
author
1783–1859
Best known for "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," this early American master of storytelling helped shape the nation's literary voice. His mix of humor, folklore, and gentle satire still feels lively and inviting today.

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving, Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving, Edward Everett Hale, Nathaniel Hawthorne

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by E. H. (Edward H.) Rauch, Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by William Irving, Washington Irving, James Kirke Paulding
Born in New York City in 1783, Washington Irving became one of the first American writers to win a large international readership. He began with playful, satirical writing, including A History of New York, before reaching lasting fame with The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., the collection that introduced "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
Irving spent many years in Europe, and that wider experience fed both his fiction and his historical writing. Along with stories and essays, he wrote books on figures such as Christopher Columbus and George Washington, and he also served as the United States minister to Spain in the 1840s.
He died in 1859 in Tarrytown, New York, near his home at Sunnyside along the Hudson River. Remembered as a graceful stylist with a gift for atmosphere, Irving helped prove that American literature could entertain readers on both sides of the Atlantic.