Washington Irving
"Mr. Irving is a native of the United States of America, and has
been singularly fortunate in removing the prejudices which
existed against the literary talents of his countrymen. It is
but a few years ago that our critics all spoke of American
literature with a sneer, and as totally unworthy of notice;
indeed, it was treated with so much contempt, that persons
unacquainted with the productions of the American press might be
led to doubt that it yielded anything better than a newspaper
essay, or the calculations of an almanack. This ignorance and
this prejudice have alike vanished before the talents of Mr.
Irving. It is true that some novels which displayed considerable
genius reached England before Mr. Irving's 'Sketch Book.' but it
was the latter work which first called the public attention to
the infant republic of letters in the United States; and it is
but justice to say that England has made the
amende
honorable by a frank and honest acknowledgment of its
claims." —Preface to
Salmagundi in a collected edition
of Irving's works published in London, 1866.
The Works of Washington Irving. New edition,
revised. New-York: George P. Putnam. —This is the "Author's
Revised Edition" of Irving's works, prepared for the press by
Irving himself. He received a royalty of 12 per cent on every
copy sold—an unheard-of indulgence to an author in America. We
list the complete set here, even though it includes writings
of all sorts, because we hate to break up a set. The
collection grew irregularly, as Irving was still writing when
he began work on it; and a life (by his nephew Pierre Irving),
with collected letters, was added after Irving's death. The
printings are of various dates; we have preferred a clean scan
where possible.
It is a ridiculously arduous task to gather all the volumes of
a set on Google Books. One suspects that the whole system was
designed without once consulting a librarian.
I.
Knickerbocker's New-York.
II.
The Sketch Book.
III.
Life and Voyages of Columbus, Vol. I.
IV.
Life and Voyages of Columbus, Vol. II.
V.
Columbus and His Companions, Vol. III.
VI.
Bracebridge Hall.
VII. Tales of a Traveller.
VIII.
Astoria.
Astoria
(not numbered).
IX.
Crayon Miscellany.
X. Bonneville's Adventures.
Adventures
of Captain Bonneville (not numbered).
XI.
Oliver Goldsmith.
XII.
Mahomet and His Successors, Vol. I.
XIII.
Mahomet and His Successors, Vol. II.
XIV.
Conquest of Granada.
XV.
The Alhambra.
XVI.
Wolfert's Roost.
Life of Washington, Vol. I.
Life
of Washington, Vol. II.
Life of Washington, Vol. III.
Life
of Washington, Vol. IV.
Life of Washington, Vol. V.
XXIV.
Life and Letters, Vol. II.
XXV.
Life and Letters, Vol. III.
XXVI.
Life and Letters, Vol. IV.
XXVII.
XXVIII.
Spanish Papers and Other Miscellanies, Vol. II.
Salmagundi;
or, the Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, Esq.,
and others. By William Irving, James Kirke Paulding, and
Washington Irving. Printed from the original edition, with a
preface and notes by Evert A. Duyckinck. New York: G. P.
Putnam, 1860. —This was not included in the "Author's Revised
Edition" of Irving's works; it had already been included in
James K. Paulding's collected works, and Irving, whose
literary reputation stood far above his good friend
Paulding's, may have wished to let Paulding keep whatever
advantage he could reap from Salmagundi.
Another
copy.