The Alhambra – Washington Irving (1894)

S$82.00

The Alhambra – Washington Irving (1894)

S$82.00

Title: The Alhambra
Author: Washington Irving
Publisher: David McKay, 1894
Condition: Decorative cloth, with a unique and beautiful design. Small dent to spine, a few stains to back cover. Gilt to top edge, minor tanning to other edges. Inscription to

SKU: alhambra-1894 Categories: , ,

Title: The Alhambra
Author: Washington Irving
Publisher: David McKay, 1894
Condition: Decorative cloth, with a unique and beautiful design. Small dent to spine, a few stains to back cover. Gilt to top edge, minor tanning to other edges. Inscription to fly leaf. Spine webbing exposed at the back. WIth 16 tissue-guarded illustrations.

About The Alhambra (from Wikipedia):

Tales of the Alhambra is a collection of essays, verbal sketches, and stories by Washington Irving.

Shortly after completing a biography of Christopher Columbus in 1828, Washington Irving traveled from Madrid, where he had been staying, to Granada, Spain. At first sight, he described it as “a most picturesque and beautiful city, situated in one of the loveliest landscapes that I have ever seen.” Irving was preparing a book called A Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada, a history of the years 1478–1492, and was continuing his research on the topic. He immediately asked the then-governor of the historic Alhambra Palace as well as the archbishop of Granada for access to the palace, which was granted because of Irving’s celebrity status. Aided by a 35-year old guide named Mateo Ximenes, Irving was inspired by his experience to write Tales of the Alhambra. The book combines description, myth and narrations of real historical events, even up through the destruction of some of the palace’s towers by the French under Count Sebastiani in 1812, and the further damage caused by an earthquake in 1821. Throughout his trip, Washington filled his notebooks and journals with descriptions and observations though he did not believe his writing would ever do it justice. He wrote, “How unworthy is my scribbling of the place.”

About Washington Irving (from Wikipedia):

Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories “Rip Van Winkle” (1819) and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820), both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of George Washington, Oliver Goldsmith and Muhammad, and several histories of 15th-century Spain dealing with subjects such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra. Irving served as the U.S. ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846.