Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Deirdre_ca and PG Distributed Proofreaders
FOUR FAMOUS AMERICAN WRITERS
Washington Irving Edgar Allan Poe James Russell Lowell Bayard Taylor
A Book For Young Americans
By Sherwin Cody
1899
CONTENTS
THE STORY OF WASHINGTON IRVING
CHAPTERI. HIS CHILDHOODII. IRVING'S FIRST VOYAGE UP THE HUDSON RIVERIII. A TRIP TO MONTREALIV. IRVING GOES TO EUROPEV. "SALMAGUNDI"VI. "DIEDRICH KNICKERBOCKER"VII. A COMIC HISTORY OF NEW YORKVIII. FIVE UNEVENTFUL YEARSIX. FRIENDSHIP WITH SIR WALTER SCOTTX. "RIP VAN WINKLE"XI. LITERARY SUCCESS IN ENGLANDXII. IRVING GOES TO SPAINXIII. "THE ALHAMBRA"XIV. THE LAST YEARS OF IRVING'S LIFE
THE STORY OF EDGAR ALLAN POE
CHAPTERI. THE ARTIST IN WORDSII. POE'S FATHER AND MOTHERIII. YOUNG EDGAR ALLANIV. COLLEGE LIFEV. FORTUNE CHANGESVI. LIVING BY LITERATUREVII. POE'S EARLY POETRYVIII. POE'S CHILD WIFEIX. POE'S LITERARY HISTORYX. POE AS A STORY-WRITERXI. HOW "THE RAVEN" WAS WRITTENXII. MUSIC AND POETRYXIII. POE'S LATER YEARS
THE STORY OF JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
CHAPTERI. ELMWOODII. AN IMPETUOUS YOUNG MANIII. COLLEGE AND THE MUSESIV. HOW LOWELL STUDIED LAWV. LOVE AND LETTERSVI. THE UNCERTAIN SEAS OF LITERATUREVII. HOSEA BIGLOW, YANKEE HUMORISTVIII. PARSON WILBURIX. A FABLE FOR CRITICSX. THE TRUEST POETRYXI. PROFESSOR, EDITOR, AND DIPLOMAT
THE STORY OF BAYARD TAYLOR
CHAPTERI. HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOODII. SCHOOL LIFEIII. HIS FIRST POEMIV. SELF-EDUCATION AND AMBITIONV. A TRAVELER AT NINETEENVI. TWO YEARS IN EUROPE FOR FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARSVII. THE HARDSHIPS OF TRAMP TRAVELVIII. HIS FIRST LOVE AND GREATEST SORROWIX. "THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAVELER"X. HIS POETRYXI. "POEMS OF THE ORIENT"XII. BAYARD TAYLOR'S FRIENDSHIPSXIII. LAST YEARS
THE STORY OF WASHINGTON IRVING
[Illustration: WASHINGTON IRVING.]
WASHINGTON IRVING
CHAPTER I
HIS CHILDHOOD
The Revolutionary War was over. The British soldiers were preparing toembark on their ships and sail back over the ocean, and GeneralWashington would soon enter New York city at the head of the Americanarmy. While all true patriots were rejoicing at this happy turn ofaffairs, a little boy was born who was destined to be the first greatAmerican author.
William Irving, the father of this little boy, had been a merchant inNew York city. He had been very prosperous until the war broke out.After the battle of Long Island, the British then occupying the city,he had taken his family to New Jersey. But later, although he was aloyal American, he went back to the city to attend to his business.There he helped the American cause by doing everything he could forthe American prisoners whom the British held. His wife, especially,had a happy way of persuading Sir Henry Clinton, and when the Britishgeneral saw her coming, he prepared himself to grant any request aboutthe prisoners which she might make. Often she sent them food from herown table, and cared for them when they were sick.