Product Description
A renowned historian explores the life and times of Washington Irving--the beloved author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle

Washington Irving--author, ambassador, and Manhattanite--has largely slipped from America's memory, and yet, his creations are well known. Acclaimed historian Andrew Burstein returns Irving to the context of his native nineteenth century where he was an international celebrity--both a comic genius and the first American to earn his living as an author. Irving traveled through Europe and America, excavating tales and writing popular social satire, beloved children's stories, gothic drama, and picturesque history. He gave his young nation such enduring tales as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. His 1809 burlesque, A History of New York, popularized the figure of jolly old St. Nicholas, and gave birth to the modern American Christmas. Irving was the original "Knickerbocker"; he also coined "Gotham" asthe name for New York.

By showing Irving as a leading architect of the American personality Burstein has managed to reinvigorate the legacy of one our nation's most outsized literary talents as well as to help us better understand the country we live in. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Good But Skimpy Introduction to Increasingly Neglected Writer
Washington Irving is increasingly becoming one of those writers who is recognized as important--but is not read. He is increasingly been run out of the American cannon. "The Original Knickerbocker" by Andrew Burnstein is not bad as the English 101 introduction but already established Irving fans will do better to look elsewhere. Burnstein had a tough assignment--especially considering the book has, when notes and acknowledgments are not counted, less than 350 pages of narrative. Many famous Americans and Europeans of the era come in Irving's life and move on. Irving travels around the globe and stands on many stages--politics, literature, culture.Burstein offers details of some of the more important works from Irving and this takes away from the biographical narrative. To his credit, Burstein offers excellent snapshots of Irving's diverse writings--early satirical works, the fiction and sketches of the middle of Irving's career (I think Burstein may be a bit harsh on "Bracebridge Hall") as well as the histories and biographies that Irving wrote at the end of his career. Large parts of Irving's career and works are glossed over--his time in Spain for example and some of his books only earn a paragraph of attention (including "Voyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus"). I can not say there is much here to earn the subtitle "The Life of Washington Irving." This is probably not the book for readers, what few of us there are now alas, who are Irving fans, aficionados or scholars. But this is a fine introduction to Irving and his works to readers unfamiliar with this jewel of an American writer who is increasingly gathering dust.

Really pretty good
I found this book moderately interesting.While I tend to agree with some of the other reviewers that Burstein spends too much time analyzing specific works by Irving, overall the book provides a lot of information about the times in which he lived and his relationships with other writers and with significant political figures.One interesting point is Burstein's feeling that Aaron Burr has been unfairly maligned.Irving seems to have known just about everybody and to have been almost universally liked.A good man and a good writer whose works, at least at the present, don't seem to have stood the test of time.

A dreamy cultural biography - a bit overdone
This, the most significant biographical treatment of Irving in decades, is both satisfying and disappointing. Burstein makes several arguments in this book in an effort to reclaim Irving as a cultural icon rather than a literary one. To do so, he gives ample context, including politics, economics, and developing urban landscapes. The result is mind-numbing; so much context sometimes leads us to forget that the book is about Irving. Additionally, he adds heavy doses of literary analysis, despite his apparent goal to treat Irving as a cultural rather than literary icon. Much of his analysis goes back to a theme of dreams or sleepiness - but not all - akin to Irving's "Rip Van Winkle." The book's ultimate chapter focuses heavily on this dream analysis, despite having come only in minor (and eye-roll-inducing) spurts throughout. In fact, much of that final chapter is a throw-away on modern/contemporary culture sprinkled with long leaps connecting movies like "Memento" to "Rip Van Winkle."

The book is a difficult read as well; so many names are dropped then recalled scores of pages later, including Irving's ever-widening circle of extended family and friends. This of course isn't Burstein's fault; Irving really was that popular. The book also has a bit of an awkward self-awareness. The reader is directly addressed here and there ("The reader here will note..." interludes) as if the narrative voice was breaking the fifth wall.

Overall, this is book is worthwhile reading, so long as the reader is patient and has a strong interest in cultural context and literary analysis. Irving, Burstein admits, may not be the most important of American writers - his genteel sensibilities hamper that idea - but his role in the rapidly-changing cultural landscape of the United States (and its view from abroad) is clearly brought to light.

An Engrossing Read
This biography is readable, scholarly, and often engrossing. The author skillfully blends story with literary analysis. During the first third of the book I found my interest at times waning, but it was well worth "staying with it" because the story became more engaging as Irving matured as a human being and as a writer.

