript) of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker.The delightful story of Rip Van Winkle - who fell asleep in the Catskill mountains after drinking a mysterious brew acquired from some strange little men, and then awoke 20 years later - will continue to please readers old and new.In the course of the story, Irving makes a profound social comment about the changes happening in his America."The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is renowned for its chilling tale of the Headless Horseman, and is a Halloween favorite.Actually, however, it is much more than that.It is not so much a spooky tale of a legendary village ghost as it is a colourful tale about two rival suitors.Ichabod Crane is a simple school teacher who is in love with Katrina Van Tassel, and equally in love with the estates of her father, a wealthy Dutch farmer.His counter-part is the powerful local hero Bram Bones, whose affections for Katrina mirror those of Ichabod Crane, and who is determined to put an end to the affections of underdog Crane by a mysterious and elaborate trickery.As is evident also in his other stories, it is particularly fascinating how Irving exploits the supernatural superstitions of the popular mind to create a sense of mystery and fear, but himself gives a naturalist explanation that rises above such popular notions by explaining the supernatural with natural events.

Though lesser known, the other three stories in the "Puffin Classics" collection are equally enjoyable."The Spectre Bridegroom" is one of the most fascinating tales in the collection.A young man is mistaken for a bridegroom and received into the castle of a wealthy baron as the husband of the baron's daughter.But before the marriage can be consummated, the bridegroom dashes off, and the baron's family hears shortly afterwards that he's been killed.But then who appears again except the bridegroom - or is it his ghost? - to steal his bride and vanish once more!In the end, it is a satisfying tale more of brilliant scheming than of ghosts - although the fearful superstitions of the general public about the supernatural play an important role in the effective execution of these schemes. "The Pride of the Village" is the tragic tale of a young lady whose heart pines in love for an army officer who has deserted her, only to die at his feet when he returns."Mountjoy" is a wonderful study of an apparently incurable romantic, described by Irving as a "Castle-Builder".When Mr. Mountjoy discovers a delicate footprint on a sandy shore, his passion for metaphysics, creativity and romance leads him to dream up an imaginary beautiful young maiden, and he promptly fall passionately in love with the nymph of his dreams.The air castle he builds and its accompanying romanticism is crushed numerous times, even drowned, but each time is renewed and revived, just when it seems that "the cobweb romance I had been spinning" would be demolished completely.In the end Mr. Mountjoy meets the girl of his dreams, only to discover that his air castles need to be reshaped once more, and in the end, destroyed completely.

Readers used to the easy diet of modern fiction will find the pioneering work of Washington Irving rather tough to chew on.But those who delight in tasting words, biting on imaginative characters and settings, with a few sips of suspense and supernatural in the process, will discover that Washington Irving's stories are just the literary serving they are renowned to be: a classic. Irving won't please all children of the modern era. But children of literature who have acquired a fine literary taste will find that despite the heightened language of his time, Irving is still digestible and enjoyable. ... Read more

Product Description
A writer of great urbanity and poise, Washington Irving was America's first internationally acclaimed man of letters. Here in one volume are the writings that established his reputation and earned him the admiration of Hawthorne, Poe, Coleridge, Byron, Scott, and Dickens. Written in the character of an elderly gentleman of the old school, "Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent." is a series of comic reports on the theater, theater-goers, fashions, balls, courtships, duels, and marriages of his contemporary New York. "Salmagundi" continues this roguish style of satire and burlesque, and its freshness, energy, and accomplishment took the Anglo-American literary scene by storm. "A History of New York," a wild and hilarious spoof combining real New York history with political satire, is presented here in its original, unexpurgated version. "The Sketch Book" is a brilliant, captivating story collection that draws on vanishing folkways, depictions of Hudson Valley life, and fable; it contains Irving's best-loved stories, "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Must Have For Every...
This book is a "must have" for every Washington Irving fan. There is just an amazing amount of his material in this edition, all of it classic. I've even found material in this edition that I hadn't read anywhere in quite a while. This edition is pretty complete, at least when it comes to short stories, sketches and essays.

At first I found him pompous
with his Jonathan Oldstyle stories.And I skipped most of the Salmagundi stories, they were boring me. But now the history of New York is very funny and very amusing. It's very long and takes most of the book. There is a total change of style from pompous to light which is very refreshing.

