The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving
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" as the 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.
1103235791
The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving
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" as the 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.
11.99 In Stock
The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving

The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving

by Andrew Burstein
The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving

The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving

by Andrew Burstein

eBook

$11.99 

Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
WANT A NOOK?  Explore Now

Related collections and offers


Overview

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" as the 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780786722228
Publisher: Basic Books
Publication date: 02/26/2008
Sold by: Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format: eBook
Pages: 432
File size: 890 KB

About the Author

Andrew Burstein, a native New Yorker, is the Mary Frances Barnard Professor of 19th-Century U.S. History at the University of Tulsa. He is the author of six books on early America, including The Passions of Andrew Jackson and Jefferson's Secrets: Death and Desire at Monticello. Burstein lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Table of Contents

Manhattanite
New York's Lost Past, 1783-1803     3
Early Travels, 1803-1806     27
Whim-Whams and a Treason Trial, 1806-1807     47
Meet Diedrich Knickerbocker, 1808-1809     67
Irving Goes to War, Sort Of, 1810-1815     89
Years Abroad
Rip Van Winkle Awakes, 1815-1819     109
The Sketch Book Wins Friends, 1819-1820     133
Romantic Europe, 1820-1824     155
Columbus's Biographer, 1824-1828     187
The Alhambra's Writer in Residence, 1828-1832     207
Repatriation
Knickerbocker New York, 1832     235
A Tour on the Prairies, 1832-1834     255
Sunnyside, 1835-1845     279
In the Shadow of George Washington, 1846-1859     309
The Future of Rip Van Winkle     331
Acknowledgments     345
Notes     347
Selected Bibliography     399
Index     409
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews