A man who sleeps for twenty years in the Catskill Mountains wakes to a much-changed world.

From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by name of Sleepy Hollow... A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere. Washington Irving

Washington Irving-author, ambassador, Manhattanite, and international celebrity-has largely slipped from America's memory, and yet, his creations are still very well known. With a historian's eye for scope and significance, Andrew Burstein returns Irving to the context of his native nineteenth century where he was a major celebrity-both a colorful comic genius and the first name in our national literature. Though he gave his young nation such enduring tales as “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle,” he was far more than one of our nation's most outsized literary talents. Irving was an American original and a citizen of the world.

Washington Irving and his nephew Pierre first met as adults in 1826. In compliance with teh wises of his uncle, Pierre assumed the roles of real estate agent, comptroller, editor, confidant and nurse. After the author's death in 1859, Pierre compiled The Life and Letters of Washington Irving, which for three generations remained the standard biographic portrait. The present work traces the relationships between Pierre and Washington Irving. In addition it includes a biography of Pierre M. Irving.

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