Knickerbocker's History of New York is an overlooked classic
[I recommend this anthology specifically for "Diedrich Knickerbocker's History of New York," which was not listed by amazon.com as a separate title.]

Irving is best-known for his shortstories, which are excellent examples of folk literature (and not likelythe sole product of Irving's imagination)."History of NewYork," however, is what established his reputation in his ownlifetime.It was the first real American bestseller and the first Americannovel to garner critical respect overseas.Irving's ingenious marketingscheme for the novel (placing a series of letters in New York newspapersconcerning the disappearance of the book's supposed author, DiedrichKnickerbocker) was the first instance of off-the-book page publicity inAmerica and its success (it created a veritable frenzy upon the novel'spublication) would not be duplicated for many, many years.

The novelitself is funny, acerbic, charming and illuminating.Working in thetradition of European satire, Knickerbocker's History is nonethelessdistinctly American.Some knowledge of early American history will enhanceyour understanding of the novel (by helping you recognize which Americanpublic figures the Dutch governors are standing in for), but it is notnecessary to an appreciation of the novel on its own terms.The book waspublished in several (revised) editions.I recommend seeking out the 1809or 1812 edition, as Irving toned down his political arguments in laterversions (though the comparison between early versions and the 1848 editionis also worth noting).This anthology contains the 1809 edition of thenovel. ... Read more

Product Description
Knickerbocker's History of New York, Complete is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Washington Irving is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Washington Irving then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Offering a satirical view of New York and its history
There are pioneers for everything, including mocking the world. "A Knickerbocker's History of New York" is a reissue of Washington Irving's classic work of literature that earned him quite the place in early American Literature. His story, offering a satirical view of New York and its history, holds strong centuries later as it was published in the early nineteenth century. "A Knickerbocker's History of New York" is a fine pick for those who want to see why Washington Irving has the acclaim he has as a literary legend.

funniest book
perhaps Trisdam Shandy or parts of Mark Twain are as funny on a sustained basis, but this book is up there. Each paragraph is a howl or chuckle.Quite a work of genius. And the level of insight relevant today is remarkable. 1809 is not dated in the hands of one like this. ... Read more

Product Description
Three story collections of great urbanity and poise from the first American author to burst onto the international literary scene. "The Alhambra," Irving's "Spanish Sketchbook," was inspired by his 1829 residence at the ancient Moorish palace at Granada; weaving history, legend, and description, it remains the best guidebook to this haunting place. Over 120 tales in all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

To hear is to forget,, to see is to remember, to experience is to understand
Once you have visited the Allhambra in Grenada, Washington Irvines book comes to life. The tales come to life. The experience is so magical that you believe the fables may have actually happened. Who knows? I had to purchase the book immediately after my visit and it is the best book purchase I have ever made

Wait until you get back
I think this book is much more enjoyable if you read it after you have visited the Alhambra;two Moorish palaces that sit on top of a mountain in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountain range of Spain, palaces of incredible architecture and setting, the last outpost of the Moors in Spain.Christopher Columbus waited for 6 years before Queen Isabell would give him ships, she made him wait until theMoors were driven out of Spain.When the Alhambra finally falls, Coloumbus is given permission and ships for his quest a few days later, and the next year the Spanish Inquisition starts.
All of this comes to you if you visit the very romantic/historic city of Granada and the Alhambra, and after seeing the Alhambra restored, having walked its rooms and grounds, having listened to the fountains, letting your immagination run, then read this book, after you return home.Washington Irving's stunt of taking up residence in the rundown, forgotten Alhambra of his time seems even more fantastic.In fact, if you are going to Spain, buy a copy of this book in Granada; they are sold everywhere in different languages, and have pictures of paintings done in the period around Irving's stay.If you haven't been to the Alhambra, you should go.

Don't go to Spain without packing this book!
"Tales of the Alhambra" is must-reading for the traveler in Spain.Irving is best remembered in this country for his collections of American folklore, like the stories of Rip Van Winkle and the Headless Horseman, but in Spain they remember him for the Alhambra stories -- in fact, there's a hotel named in his honor in Granada.Irving lived in that beautiful old Moorish palace at a time when it was a neglected ruin, and his wonderful descriptions, interspersed with the folk-tales that he collected from the people of Granada, helped to spark interest in repairing and restoring the monument.The folk tales, told in Irving's inimitable, witty style, usually deal with romantic elopements, or buried treasure, or both.My personal favorite is the story of the young prince living in the Generalife (the beautiful summer palace) who learned the language of the birds. That one is fantasy, but it's true that there was hidden treasure in the Alhambra: the palace itself, its architecture and decoration, and we have Irving to thank for rediscovering it.

