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Washington Irving: An American Original
by
Brian Jay Jones (Goodreads Author)
The first American writer to make his pen his primary means of support, Washington Irving rocketed to fame at the age of 26. In 1809 he published A History of New York under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker to great acclaim. The publicÕs appetite for all things Irving was insatiable; his name alone guaranteed sales. At the time, he was one of the most famous men i...more
Hardcover, 468 pages
Published
January 4th 2008
by Arcade Publishing
(first published November 1st 2007)
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Lively narrative of the first American man of letters who took longer to find himself than many a wandering soul of our time. He lost piles of money in ill-fated speculations and generous attempts to help his equally inept businessman brother. But eventually his deals with Sir Walter Scott's powerhouse British publisher helped him earn the moolah his entertaining historical tales deserved. His Columbus portrait was the source of most Columbus mythology for the 100 years, although there was plent...more
I looked forward to reading this biography of Irving. His Sketchbook was among the first “serious books” from my father’s collection to attract my attention and I still have occasion to return to it. Jones provides much of interest on Irving’s life but, like others, I found him at times careless with terminology and a little too quick to make assertions—particularly about Irving’s sexuality—with little evidence to back them up.
That said, I did enjoy the book and am happy to see a boy...more
That said, I did enjoy the book and am happy to see a boy...more
Interesting account of the life of America's first famous author illustrating the joys and rewards of being a talented author and bon vivant while coping with the drudgery of paying bills having to produce an income.
Jane
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the internationalism of Washington Irving was unexpected. I assumed he was so American.
Delightfully entertaining.
Elizabeth L.
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feh. Had to cover all the bases, but it was pretty thin gruel.
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Shelves:
biography,
lit-crit,
award-winner,
american-lit,
library,
american-lives,
literati,
19th-century-lives
Catherine Mustread
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Recommended to Catherine by:
Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence
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Award-winning biographer Brian Jay Jones spent two decades as a writer, speechwriter, and public policy analyst, serving elected officials at three levels of government, including nearly ten years in the United States Senate. Despite this background, he writes nonfiction.
Brian’s first book, Washington Irving: An American Original, was hailed as the definitive biography of American lit...more
More about Brian Jay Jones...
Brian’s first book, Washington Irving: An American Original, was hailed as the definitive biography of American lit...more
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