The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving

Washington Irving--author, ambassador, politically connected Manhattanite and international icon--has somehow slipped from Americaʼs memory, and yet, his creations are still well known. Acclaimed historian Andrew Burstein returns Irving to the context of his native nineteenth century where he was an major celebrity--both a colorful comic genius and the first name in our national literature. Irving traveled through Europe and America, excavating tales and publishing social commentary, beloved childrenʼs 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. Always toying with language, the original Knickerbocker called New York by the name ʺGotham.ʺ Before Irving, no American had earned his living as an author and American writers were entirely disparaged in England and Europe. His deft use of language delighted readers of the Romantic age and announced Americaʼs voice to the world. As his career advanced, Irving came to be appreciated as a serious historian, the first English-language biographer of Christopher Columbus and the author of a multi-volume life of George Washington. He also wrote of his travels in the Wild West of the 1830s and served as a U.S. ambassador to Spain, before retiring to his Dutch-inspired Hudson River sanctuary of Sunnyside, near Tarrytown, New York.