Travel companion
A great book to read while traveling in spain.If you are going to Alhambra, read this book!It will bring the palace alive for you.The writing is very accessable, and easy to follow for having been written so long ago.

forgotten classic
When we were kids, we had a card game called Authors.I think the object was to be able to name the works of famous authors.At any rate, there were three titles that always seemed especially enticing: Idylls of the King, The Heart of Midlothian and Tales of the Alhambra.

Thirty years later, I picked this one up with some trepidation; we've all struggled through classics oftwo hundred years ago, baffled by arcane language & outdated usages.However, to my very pleasantsurprise, the book is terrific, combining an Iberian travelogue with delightful tales and legends ofMoorish Spain.Irving's travels are interesting enough in themselves, but it is the tales, which haveeverything from flying carpets to hidden treasure, that really make the book.

GRADE: A ... Read more

Product Description
America’s first internationally acclaimed author, Washington Irving, was also one of the first to write about its then far-western frontier. After seventeen years in Europe, the famous author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" returned to America and undertook an extensive three-month journey through present-day Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Describing scenery and inhabitants with an eye to romantic sublimity and celebrating the frontiersman’s "secret of personal freedom," Irving published his account of that journey in 1835 as A Tour on the Prairies, an early and distinctly American depiction of the young nation’s borderland and its native inhabitants.

Irving followed up this eyewitness account with two works that chart the dramatic and tumultuous history of the early American fur trade, very much in the spirit of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales. Astoria (1836) recounts John Jacob Astor’s attempt to establish a commercial empire in the Pacific Northwest. The Adventures of Captain Bonneville (1837) is a lively saga of exploration among the mountains, rivers, and deserts of the Far West. While working closely from original documents, Irving wrote also as a mythologist of the vast spaces traversed by "Sindbads of the wilderness." In these three compelling narratives he opened up a crucial region of the American literary imagination influencing such authors as Poe, Hawthorne, and Melville. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.This is an OCR edition with typos.Excerpt from book:ENGLISH GRAVITY."Merrie England!"ANCIENT PHRASE.There is nothing so rare as for a man to ride his hobby without molestation. I find the squire has not so undisturbed an indulgence in his humours as I had imagined; but has been repeatedly thwarted of late, and has suffered a kind of well-meaning persecution from a Mr. Faddy, an old gentleman of some weight, at least of purse, who has recently moved into the neighbourhood. He is a worthy and substantial manufacturer, who, having accumulated a large fortune by dint of steam- engines and spinning jennies, has retired from business, and set up for a country gentleman. He has taken an old country seat and refitted it; and painted and plastered it, until it looksnot unlike his own manufactory. He has been particularly careful in mending the walls and hedges, and putting up notices of spring-guns and man-traps in every part of his premises. Indeed he shows great jealousy about his territorial rights, having stopped up a foot-path that led across his fields; and given warning, in staring letters, that whoever was found trespassing on those grounds would be prosecuted with the utmost rigour of the law. He has brought into the country with him all the practical maxims of town, and the bustling habits of business ; and is one of those sensible, useful, prosing, troublesome, intolerable old gentlemen that go about wearying and worrying society with excellent plans for public utility.He is very much disposed to be on intimate terms with the squire, and calls on him every now and then, with some project for the good of the neighbourhood, which happens to run diametrically opposite to some one or other of the squire's peculiar notions ; but which is " too sensible a measure" to be openly opposed.He has annoyed him excessively ... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Humdrum sketches, with a scattering of brilliant gems
Published under his pseudonym Geoffrey Crayon, "Bracebridge Hall" is a sequel of sorts to "The Sketch Book." Less a novel than a series of sketches--or a "medley," to use Irving's term from the title page--these tales revolve around the inhabitants of an English manor (based on the real Aston Hall, where Irving often stayed), the characters living in the village nearby, and the stories they tell. The "plot," such as it is, concerns the gathering of relations for a wedding. "In a word," Irving admits, "I cannot foresee a single extraordinary event that is likely to occur in the whole of my sojourn at the Hall."

