Early Writers of American Literature and History
Washington Irving was born at the end of the American
Revolutionary War and named for General George Washington, who had been
admired by both of his parents. He became the first American author
to make a living by his writing. His work includes many historical works,
bearing particularly upon the history of Spain, New York State, and
the American Pacific Northwest, as well as works of fiction.
Well, here it is -- the story of Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman
of Sleepy Hollow. Washington Irving certainly wrote more history than fiction,
but he is still known best for his Hudson River Tales, like the story of
Rip Van Winkle and this perennial favorite of the Halloween season.
(This ebook now includes both The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow and Rip Van Winkle.)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
by Washington Irving |
Size: 58 KB |
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Astoria (1836)
Looking for adventure? Well, Astoria; or, Anecdotes of an Enterprise
Beyond The Rocky Mountains is a collection of tales of fur traders and
mountain men in the Pacific Northwest (USA). Here are the true tales of the
real explorers, who struggled against grizzly bears and native Americans to
stay alive long enough, to collect enough fur, to buy the next year's whiskey
ration. Got balls? These are the tales of the times when cowboys were
wussies who stayed at home with the cows, while real men roamed with the
buffalo.
Astoria, volume I
by Washington Irving |
Size: 256 KB |
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Astoria, volume II
by Washington Irving |
Size: 253 KB |
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The Adventures of Captain Bonneville (1837)
Among the research materials that Irving employed in the development of
Astoria was the journal of a Captain of the U.S. Army, who had
conducted an exploration of the Columbia River Valley and the Pacific
coastline in order to assess the possibility of ending the British monopoly
on the Northwest fur trade. This book is Washington Irving's re-telling
of what he learned from that journal. It presents a wealth of information
about the native inhabitants as well as the activities of French, British,
Spanish and early American interlopers in the region that is now California
and the Northwestern United States.
Today, much credit (or blame) is given to the expedition of Lewis and
Clark for opening the way for American expansion into the region that
modern Americans know as the Pacific Northwest, but there were other
explorers and entrepreneurs who came into the region in connection with
the fur trade or for other purposes. Captain Bonneville was one who
organized an expedition on his own initiative and at his own expense.
He requested leave from his duties in the United States Army in order
to carry out his plan and succeeded in crossing the Rocky Mountains,
descending the Columbia River Valley and exploring the California coastline.
He was one of the first Europeans (Bonneville was, himself, French) to provide
a detailed account of the native peoples who were living in the valleys
between the eastern and western ranges of the Rocky Mountains. And, he was
the first to describe the people that this volume calls the Eutaw
(for whom the state of Utah is named) and the great salt flats that
today bear his name.
The Adventures of Captain Bonneville
by Washington Irving |
Size: 372 KB |
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