These are the notebooks of Washington Irving, containing the jottings made by Irving during his travels in Europe between 1815 and 1830. These journals have been kept in the Irving family until within the last few years of the 19th century. The number of people who think they could write is larger than most of us suspect; it is pleasantly larger than the number who think they can write. There is not one of the former but will be eager to read Irving's notebooks. For they are the genuine backstage of literature. They are real notebooks: they are not journals, written with an eye on the public, as are most of the notebooks that push into print. They are not a collection of Irving's profound thoughts. Neither are they commentaries; Waterloo was but just over, but you will find in these pages few choice bits of gossip concerning the men and affairs of that momentous period. Obeying the strange impulse which seems to be common to all of us, big and little, Irving did set down each day the state of the weather and if he slept well. But this is about as far as the journalizing goes: the rest is observations, character sketches, scraps of sentences, skeleton plots—these three volumes should help to dispel the notion that writers "make up" their books; only the poor writers invent anything, for they write for the sake of writing; fellows like Irving write for the sake of life, straining to catch and fix some of its overwhelming stream of pictures and passions.

This book is a collection of journals of the famous American author Washington Irving. The journals give a glimpse into his personal and professional life, his travels and experiences, and his thoughts and opinions on various topics. It is a must-read for anyone interested in American literature and history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Best known for his short stories, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip van Winkle, Washington Irving was a prolific essayist, biographer, and historian, as well as a member of the American diplomatic staff. The three volumes of his Journals provide detailed accounts of Irving's travels, experiences, and observations, creating an enlightening backdrop to both his literary and historical works. Noteworthy for his descriptions of his travels in Europe, of particular interest is Irving's perspective on 19th century American culture and politics, including his beloved New York, as well as his commentary on the treatment of Native Americans and their culture. vol. 2 of 3

These journals, containing as they do a carefully detailed account of Irving's travels, experiences, and observations during the development and productive periods of his genius, may be regarded as having an important bearing upon American literature, entirely apart from their historic significance or their value as records of travel. That Irving was a draughtsman of some talent is proven by the facsimiles of his numerous sketches scatered throughout this work.THIS TITLE IS CITED AND RECOMMENDED BY: Books for College Libraries; Bibliography of American Literature; Guide to the Study of the United States of America. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

The Journals of Washington Irving by Washington Irving. This book is a reproduction of the original book published in 1919 and may have some imperfections such as marks or hand-written notes.