As a collection, it's certainly not Irving's best (which is largely why it's so hard to find in print). Most of the character sketches rarely rise above type: the English squire, the old general, the widow, the servants. A few, however, humorously evoke remarkable eccentrics: the village "radical," Christy the crotchety huntsman, the gypsy who still retains the squire's sympathies after he's accused of stealing a sheep. Irving's recollection of the village's May Day celebration is particularly amusing.

Even more valuable are the masterful stories ("told" by various characters staying in Bracebridge Hall) that are hidden among these profiles and that stand on their own. The most famous of these is the ghost story "Dolph Heyliger" (and its story-within-a-story, "The Ghost-Ship"), but readers should not miss "The Stout Gentleman," a simple story about a mysterious apparition; "Annette Delarbre," an affecting love story; and especially "The Student of Salamanca," an overlooked gem of intrigue and suspense.
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (8)

Excellent Read
Now I want to say at the offset that although my review may become critical and doubtful of the brilliance of Washington as he is portrayed in this book, I am not looking for reasons to put the man down through nitpicking, but I felt that this was a very awestruck account of Washington and was a little biased as a result. This is really an excellent biography of a man whose name transcends the time and nation in which he helped to create and even now, when you mention the name, George Washington, to even the most simple of non-Americans 99% of them will tell you he was the first president of the United States of America. That's the image everyone has of him; but very few, including myself until I read this, are familiar with his military history and prowess in the times of the revolutionary war.

I'm not going to recite the history of Washington in brief terms as you can all find the stuff out you need to know by simply having a browse of Wikipedia, or better yet, buying this book. Washington Irving is a man who, as a young child, met George Washington and received a pat on the head from the great Commander-In-Chief. This definitely seems to have had an effect on the author as in his mind, the president can do no wrong and through recounting the man's history, he appears to be without flaw. As we know, however, George Washington was human and as a human he has his flaws like we all do. Irving seems to have missed any mention of a flaw of the great man and that made this feel more like biographical story book, rather than a full fledged biography which was disappointing.

The story of the great mans exploits are really something to enjoy when you sit down and get into it. The tales of the revolutionary war are very heavy in detail and, as another reviewer said, a lack of maps or diagrams made it a tad hard to follow when it came to descriptions of particular destinations and so on. The descriptions of landmark battles and so on are really well put together and create an exciting atmosphere around the story the author is trying to put across. Because of the time it was written, there is also a lot of archaic language within the book which for some may be a bit hard going, but you will get used to it and become enthralled by the story you witnessing and picturing in your own imagination.

There is no doubt that George Washington was a great man. After all, he led the United States to independence from Britain and became the first president of the independent United States of America. But, I still feel a bit disappointed by the bias displayed in this book and felt the man could have been better served had there been a more two sided analysis of his behaviour, rather than the obvious awe-struck discussion in this book. However, that's not to take away the fact that it is a superb read and if you have an interest in the revolutionary war, then this is certainly a book you want to pick up at one time or another.

fabulous book
My sister, husband and I are reading about the history of our country from the founding on through to modern day. This book has been a part of a reading. It was a fabulous book with great detail. All you people that think they might enjoy a step back in time would really appreciate this journey.

George Washington:A Biography
This was an excellent book.However be warned!It was written in the 1800s, and it is in the old English language style.You will need to keep a dictionary on hand, because you will be looking up a lot of words.I found it difficult to read because of the language style, but I stuck with it. The author of this book actually met George Washington once.

I have read a lot about the Revolutionary War and George Washington.This book contained information that I had not found in any other book.

American History
For Christmas, I sent my son(who lives in Europe) American history books, among others, because our young kids are forgetting what our ancestors endured to creat this great nation. They didn't risked their lives and treasure for us to become Socialism. They would turn in their graves if they could see what is happening to our "soon not to be" a great country.

Powerful & sagacious review of the first Commander in Chief
Washington Irving's biography on Washington is by far the most detailed review on our first President from youth through his post Presidential years.Given that Mr. Irving personally met George Washington at the young age of 7, Irving's book has all the more relavence than today's revisionist historians can ever provide.However, the "old english" that Washington used in his correspondence makes for difficult comprehension.It is interesting to note that by 1850 the change to a more modern writing style by Irving presents a clearer picture of Washington's time, but it still requires an occasional re-read to fully understand Irving's point.A person with a limited interest in the Revolutionary War may be better suited to purchasing a more contemporary biography for ease of reading.

