
author
1783–1859
Best known for "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," this early American writer helped turn local folklore and history into enduring literature. His work mixed humor, atmosphere, and a strong sense of place, giving readers some of the most memorable characters in American storytelling.

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, Edward Everett Hale, Nathaniel Hawthorne

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

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 William Irving, Washington Irving, James Kirke Paulding

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving

by Washington Irving
Born in New York City in 1783, Washington Irving became one of the first American authors to win a wide readership in both the United States and Europe. He wrote essays, short stories, history, and biography, and is often remembered as a key figure in shaping an American literary voice.
His most famous pieces, "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," appeared in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. and remain classics for their vivid settings, wit, and touch of the supernatural. Irving also wrote about old New York, traveled widely, and later served as a diplomat in Spain.
In addition to fiction, he produced historical and biographical works, including books on Christopher Columbus and George Washington. He died in 1859 at Sunnyside, his home near Tarrytown, New York, a place still closely linked with his life and imagination.