Best Selling Books by Washington Irving

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A collection of essays and short stories composed by Washington Irving while he was living in Europe, primarily in Germany and Paris. The collection was published under Irving''s pseudonym, Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.

"Old Christmas" (First published in 1876) is a collection of five Christmas "sketches" by Washington Irving from his famous Sketch Book. It describes Irving''s experiences at the English country estate of Mr. Bracebridge during the "coaching days" of the early 19th century, focusing on the sights, sounds, smells and traditions of "Old" Christmas. In spirit it hearkens back to the Middle Ages -- before the "peasants" had learned to read newspapers or were talking politics at the local pub, when manner lords opened their halls for the local folk to feast in a show of gratitude, under the watchful stare of painted ancient family crusaders and armored statues. This wonderful account has a tangible sense of realism mixed with romanticism and the comforts of tradition.Drawings throughout are by Randolph Caldecott, a prolific and famous children''s book artist of the 19th century. The pictures bring the book to life, we see the exact "physiognomy" and "countenance" of the many curious Dickens-like characters, the scenes of feasting and dancing, the old English kitchens, the stage coach, the dress and mannerisms of a "Coachy" - priceless details that effortlessly transport the reader back in time.In this new charming edition, a selection about forty drawings from 1894 édition (100+).

Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville (April 14, 1796 - June 12, 1878) was a French-born officer in the United States Army, fur trapper, and explorer in the American West. He is noted for his expeditions to the Oregon Country and the Great Basin, and in particular for blazing portions of the Oregon Trail. During his lifetime, Bonneville was made famous by an account of his explorations in the West written by Washington Irving

Washington Irving''s classic tale of a lazy farmer who falls asleep and wakes up 20 years later to find a much changed world.

Bracebridge Hall (1822) was published under the pseudonym Geoffrey Crayon, and centers on an English manor, its inhabitants, and the tales they tell. Interspersed with witty, evocative sketches of country life among the English nobility is the well-known tale "The Stout Gentleman" and stories based on English, French, and Spanish folklore, vividly recounted with Irving''s inimitable blend of elegance and colloquial dash.

In this graphic retelling, the new schoolmaster of Tarrytown, Ichabod Crane, chooses to ignore the stories of a headless ghost, and cross Sleepy Hollow to visit the beautiful Katrina.

In 1809, New Yorkers were buzzing about a series of classified ads concerning the whereabouts of Dutch historian Diedrich Knickerbocker. They were unaware that Washington Irving had invented the man entirely and placed the ads himself. Knickerbocker''s purported manuscript, A History of New York, was Irving''s own. Told from Knickerbocker''s point of view, A History of New York is a chronicle of New York''s fifty years under Dutch rule in the 1600s that plays fast and loose with the facts, to uproarious effect. A History of New York propelled Irving to the heights of literary stardom.