Author: Washington Irving
Washington Irving (1783 - 1859) American author. Washington Irving is considered to be the first American writer to be known abroad. He was born in New York in 1783 in a well-to-do family. After leaving school he began studying law. In 1820 he published his best-known book called the Sketch Book, a compilation of short stories including The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. The Legends of Alhambra, published in 1832, is another of his most-read novels. He died in Tarrytown on November 1859.
