Washington Irving: The Definitive Biography of America's First Bestselling Author Paperback – November 15, 2011

I knew little about Irving prior to reading this bio. I'd read his standard stuff - Rip Van Winkle, Sleepy Hollow. As a descendant of Van Winkles and the West India Dutch who settled Manhattan, I felt the need to learn more. Turns out he knew some of the people in my family tree. I was enthralled.But that wasn't the extent of my interest. I hold a B.A. in lit and am a lifelong student. Running across a reference to Irving, in which he was referred to as essentially the first, true American writer I realized I knew precious little about him as a person.And he was fascinating, connected to so many literary and historical figures it reads like a who's who of 19th C America. Not just America. He crossed the ocean to Europe, where he spent over a decade writing and serving in a governmental capacity. He met a young Queen Victoria and was unimpressed. Loved that.This is a bio packed with absorbing information. Not a work of literary criticism, it's more a personal and historical study of Irving. The research that went into it was phenomenal. I am gob-smacked. I expected to find it interesting. I didn't expect the total absorption, or the desire it gave me to pursue connections in order to learn more.What a character Irving was! Such complexity. He was both lazy as hell and a workhorse, shy but social. He could be petulant and vain, generous and kind. I have huge affection for him now.I have read many literary bios. This is definitely in my top ten. Irving's 'History of New York' comes next on my agenda and I have no doubt I'll refer back to this biography as part of that read.Washington Irving may be one of the best-connected writers in the history of literature. I have even greater respect for him now. If you're still wavering about buying this, don't! It's absorbing, fact-filled, beautifully-written. Worth the investment in time and money, and then some.

Many if not most Americans today never heard of Dietrich Knickerbocker or Geoffrey Crayon but they were the pen names of America’s first best-selling author, Washington Irving. People think of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as stand-alone stories but they were part of The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., a book which also contained essays on travel and life in general. Throughout his life Irving was a remarkably perceptive observer of human behavior and this excellent biography does him full justice. Like Irving, the biography is witty, smoothly written, and perceptive about the subject’s personality and character. It is an enjoyable read from beginning to end. Brian Jones makes extensive use of Irving’s letters and does a very good job of inserting Irving’s own writings at the appropriate times.I thought I knew about Irving – the famous stories, the Tarrytown house called Sunnyside, his role in American literary history. But I actually knew very little. This is a man who wrote because he needed money – it was the driving force behind his creativity. The book documents how he went from being a self-centered young man whose writings show his self-centeredness to the point where he begins to find his own voice and whose Sketchbook changed the face of American literature. Irving developed many many friends ranging from the politician and president Martin Van Buren to Mary Shelley who had a crush on him. Irving was an author but also a very effective diplomat for the United States. He had an enormous impact on other writers. Dickens sounds like a disciple in his letters to Irving and Hawthorne and Poe and Longfellow write glowingly of their appreciation of his work (though Poe was a bit hypocritical about it). And throughout the book, his fascinating personality comes through both in times of depression and writer’s block to when he writes Rip Van Winkle in a day. This is a strong and enjoyable biography that I recommend highly. It is well-written and will give you insights not just into Irving but to life in America and Europe in the first half of the 19th century.

It was a most enlightening book. I learned so much about Irving and the times he lived in. Great read.

The scope of the writing from fiction to history, diplomatic papers,etc, all hand written before being published. He was the first American to make a living by writing. He mingled with Presidents, diplomats, kings, queens, indians, and frontiersmen.

Whether or not Irving was gay seems to be really important to this author, but less so to this reader. I wish there had been more emphasis placed on his development as an author, but overall this is a good read for anyone interested in the social context in which authors of this era developed.

Well documented biography. Little tedious in one or two places but the story flows There is so much to cover of this fascinating author. Also enjoyed reading of the historical era where these events occurred.

Well researched, A great insight into an American literary icon. The suggestions of homosexuality are without substantiation and should not have been included in the text. That being said I enjoyed this book.

I've been reading biographies for the past few years, my parents got this for me and I finally decided to read it and have not been disappointed. It takes you on the amazing story of Washington Irving who was just a regular person who becomes America's first celebrity. I'm still reading it but have been very satisfied with it.