Washington Irving’s Followers (1,051)

Washington Irving

Born

in New York City, New York, The United States

April 03, 1783

Died

November 28, 1859

Genre

Fiction, Biography, Short Stories

Influences

Daniel Defoe, Sir Walter Scott, George Gordon Byron ...more

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People remember American writer Washington Irving for the stories " Rip Van Winkle " and " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ," contained in The Sketch Book (1820).

This author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century wrote newspaper articles under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle to begin his literary career at the age of nineteen years.

In 1809, he published The History of New York under his most popular public persona, Diedrich Knickerbocker.

Historical works of Irving include a five volume biography of George Washington (after whom he was named) as well as biographies of Oliver Goldsmith, Muhammad, and several histories, dealing with subjects, such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra, of 15th-ce ...more

Combine Editions
Washington Irving’s books

Average rating: 3.8 · 268,204 ratings · 15,283 reviews · 5,570 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 3.77 avg rating — 154,856 ratings — published 1820 — 1574 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rip Van Winkle 3.60 avg rating — 18,749 ratings — published 1819 — 729 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tales of the Alhambra 3.74 avg rating — 5,706 ratings — published 1832 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle 3.80 avg rating — 5,362 ratings — published 1819 — 303 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Devil and Tom Walker 3.56 avg rating — 2,973 ratings — published 1824 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Old Christmas: From the Sketch Book 3.62 avg rating — 1,731 ratings — published 1820 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Sketch Book 3.64 avg rating — 1,546 ratings — published 1819 — 1251 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories 3.53 avg rating — 834 ratings — published 1820 — 57 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Spectre Bridegroom 3.64 avg rating — 759 ratings — published 1819 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Adventure of the German Student 3.69 avg rating — 685 ratings — published 1824 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Washington Irving…

Quotes by Washington Irving (?)

“There is a sacredness in tears....They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.”
― Washington Irving

3619 likes

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”
― Washington Irving

2628 likes

“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.”
― Washington Irving

1013 likes

See all Washington Irving's quotes »

Polls

September 2025 - Short Story/Novella Poll

Regret by Kate Chopin

32 votes, 21.8%

The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame

30 votes, 20.4%

The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving

21 votes, 14.3%

Butterball by Guy de Maupassant

18 votes, 12.2%

Peter by Willa Cather

12 votes, 8.2%

The Other Shore title play by Gao Xingjian

11 votes, 7.5%

The Coup de Grâce by Ambrose Bierce

9 votes, 6.1%

It's a Good Life by Jerome Bixby

8 votes, 5.4%

Haircut by Ring Lardner

3 votes, 2.0%

The Last Day in the Field from The Collected Stories of Caroline Gordon

3 votes, 2.0%

147 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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SciFi and Fantasy...: What I am also reading in December	30	653	Jan 08, 2009 06:31AM
History is Not Bo...: New York City history blog	60	150	Jul 08, 2009 09:05AM
Apocalyptic Readi...: Megan's Read 25 Classics by Dec. 21, 2012 Challenge	18	47	Apr 05, 2010 08:43AM
The Seasonal Read...: 25.10 - Belinda's Task - Let's Play The Name Game	50	197	May 31, 2010 10:18AM
BOOK-A-HOLICS: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Wins	14	92	Oct 20, 2010 12:44PM

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