However, this book does provide such insite into the minds of Washington and those around him and it allows the reader to finally start to understand why our Founding Fathers risked all for the sake of freedom and liberty from the English.Today we take for granted rights that never existed anywhere in the 1770's and such historical works penned in the mid 1850's provides an insite that should be required reading for both liberals and conservatives.Overall, the book is long and difficult to read, but well worth the time, effort and cost. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subtitle: From the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty. Containing, Among Many Surprising and Curious Matters, the Unutterable Ponderings of Walter the Doubter, the Disastrous Projects of William the Testy, and the Chivalric Achievements of Peter the Headstrong, the Three Dutch Governors of New Amsterdam: Being the Only Authentic History of the Times That Ever Hath Been Published; Volume: 1; Original Published by: J. Murray in 1820 in 537 pages; Subjects: History / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic; Humor / General; ... Read more

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Product Description
The first American writer to make his pen his primary means of support, Washington Irving rocketed to fame at the age of 26. In 1809 he published A History of New York under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker to great acclaim. The public's appetite for all things Irving was insatiable; his name alone guaranteed sales. At the time, he was one of the most famous men in the world, a friend of Dickens, Hawthorne, and Longfellow, as well as Astor, Van Buren, and Madison. But his sparkling public persona was only one side of this gentleman author. In brilliant, meticulous strokes, Brian Jay Jones renders Washington Irving in all his flawed splendor - someone who fretted about money and employment, sufferedfrom writer's block, and doggedly cultivated his reputation. Jones offers as never before a very human portrait of the often contrasting public and private lives of this true American original. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A Worthy Subject
I looked forward to reading this biography of Irving. His Sketchbook was among the first "serious books" from my father's collection to attract my attention and I still have occasion to return to it. Jones provides much of interest on Irving's life but, like others, I found him at times careless with terminology and a little too quick to make assertions--particularly about Irving's sexuality--with little evidence to back them up.

That said, I did enjoy the book and am happy to see a boyhood hero get some attention which may attract readers who know little of his work beyond The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle--not that there's anything wrong with either story.

But more people should know Irving was not only our first man of letters, that his reputation did not come easy and he was an inspiration to many others, including Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. I thought it appropriate his final work would be a biography of George Washington, his namesake, who gave the 5-year-old his blessing on the night of the president's inauguration.

An American Celebrity
"This new biography attempts to shift the focus from Irving's writings to Irving the writer," author Brian Jay Jones writes in his preface. Because of this, he warns, he has left out literary criticism and analysis. A bold decision, and the result is successful at presenting a human being, not just a byline.

Irving's public life was represented by his many pseudonyms and his true, private character has often been submerged because of this. Jones introduces us to the real Irving - a socialite who is under constant financial strain, avoids real work and responsibility, craves attention and approval, all while making drinking and socializing a priority. This biography reads quickly and its writing style is its most important attribute. Jones is not a academic and, because of this, the book is very accessible: its text flows like a quiet stream or a raging rapid depending on Irving's actions. At times, he's a hard man to follow as he hobnobs with bigwigs like Walter Scott, Lord Byron, James Fenimore Cooper, Martin Van Buren, Andrew Jackson, and various members of royalty, politics, and literature.

Jones does an excellent job at taking us through these scenes deftly and convincing us that Irving was a many-sided, complicated fellow. Jones does not apologize for Irving either, admitting that he wrote specifically for the popular audience and tried to balance his American sentiments with his British appeal. Reading the book, I experienced all of Irving's emotional ups and downs, and Jones occasionally takes advantage by tugging heartstrings and sensationally emphasizing heartache (as in the death of Irving's mother) - perhaps in a way that the sentimental side of Diedrich Knickerbocker would love.

The book also includes vital information on the politics and economics of the day, which certainly had an impact on Irving. It's almost shocking how Irving and his family find themselves involved (even if only peripherally) with some of the most important events in the early nineteenth century, be it the War of 1812 or the beginnings of Jacksonian Democracy. These bits of cultural context are, to me, incredibly important for understanding the development of Irving and his writing.

