The Complete Tales Of Washington Irving

Washington Irving (1783-1859) was the first American literary artist to earn his living solely through his writings and the first to enjoy international acclaim. In addition to his long public service as a diplomat, Irving was amazingly prolific: His collected works fill forty volumes that encompass essays, history, travel writings, and multi-volume biographies of Columbus and Washington. But it is Irving's mastery of suspense, characterization, tempo, and irony that transforms his fiction into virtuoso performances, earning him his reputation as the father of the American short story. Charles Neider has gathered all sixty-one of Irving's tales, originally scattered throughout his many collections of nonfiction essays and sketches, into one magnificent volume. Together, they reveal his wide range: besides the expected classics like "Rip Van Winkle," "The Spectre Bridegroom," "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and "The Devil and Tom Walker," his fiction embraces realistic tales, ghost stories, parodies, legends, fables, and satires. For those familiar only with secondhand retellings of Irving's most famous tales, this collection offers the opportunity to step inside Washington Irving's imagination and partake of its innumerable and timeless pleasures.

Table of Contents:
* Introduction * Rip Van Winkle * The Spectre Bridegroom * The Legend of Sleepy Hollow * The Stout Gentleman * The Student of Salamanca * Annette Delarbre * Dolph Heliger * Annette Delarbre * Dolph Heyliger * Strange Stories by a Nervous Gentleman * The Great Unknown [a preface] * The Hunting-Dinner * The Adventure of my Uncle * The Adventure of My Aunt * The Bold Dragoon; or The Adventure of My Grandfather * Adventure of the German Student * Adventure of the Mysterious Picture * Adventure of the Mysterious Stranger * The Story of the Young Italian * Buckthorne and His Friends * Literary Life * A Literary Dinner * A Club of Queer Fellows * The Poor-Devil Author * Notoriety * A Practical Philosopher * Buckthorne: or. the Young Man of Great Expectations * Grave Reflections of a Disappointed Man * The Booby Squire * The Strolling Manager * The Italian Banditti * The Inn at Terracina * Adventure of the Little Antiquary * The Belated Travellers * Adventure of the Popkins Family * The Painters Adventure * The Story of the Bandit Chieftain * The Story of the Young Robber * The Adventure of the Englishman * The Money-Diggers * Hell Gate * Kidd the Pirate * The Devil and Tom Walker * Wolfert Webber, or Golden Dreams * Adventure of the Black Fisherman * The Adventure of the Mason * Legend of the Arabian Astrologer * Legend of Prince Ahmed Al Kamel * Legend of the Moors Legacy * Legend of the Three Beautiful Princesses * Legend of the Rose of the Alhambra * The Governor and the Notary * Governor Manco and the Soldier * Legend of the Two Discreet Statues * Spanish Romance * The Legend of the Enchanted Soldier * Wolferts Roost * The Creole Village * Mountjoy * The Widows Ordeal * The Grand Prior of Minorca * A Contented Man * Guests from Gibbet Island * The Early Experiences of Ralph Ringwood * The Count Van Horn * Don Juan: A Spectral Research * Legend of the Engulphed Convent * The Phantom Island

About the Author :
Charles Neider is a noted literary critic, editor, and novelist. His many books as editor include Washington Irving's George Washington: A Biography, The Complete humorous Sketches and Tales of Mark Twain, The Great West: A Treasury of Firsthand Accountsand The Complete Short Stories of Robert Louis Stevenson.The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, The Autobiography of Mark Twain. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.