Two of Burstein's most significant skills are his ability to summarize and his facility in giving insights into Irving's numerous works, while at the same time maintaining the flow of an interesting life-story. The first example is from Burstein's summary of The Legend of Sleepy Hallow and the second from his commentary on the Sketch Book:

"Despite his [Ichabod Crane's] fears, he cannot resist staying into the night with the women he instructs in psalmody. For among them is one Katrina Van Tassel, the somewhat coquettish daughter of the self-sufficient, ordinarily undemonstrative but altogether thriving Baltus Van Tassel, who relishes his "snug" life "on the banks of the Hudson, in one of those green, sheltered, fertile nooks, in which the Dutch farmers are so found of nestling."

"Yet much of what he wrote was also a lamentation. He fixated on the intertwined subjects of death and memory. We may say without exaggeration that the bachelor Irving knew loneliness and feared darkness. He reveled in the company of others, which he knew brought him back and animated him. In the Sketch Book, he wrote THROUGH death and wrote OF awakenings."

I would particularly recommend this book for anyone interested in becoming a writer. The book itself is an excellent example of fine non-fiction writing, and the many direct quotes given from Irving's prolific production of both fiction and non-fiction works are instructive.

Here, for example, is what Irving wrote in his biography of Oliver Goldsmith: "There are few writers for whom the reader feels such personal kindness as for Oliver Goldsmith. We read his character in every page, and grow into familiar intimacy with him as we read."

Irving admired Goldsmith because of his "artless benevolence" and "whimsical, yet amiable views of life." Burstein writes, "It was, for Irving, a matter of seeing literature as a communion of author and reader."

Finally, I recommend buying a copy of the hardcover edition. The dust cover containing the opening of The Legend of Sleepy Hallow is impressive.

A man who lived during historic times
This is a unique book that blends literary analysis, history, and biography of the life of one of American literature's legendary authors, Washington Irving.Andrew Burstein examines a bulk of Irving's most renowned works, the picaresque The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle, A History of New York, and Life and Voyages of Columbus as well as several other short stories that have graced the pages of literature anthologies.But Irving was also a man of many facets as the subtitle of the book reveals, a diplomat, historian, and writer who hobnobbed with creative imagination as it related to the colonial and revolutionary historical past.

The only disconcerting aspect of the book is how Burstein excessively delves into the crevices of Irving's works within the first two sections. And as a result, one may almost forget what the book is about or wonder if the book is supposed to be about Irving or more about the synopsis of his stories; the passages may be helpful for readers not familiar with his works.However, interesting questions arise pertaining to Irving's own personal life outside his writings, such as his religious conversion and beliefs, the issue of slavery in Britain and America, the mysticism surrounding Matilda Hoffman and his sexuality, why did he live a transatlantic life, his romance with Spain, and his use of pseudonyms, Geoffrey, Crayon, Diedrich Knickerbocker and Jonathan Oldstyle, that are in need of further explanation.

Nonetheless, the insightful part about the book is when Burstein discusses the man who used pseudonyms during the early part of his writing care but later shed the anonymity with the publication of his biography about Christopher Columbus.And most importantly, Irving was one of the most animated travel writers who trekked west with Henry Ellsworth, son of Federalist delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Oliver Ellsworth, during one of the most historic events in American history that involved Indian territory west of the Mississippi River, which involved Indian Removal, Ellsworth-Irving Expedition.Irving vividly described and witnessed the changing American landscape within his stories that compared and paralleled the history of Indian America and White America, which Burstein discusses in the chapter, "A Tour on the Prairies."It was amazing to read of the various people Irving encountered and befriended during his lifetime, such as Sac Tribe Chief, Black Hawk, Andrew Jackson, James Fenimore Cooper, Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, and long list of others.

Overall, The Original Knickerbocker is an enlightening read.The book may appeal to those who are familiar with Washington Irving's most beloved tales and would like to know about the man behind the stories as well as those who are simply curious about this multifaceted man who was indeed a part of the landscape in which he wrote about.


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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
There is something in the very season of the year that gives a charm to the festivity of Christmas. At other times we derive a great portion of our pleasures from the mere beauties of nature. Our feelings sally forth and dissipate themselves over the sunny landscape, and we “live abroad and everywhere.” The song of the bird, the murmur of the stream, the breathing fragrance of spring, the soft voluptuousness of summer, the golden pomp of autumn; earth with its mantle of refreshing green, and heaven with its deep delicious blue and its cloudy magnificence, all fill us with mute but exquisite delight, and we revel in the luxury of mere sensation. But in the depth of winter, when nature lies despoiled of every charm, and wrapped in her shroud of sheeted snow, we turn for our gratifications to moral sources. The dreariness and desolation of the landscape, the short gloomy days and darksome nights, while they circumscribe our wanderings, shut in our feelings also from rambling abroad, and make us more keenly disposed for the pleasures of the social circle. Our thoughts are more concentrated; our friendly sympathies more aroused, we feel more sensibly the charm of each other’s society, and are brought more closely together by dependence on each other for enjoyment. Heart calleth unto heart; and we draw our pleasures from the deep wells of living kindness, which lie in the quiet recesses of our bosoms: and which when resorted to, furnish forth the pure element of domestic felicity. ... 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
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
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
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1864 edition by Richard Bentley, London. ... Read more

Product Description
"Christmas Classics" is proud to present you a carefully selected range of fiction and prose for the most beautiful time of the year. Besides best-known classics we also offer a huge variety of out-of-print books and titles long forgotten. All volumes have been completely digitally revised, optimized for Kindle and include an interactive table-of-contents, if applicable. Look out for more "Christmas Classics" titles here on Amazon.com. You can spot them easily by the red book cover and the golden bells in the middle.

This is the fully illustrated version.

One of the most beautful Christmas books with wonderful illustrations.

CONTENTS:

CHRISTMAS
THE STAGE COACH
CHRISTMAS EVE
CHRISTMAS DAY
THE CHRISTMAS DINNER ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The best version ever.
I make no bones about it.I am an Legend of Sleepy Hollow fanatic.I have loved the story ever since growing up in that wonderful region along the Tappan Zee.Every Autumn, I look forward to reliving what WAshington Irving so lovingly captured.This production is simply a wonder to behold.It captures the flavor and feel of what Mr. Irving with our doubt meant to present.I was stunned to discover (to their credit) that this production remained very faithful to the book (something rarely done in this Hip Hop age).This is a great CD and I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy the acting and very powerful music score.Get a copy, you will be glad you did.

the best Sleepy Hollow ever
This is excellent...5 stars...It does not get any better than this!How is that for a simple review?Well, I love audio dramas, and have been listening to them almost exclusively now for over a decade.I also love the writing of Washington Irving..So I feel the need to let the world know that finally someone has done my boy Washington Irving justice with his superb "legend of Sleepy Hollow".Colonial Radio hit the ball out of the park when they recorded this gem.The acting is FANTASTIC!They all captured the essence of these wonderfully absurd characters...I loved Icabod, as I loved Brom Bones.The narration too was a joy to behold (as he let Washington's prose speak for itself, though it was certainly performed with flair and pinache, just as one would perform a one man show...no dull audio book drone here).The Musical score was inspired (Three cheers for Mr. Gage), and the surprise musical number was a joy.I used to read this classic every October,now I make it a point of catching this chestnut while it is airing on XM radio, or I just pop in my CD.Great job Colonial, this truly is as good as it gets! ... 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

Customer Reviews (2)

"How the town of New Amsterdam arose out of the mud"
In 1809 Washington Irving published "A History of New York," the work that make him instantly famous. Conceived as a parody of Samuel L. Mitchill's guidebook "The Picture of New York" (1807), Irving's "History" purports to be written by the fictitious Diedrich Knickerbocker. It was, perhaps, the first American book to be embargoed by the publisher--that is, it was published in Philadelphia to keep its contents secret from the press in New York. Before the book was published, Irving and his friends even coordinated a hoax through the local papers, publishing a series of notices advertising Knickerbocker's inexplicable disappearance: "there are some reasons for believing he is not in his right mind," and "a very curious kind of written book has been found in his room."

The book was such a success that Irving revised it repeatedly during his lifetime, and readers should note which edition they are purchasing. Most recent editions reprint either the original text or the last revision, which are so different that they may as well be considered different works. By the time of the Author's Revised Edition of Irving's collected works, published in 1848, Irving had completely rewritten over a tenth of the book, added about 7,000 words of new material, softened the sarcasm, eliminated the mocking references to Jefferson's presidential administration, removed many risque passages and double entendres, and polished the overall style. The barbs are more personal in the earlier edition; Irving aimed his parody more broadly forty years later. In sum, while the earlier edition was considered more scandalous--even "naughty"--and cheekier in its wit and tone, the last edition is certainly more polished and "mature"--and might be considered by many as noticeably easier to read. (The remainder of this review focuses on the 1809 edition.)

The book's conceit is that the fictitious Knickerbocker, a Dutch descendant, nostalgically mourns the passing of Dutch hegemony on the island of "Manna-hata, Manhattoes, or as it is vulgarly called Manhattan," and he offers a rousing defense (read: mock hagiography) of the Dutch governors. But Irving's satire is aimed not simply at the long-dead colonists of New York; his depictions of various Dutch leaders evoke many of his contemporaries. Thus, Wilhelmus Kleft seems an awful lot like Thomas Jefferson, and Jacobus von Poffenburgh recalls General James Wilkinson (who was caught up in Aaron Burr's allegedly treasonous schemes against Jefferson's government). The "hero" of the book, however, is Peter Stuyvesant, whose glorious qualities are manifold--even if his rule was considered authoritarian and his last act as governor was to rebel against his own king, who had ceded Manhattan to his brother, the duke of York.

