Tales of a Traveller

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Tales of a Traveller, by Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
Traveller1.jpg
Volume 1 of the first US edition.
Author Washington Irving
Language English
Genre Essays & Short stories
Publisher John Murray (London)
H.C. Cary & I. Lee (Philadelphia)
Publication date
1824
Publication place United States/England
(concurrently published)
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN 0-940450-59-3 (reprint)
OCLC 22207793
813/.2 20
LC Class PS2052 1991
Preceded by Bracebridge Hall  
Followed by A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus  

Tales of a Traveller, by Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. is an 1824 two-volume, four-part (plus an introduction) collection of essays and short stories authored by Washington Irving. He compiled the collection while he was living in Europe, primarily in Germany and Paris and published it under his pseudonym, Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Notable stories included are "The Adventure of the German Student", "Kidd the Pirate", and "The Devil and Tom Walker".

Contents

Reception

Irving thought highly of Tales of a Traveller, saying: "I think there are in it some of the best things I have ever written". He was therefore disappointed by the book's generally poor critical reception. [1] :50 Critic John Neal was severe in his critique, [1] :86 saying in American Writers : "We hardly know how to speak of this sad affair .... No wonder that people have begun to question his originality". [2] By the early 20th century, critics generally ranked it lower than The Sketch Book . [1] :50

References

  1. 1 2 3 Cairns, William B. (1922). British Criticisms of American Writings 1815–1833: A Contribution to the Study of Anglo-American Literary Relationships. University of Wisconsin Studies in Language and Literature Number 14. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin. OCLC   1833885.
  2. Neal, John (1937). Pattee, Fred Lewis (ed.). American Writers: A Series of Papers Contributed to Blackwood's Magazine (1824–1825) . Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. pp. 138–139. OCLC   464953146.