A History of New York

In 1809, New Yorkers were buzzing about a series of classified ads concerning the whereabouts of Dutch historian Diedrich Knickerbocker. They were unaware that Washington Irving had invented the man entirely and placed the ads himself. Knickerbocker’s purported manuscript, A History of New York, was Irving’s own. Told from Knickerbocker’s point of view, A History of New York is a chronicle of New York’s fifty years under Dutch rule in the 1600s that plays fast and loose with the facts, to uproarious effect. A History of New York propelled Irving to the heights of literary stardom.

Washington Irving (1783-û 1859), the father of the American short story, is best known today for his tales of the Hudson River region, including the iconic -ôRip Van Winkle-öand -ôThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow.-ö

Elizabeth L.Bradley is deputy director of the Dorothy Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at The New York Public Library.