Jones also explores Irving's sexuality very matter-of-factly, stating throughout that the author's perpetual bachelorhood was due to homosexuality. He makes clear the people with whom Irving may have had relationships (including the painter Washington Allston) but does not provide ample evidence. Charged writings between Irving and his friend Henry Brevoort are also not convincing, as similar relationships between men were not uncommon during this time period. The discussion of Irving's sexuality is somewhat distracting (especially, as Jones presents, Irving also pursues women), but does not detract.

The chapters focus on only a couple years at a time - with the major exception being the first chapter, which crams 20 years into less than 30 pages. No complaints here, however, as Jones wants to emphasize Irving's career(s) rather than his childhood. I would note, however, that the chapters can be very, very long as Jones squeezes every last biographical detail out of the years each represent (one chapter can take you through several important incidents and even through several countries as Irving travels). It would have been easier on the reader if the book allowed a few line breaks within the chapters when a new theme was being addressed.

Truth be told, it was somewhat disheartening to read only casual mentions of "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," but to say that Jones does not discuss Irving's literature at all is untrue. The focus, however, lands on lesser-known works (at least, by today's standards) like "A History of New York" and "The Alhambra," in which Jones tells us Irving's intentions, his mindset at the time, the passion that drove him to write these works, and the public's response. Sure, there is no discussion of symbolism and psychoanalytic reasons - and the book is all the better for it.

Everything but the books
I agree wholeheartedly with the other reviewers here that Jones's biography of Irving is well written, informative, interesting, and engaging. His style is light and airy and anything but academic, which is a good thing. My only complaint is his total disregard for the books themselves that Irving wrote, other than how hard he worked on them (especially near the end of his life) and a few comments on how they were received by the critics (usually very well except for a few, "Tales of a Traveller" and "Bonneville," for example, that bombed). "I have deliberately left literary criticism and analysis of his oeuvre in the capable hands of others," he writes in the preface. Brief summaries or simple mention of where Irving succeeded or failed in various works would have added to the significance of the biography. It's almost like reading a book about a great general but never getting any specifics about the battles he fought. Jones's biography is very good as far as it goes; if only it had gone a tad further.

Irving Bio Needs Work
I was eager to read this biography. Unfortunately, I found it impossible to finish the book. As both a composition instructor and a biographer, I was bothered by Jones'scarelessness with terminology and lack of support for his assertions.

Jones claims that Irving was homosexual, then presents evidence which might, perhaps, indicate that Irving was bisexual. Jones presents as the clincher the fact that Irving's brother uses the word "orgies" to describe parties held by Irving's friends, completely ignoring the fact that Irving himself uses the same word to describe ladies' tea parties.

Jones also writes of times when Irving "almost certainly" had homosexual affairs with certain men, but gives little or no evidence to support this conclusion.

Further, Jones claims that, solely to get out of work, Irving convinced his family that he was sick and needed rest at a spa. Then Jones quotes an acquaintance in the next room as saying that Irving coughed violently all night. And later in the book, Jones reports that Irving was getting over his cough and weakness, a statement contradicting Jones's own judgment.

It's almost as though Jones wrote the book and then decided that it needed something startling, so he inserted these assertions, with little regard to what he had already written.

This could be a landmark book, but it needs work.

The Reluctant Genius
Once I got into Brian Jay Jones' biography of Washington Irving, I couldn't put it down.And I will say that it didn't seem like an automatic winner.I knew less than nothing about Irving, whose name I associated with the Walt Disney version of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and with Rip van Winkle; that's about it.But now I feel I have been transported back by the scruff of my neck into the raucous, brawling and yet strangely elegant world of early America.An eager nurse trailed George Washington through the unpaved streets of downtown New York, and obliged him to stroke the tousled head of baby Washington Irving, guilt tripping him I suppose by saying that this baby was named after you, General!And thus it began, young Irving's vicarious association with nearly every president up until Abraham Lincoln (Irving finally died the year before Lincoln took office).Presidents I didn't even remember play in this fascinating story!