Irving, as Knickerbocker, also mocks the pretensions of historical scholarship. He offers philosophical justifications for the obesities of city leaders ("Who ever heard of fat men heading a riot?") and praises the well-honed Dutch civil defense against Yankee encroachments ("Never was a more comprehensive, a more expeditious, or, what is still better, a more economical measure devised, than this of defeating the Yankees by proclamation."). He interrupts his narrative several times with admonishments to the reader or faux biographical meanderings, and, near the end of the book, he acknowledges that his tone has changed from that of a "crabbed cynical, impertinent little son of a Dutchman" to a "most social, companionable regard." Of the many readers that began his book, "some dropped down dead (asleep) on the field; others threw down my book in the middle of the first chapter, took to their heels and never ceased scampering until they had fairly run it out of sight . . . Every page thinned my ranks more and more."

This last self-deprecatory joke is certainly the case for modern would-be readers: Irving's archaic prose can be a slog, and his historical and literary references will perplex even the most arduous. But not all the humor is dated, and quite often patient readers will be rewarded by a comment or pun that may even cause them to laugh out loud.

American Fiction, Humor, Starts Here
Washington Irving's A Knickerbocker's History of New York is the single funniest book in American literature. Despite a weak and too-lengthy opening segment on the origin of life and other awkward philosophical questions (the merits of this section are addressed by Irving/Knickerbocker in volume two), once the Dutch colonize the ancient island of Manhattoes (present-day Manhattan), Irving hits a rollicking gallop, going full stride at full speed and doesn't stop until the dubious William the Testy is vanquished at the first volume's end.

"Diedrich Knickerbocker" was arguably the greatest of the several personae Irving adopted during the course of his long writing career. 'Diedrich' penned 'The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow' and 'Rip Van Winkle,' as well as short stories 'Wolfert Weber,' 'The Devil And Tom Walker,' 'Kidd The Pirate,' and 'Dolph Heyliger.' Irving achieved magic whenever he wrote, but when he steps into Knickerbocker's antique Dutch shoes, the combination of humor, history and folklore that results is unique, sweeping, and highly entertaining.

Few writers could or would dare to write the kind of poetic sentances Irving/Knickerbocker could, such as "the inhabitants were of primitive stock, and had itermarried and bred in and in, never swarming far from the parent hive."

All lovers of American literature and history, and of Americana generally, should know this delightful, warm and amusing book. Too often today, when addressing the origins of American literature and our early writers, we turn to names like Hawthorne and Poe, forgetting that Irving came first and was in fact the first American writer ever to be taken seriously by Europeans. (It was Hawthorne and Poe that paid lip service to Irving, who was born a full 21 years before Hawthorne and 26 years before Poe.) Some historians and critics go so far as to credit Irving with the creation of the short story as a literary form; he was also the U.S. ambassador to Spain, a world traveler, a biographer of George Washington, and at one time requested to run for mayor of New York City (an invitation he kindly declined). Thanks largely to Irving, the New York City and Hudson River Valley areas have a thriving plethora of myth and folklore all their own. As Americans, we owe the dynamic, magnanimous and prolific Irving a great debt, which decade after decade we neglect to pay or acknowledge.

Knickerbocker's History of New York is not difficult reading, though it is too advanced for children and most teenagers. However, any young adult or adult with a love of American history, particularly with an interest in the founding of our country or the American Revolution specifically, will find it fascinating. Humorists will find it a page-turning delight, and send their volumes of Twain back to the library post-haste.... ... Read more

Product Description
What makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up? Is it something sinister-a secret sense warning you that something is wrong, that someone, some thing you can't see, is in the room with you? Is it real? Should you run? Fight? Scream? Find the answers within the musty, dark recesses of these stories.Through the haunted imaginations of Edgar Allan Poe, Jack London, Ambrose Bierce, and nine other great authors, we are transported to places our own imaginations hesitate to take us, and we bear witness to unthinkable events.These stories endure, not merely because of what they are about, but how they are told-and when told by master storytellers, these startling tales send chills up and down our spines.Open the book, if you dare, and enter another world-you'll find that it's worth the risk.This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic includes a glossary and notes to help the modern reader appreciate details that mayotherwise be confusing or overlooked. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

If you have a favorite horror story from youth, chances are it's here!
Bierce's 'Occurrence at Owl Creek' and W.E.Harvey's 'August Heat' are two treasured stories from my youth... this book contains those and a wealth more.Excellent collection.

Good Classic Stories
I ordered this book for one specific story that was in it (The Monkey's Paw) because I needed it for class.I ended up reading the entire book and found the stories quite delightful!Definately a must have for anyone who enjoys short stories of the macabre nature. ... Read more