IRVING, Washington

‘Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them.’

Washington Irving was born on April 3^rd 1783 in New York City. He was an American author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

He was first published in 1802 with a series of observational letters, but his writing halted when he briefly served in the War of 1812. He then moved to England for the family business in 1815. One day in 1818, he was reminiscing with his brother-in-law, Henry Van Wart, when Irving was suddenly inspired by their nostalgia. Irving then supposedly locked himself in his room and began to write, and didn’t stop all night. He then presented the first draft of Rip Van Winkle the following morning to the Van Wart family over breakfast. The book allowed Irving to achieve international fame with its publication in 1819–20.

Irving was among the first American writers to earn acclaim in Europe, and encouraged other American authors such Edgar Allan Poe. He continued to publish regularly and successfully throughout his life, and just eight months before his death, he completed a five-volume biography of George Washington. In 1905, Rip Van Winkle was illustrated by Arthur Rackham and became the first of the opulent large quarto illustrated gift books heralding the beginning of ‘The Golden Age of Book Illustration’

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