WASHINGTON IRVING American author, short story writer, essayist poet travel book writer biographer, and columnist. Irving has been called the father of the American short story. He is best known for 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' in which the schoolmaster Ichabold Crane meets with a headless horseman, and 'Rip Van Winkle,' about a man who falls asleep for 20 years.

WASHINGTON IRVING Washington Irving was born in New York City as the youngest of 11 children. His father was a wealthy merchant, and his mother, an English woman, was the granddaughter of a clergyman. According to a story, George Washington met Irving, named after him, and gave his blessing. In the years to come Irving would write one of his greatest works, THE LIFE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON ( ).

Early in his life Irving developed a passion for books. He read Robinson Crusoe, Sinbad the Sailor, and The World Displyed (stories about voyages and travels). He studied law privately in the offices of Henry Masterton (1798) After return to the United States, Irving was admitted to New York bar in He was a partner with his brothers in the family hardware business, New York and Liverpool, England, and representative of the business in England until it collapsed in During the war of 1812 Irving was a military aide to New York Governor Tompkins in the U.S. Army.

BEGINNING OF A CAREER WRITER Irving's career as a writer started in journals and newspapers. He contributed to Morning Chronicle ( ), which was edited by his brother Peter, and published Salmagundi ( ), writing in collaboration with his brother William and James Kirke Paulding. From 1812 to 1814 he was an editor of Analetic magazine in Philadelphia and New York.

CAREER SHIFTS TO EUROPE IN 1815 sailed for England to take charge of family business in Liverpool when it bankrupted, he concentrated on literary career traveled throughout England, France, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland wrote history of Christopher Columbus

LITERARY CAREER CONTINUES published The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent it included Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

IRVINGS LITERARY PSEUDONYMS Dietrich Knickerbocker Jonathan Oldstyle Geoffrey Crayon

RETURNS TO AMERICA IN 1832 returned from Europe to New York established his home Sunnyside in Tarrytown never married or had children for next 25 years he shared Sunnyside with his brother Ebenezer and Ebenezer's 5 daughters

SELECTED WORKS LETTERS OF JONATHAN OLDSTYLE, 1802 SALMAGUNDI, 1807 (with William I. and J.K. Paulding) A HISTORY OF NEW YORK, BY DIETRICH KNICKERBOCKER, 1809 THE SKETCH BOOK, (as Geoffrey Crayon) - contains 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' - film adaptations: The Adventures of Ichabold and Mr Toad (1949) ; Sleepy Hollow, dir. by Tim Burton (1999), starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Walken, Casper Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones, Martin Landau BRACEBRIDGE HALL, 1822 LETTERS OF JONATHAN OLDSTYLE, GENT., 1824 TALES OF A TRAVELLER, 1824 A HISTORY AND VOYAGES OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, 1828 THE CHRONICLE OF THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA, 1829 THE COMPANIONS OF COLUMBUS, 1831 THE ALHAMBRA, Alhambra

A TOUR ON THE PRAIRIES, 1835 ABBOTSFORD AND NEWSTEAD ABBEY, 1835 THE CRAYON MISCELLANY, 1835 (3 vols.) ASTORIA, 1836 ESSAYS AND SKETCHES, 1837 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE, 1837 THE LIFE OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH, 1840 WORKS, (15 vols.) MAHOMET AND HIS SUCCESSORS, 1849 THE LIFE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, WOLFERT'S ROOST, 1855 SPANISH PAPERS AND OTHER MISCELLANIES, 1866 ABU HASSAN, 1924 THE WILD HUNTSMAN, 1924 COMPLETE WORKS, (30 vols.)

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