Brian Jay Jones speculates that we don't know, but that Irving at least in his youth might have had some sort of gay lifestyle, and I would agree, but after a wild youth his sense of fun seems to have disappeared in general, and the masks he invented early in life, the masks of the graying Diedrich Knickerbocker and the patrician Geoffrey Crayon, sort of froze onto his face right quick.And onto his genitals too?There doesn't seem to be one case of him actually having sex, but maybe people did things different back then?Maybe you could carouse around with your heavy-drinking bachelor friends till you were about thirty, having sex with them too, but that didn't count as a preference?Irving's talents changed over the years from the sly, anti-Jefferson provocations of his (faked) History of New York, to the mellow sounds of The Alhambra and Wolfert's Roost.He seemed fascinated by biography, and wrote lives of such disparate figures as Columbus, Oliver Goldsmith, and the prophet Mohammed (known then as "Mahomet"); even the teenaged "poetess" Margaret Miller Davidson came under his biographical gaze.He was a man of intense, if sometimes scattered curiosity, and many found him loveable.Brian Jay Jones excels at parsing out the strange passion the widow Mary Shelley conceived for Irving; this could have been a whole novel all by itself.He's good with people, the big and the small, the famous and the forgotten.Irving's encounters with his peers are especially well drawn; his infatuation with Walter Scott as a substitute father, a father of art; his rivalry with the firecracker James Fenimore Cooper; his kindness to the ambitious Edgar Allan Poe.When he meets up with Clark (from Lewis and Clark) on his trip to the frontier, it's like worlds smashing together, worlds of reference and power.And Jay Jones can also strip away the Victorian curtains of prudery which in the past have occluded our view of early Federal life; it is somehow reassuring to find Irving travelling through the hideous English pass through a mountain that his contemporaries called the "Devil's @sshole."

But he goes too far, I think, in his vocabulary which is continually anachronistic.The nurse who pestered George Washington is called a "presidential groupie."An entire chapter is called "Workaholic."At times of stress, he gets "burnt out."Then he has "a meltdown."Then he gets "a stalker of sorts."The Quarterly Review's attitude towards all things American?Snotty.Just a handful of dozens and dozens of tacky neologisms, slips into a modern, suburban vocabulary that somehow distort what one feels the real emotional experience must have been for Irving, by re-casting him and his life into sound-bites of pop psychology, while the real thing must have been fuller or at any rate more tentative than Jones gives it credit for.Reduce reductiveness, Jones, for otherwise your life of Irving is first rate.
... Read more

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General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1902Original Publisher: Doubleday ... Read more

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Here is the story, told firsthand through electric, deeply engaged writing, of America's living theater, high and low, mainstream and experimental. Drawing on history, criticism, memoir, fiction, poetry, and parody, editor Laurence Senelick presents writers with the special knack "to distill both the immediate experience and the recollected impression, to draw the reader into the charmed circle and conjure up what has already vanished." Through the words of playwrights and critics, actors and directors, and others behind the footlights, the entertainments and high artistic strivings of successive eras come vividly, sometimes tumultuously, to life.

Observers from Washington Irving and Fanny Trollope to Walt Whitman and Mark Twain evoke the world of the 19th-century playhouse in all its raucous vitality. Henry James confesses his early enthusiasm for playgoing; Willa Cather reviews provincial productions of Uncle Tom's Cabin and Antony and Cleopatra. The increasing diversity and ambition of the American theater is reflected in Hutchins Hapgood's account of New York's Yiddish theaters at the turn of the century, Carl Van Vechten's review of the Sicilian actress Mimi Aguglia, Alain Locke's comments on the emerging African-American theater in the 1920s, and Ezra Pound's response to James Joyce's play Exiles and theatrical modernism. Enthusiasts for the New Stagecraft, such as Lee Simonson and Djuna Barnes, are matched by champions of pop culture such as Gilbert Seldes and Fred Allen. S. J. Perelman lampoons Clifford Odets; Edmund Wilson acclaims Minsky's Burlesque; Harold Clurman explains Stanislavski's Method; Gore Vidal dissects the compromises of commercial playwriting. A host of playwrights-among them Thornton Wilder, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Lorraine Hansberry, Edward Albee, Wendy Wasserstein, David Mamet, and Tony Kushner-are joined by such renowned critics as Stark Young, George Jean Nathan, Brooks Atkinson, and Eric Bentley. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

American Theatre treasure trove
This is a remarkable collection -- a real treasure trove of writings on American theatre from some of the greatest American literary figures, as well as playwrights, actors, directors, critics, designers, etc. Nearly 80 different authors from Washington Irving to Tony Kushner, as the book's subtitle indicates, present diverse and idiosyncratic views on the American stage from its virtual beginnings to the present. Theatre buffs, scholars, and practitioners will find this an essential volume for their collections, but those interested in American literature and culture will also find it valuable. ... Read more